Education
University of Virginia
J.D. 1974
Princeton University
A.B., Politics, 1971
Bar Admissions
State
Virginia (1974)
District of Columbia (2007)
Federal
U.S. Court of Appeals
— 4th Circuit
— D.C. Circuit
U.S. District Court
— Eastern District of Virginia
— Western District of Virginia
— District of Columbia)
Partner (retired)
Email: mdare@islerdare.com
Mark Dare, a native of Illinois, has resided in Northern Virginia since 1974. Prior to joining IslerDare PC in 2006, Mark was a partner in the Falls Church, Virginia office of the international law firm of Reed Smith, LLP, and its predecessors in Virginia, Hazel & Thomas, and Hazel, Beckhorn & Hanes, where he practiced for more than 30 years.
A past president of the Fairfax Bar Association (1994-95) and the Fairfax Law Foundation (2004-5), Mark is a frequent lecturer and author of written materials on employment law subjects. He is an editor of Employment Law in Virginia, the acknowledged “bible” of sources for the law of the workplace in Virginia, and he is the author of the book’s chapter on Unfair Competition, which deals with covenants not to compete, disloyalty, and theft of trade secrets.
Mark resides with his wife, Mary, in Fairfax Station, Virginia.
Professional and Community Involvement
Bar Associations
Federal Bar Association
Virginia Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section
Fairfax Bar Association, Employment Law Section
— President (1994-95)
— Member, Board of Directors (1990-96)
Community Activities
Fairfax Law Foundation
— President (2004-05)
— Member, Board of Directors (1995-2012)
Honors
Named a Best Lawyers® 2020 “Lawyer of the Year” in Employment Law – Management for the Washington, DC area
Named a Best Lawyers® 2018 “Lawyer of the Year” in Employment Law – Management for the Washington, DC area
Named a Best Lawyers® 2018 “Lawyer of the Year” in Virginia
Recognized in Best Lawyers in America© – 2012 to 2021
Recognized as one of the Top Lawyers in Washington by Washingtonian magazine
AV® Preeminent rated by Martindale Hubbell
Named a Best Lawyers® 2016 “Lawyer of the Year” Litigation – Labor and Employment for the Washington, DC area
Named a Legal Leader in American Lawyer, in Corporate Counsel, and in National Law Journal
Named by Virginia Business magazine to Virginia Legal Elite, Labor and Employment
Named a Top Lawyer by Virginia magazine and Northern Virginia magazine
Honored as a leading employment defense counsel in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers For Business – 2005 to 2019
Named a Virginia Super Lawyer by Richmond magazine and Virginia Super Lawyers magazine – 2006 to 2019
Named one of Virginia’s Top Lawyers by the Richmond Times-Dispatch and Virginia Magazine
Named a Washington DC Super Lawyer by Washington Lawyer and Washington Post Magazine
Publications
Employment Law in Virginia, 6th Edition (Editor)
(Virginia Law Foundation 2016)
“Unfair Competition” in Employment Law in Virginia
(Virginia Law Foundation 2016)
Employment Law in Virginia, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Editions (Editor)
(Virginia Law Foundation 1997, 2002, 2005, 2010, 2014)
“Unfair Competition” in Employment Law in Virginia, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Editions
(Virginia Law Foundation 1997, 2002, 2005, 2010, 2014)
“Employment Law” (2009 Update), The Virginia Lawyer
(Virginia Law Foundation 2009)
Judges Should Have Power to Blue-Pencil Noncompetes, Virginia Lawyers Weekly
(September 2003)
Advice From the Defense in Wrongful Discharge and Termination Cases, Journal of Virginia Trial Lawyers Association
(1996)
Professional / Continuing Legal Education Presentations
Virginia CLE: Employment Law Ethics: Staying On the Right Side
(Webcast Seminar; 2018)
Virginia CLE: 40 Questions About Employment Law Every Lawyer Should Know
(Webcast Seminar; 2017)
Virginia CLE: 40 Questions About Noncompetes and the Duty of Loyalty in Virginia
(Webcast Seminar; 2016)
New Federal Protection for Confidential Information
Employment Law Update (December 2016)
Virginia CLE: 35 Questions About Virginia Employment Law Every Lawyer Should Know
(Webcast Seminar; 2015)
Virginia CLE: Covenants Not to Compete and the Duty of Loyalty
(Webcast Seminar; 2014)
IslerDare Breakfast Briefing: Creating and Implementing Cutting-Edge Employee Policies and Handbooks
(Tysons Corner, Virginia; May 2014)
Virginia CLE: 35 Questions About Employment Law Every Virginia Lawyer Should Know
(Video Seminar; 2013)
Virginia CLE: 40 Questions About Noncompetes and The Duty of Loyalty in Virginia
(Telephone Seminar; 2012)
Virginia CLE: 35 Questions About Employment Law Every Virginia Lawyer Should Know
(Telephone Seminar; 2011)
Fairfax Bar Association: Litigating Attorney’s Fee Awards in Virginia Courts
(Fairfax, Virginia; 2011)
District of Columbia Bar: Litigating Sexual Harassment Cases in the Federal and D.C. Courts: Practical and Tactical Advice
(Washington, DC; November 15, 2010)
Virginia Bar Association: Looking Behind the Curtain: Pleading Requirements, Summary Judgment and Other Employment Law Issues in Federal Court
(Reston, Virginia; October 2, 2010) (written materials only)
Virginia CLE: Covenants Not to Compete and The Duty of Loyalty in Virginia
(Telephone Seminar; September 14 and October 29, 2010)
Virginia CLE: 35 Questions About Employment Law Every Virginia Lawyer Should Know
(Telephone Seminar; 2009)
Virginia CLE: 18th Annual Employment Law Update: Me Too Evidence in the Wake of Sprint v. Mendelsohn
(Richmond and Fairfax, Virginia; May 2009)
Virginia CLE: 17th Annual Employment Law Update: Ethics in Employment Litigation
(Richmond and Fairfax, Virginia; May 2008)
Virginia Bar Association: Keeping Intellectual Property in the Vault: Employment Law Hazards and Strategies
(Hot Springs, Virginia; 2008)
Virginia CLE: Covenants Not to Compete and The Duty of Loyalty in Virginia
(Telephone Seminar; 2008)
Virginia CLE: 35 Questions About Employment Law Every Virginia Lawyer Should Know
(Telephone Seminar; 2007)
Fairfax Bar Association: E-Discovery Under the New Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
(Fairfax, Virginia; 2007)
Federal Bar Association: Employment Litigation in the Federal Courts
(Arlington, Virginia; 2007)
Georgetown University Law Center: 10th Annual: Litigating and Resolving Employment Cases: Views from the Bench – “Dynamic Discovery”
(Washington, D.C.; 2006)
Fairfax Bar Association: Business Torts
(Fairfax, Virginia; May 2006)
Virginia CLE: 15th Annual Employment Law Update: Written Discovery in Employment Litigation (with David Paxton)
(Richmond, Virginia; May 2006)
Fairfax Bar Association: Countdown to Zero: The New Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
(Fairfax, Virginia; 2006)
Virginia CLE: Covenants Not to Compete and The Duty of Loyalty in Virginia
(Telephone Seminar; 2006)
Virginia CLE: Practical Employment Advice for Businesses: Avoiding Defamation in References and Recommendations
(Telephone Seminar; October 2005)
Georgetown University Law Center: 9th Annual: Litigating and Resolving Employment Cases: Views from the Bench
(Washington, DC; 2005)
Virginia CLE: Covenants Not to Compete and The Duty of Loyalty in Virginia
(Telephone Seminar; October 2004)
Virginia CLE: 35 Questions About Employment Law Every Practitioner Should Know
(Telephone Seminar; October 2003)
Virginia CLE: 12th Annual Employment Law Update: Evaluating and Settling Employment Claims: Management Perspective
(Falls Church, Richmond, and Norfolk, Virginia; March 2003)
Winchester Society for Human Resource Management: Common Mistakes Made in HR
(Winchester, Virginia; 2002)
Virginia CLE: Covenants Not to Compete and The Duty of Loyalty in Virginia
(Telephone Seminar; December 2002)
Fairfax Bar Association: Employment Law for Religious Leaders
(Fairfax, Virginia; 2002)
Virginia CLE: Covenants Not to Compete and The Duty of Loyalty in Virginia
(Telephone Seminar; December 2001)
Virginia CLE: Covenants Not to Compete and The Duty of Loyalty in Virginia
(Telephone Seminar; December 2000)
Fairfax Bar Association: Employment Law: Something for Everyone
(Fairfax, Virginia; 2000)
Multi-State Labor & Employment Law Conference: The Internet and Workplace Problems
(Savannah, Georgia; 2000)
Optical Laboratories Association: FMLA Developments
(Nashville, Tennessee; 2000)
Council on Education in Management: Lawfully Resolving Leave and Absence Issues: How to Respond to the Latest ADA and FMLA Cases
(Fairfax, Virginia; 2000)
George Mason University Accounting Advisory Council: Employment Law Update for Businesses: 9th Annual CPE Seminar
(Dulles, Virginia; 1999)
Alexandria Chamber of Commerce: The Legal Environment of Human Resources
(Alexandria, Virginia; 1999)
Council on Education in Management: New Judicial and Legislative Developments That Impact Your Discipline Practices
(Fairfax, Virginia; 1999)
Fairfax Bar Association: Employment for Religious Leaders
(Fairfax, Virginia; 1998)
Council on Education in Management: How to Give Evaluations That Will Improve Performance and Won’t Land You in Court
(Falls Church, Virginia; 1998)
Fairfax Bar Association: Semi-annual Employment Law Review: Strategies in Wrongful Discharge Cases After Doss v. Jamco
(Fairfax, Virginia; 1998)
Association of Legal Administrators: Why and How to Give Performance Evaluations
(Fairfax, Virginia; 1998)
Fairfax Bar Association: Employment Law: View from the Trenches
(Fairfax, Virginia; 1997)
Council on Education in Management: Human Resources Policy Pointers
(Fairfax, Virginia; 1997)
Fairfax Bar Association: Litigating Employment Cases: Pleadings, Written Discovery and Jury Instructions in Employment Cases
(Fairfax, Virginia; 1997)
Fairfax Bar Association: Fifth Annual Employment Law Update: Current Trends and Developments in Employment Law
(Fairfax, Virginia; 1996)
Fairfax Bar Association: Recent Developments in Employment Law
(Fairfax, Virginia; 1996)
Fairfax Bar Association: Annual Employment Law Update: Employment at Will
(Fairfax, Virginia; 1995)
Fairfax Bar Association CLE: Employment at Will
(Fairfax, Virginia; 1995)
Virginia CLE: Employment Law for Construction Contractors
(Williamsburg, Virginia; 1995)
Fairfax Bar Association: Employment Law Claims
(Fairfax, Virginia; 1993)
Virginia CLE: Employment Litigation with Emphasis on Discrimination Cases
(Richmond, Virginia; 1993)
American Society for Industrial Security: Proper Management of Security Investigations/Operations
(New Orleans, Louisiana; 1993)
Virginia CLE: Review of Recent Changes and Important Issues in the Law Affecting the Workplace and the Practical Implications for Lawyers Who Handle These Cases
(Falls Church, Virginia; 1993)
Fairfax Bar Association: Third Annual Employment Law Update: The Changing Employment at Will Doctrine
(Fairfax, Virginia; 1993)
Fairfax Bar Association: Avoiding Contracts and Lawsuits
(Fairfax, Virginia; 1992)
Fairfax Bar Association: Second Annual Employment Law Update: Employment at Will Status
(Fairfax, Virginia; 1992)
Virginia CLE: Virginia Employment Law Update for the 1990’s
(Fairfax, Virginia; 1991)
Fairfax Bar Association: Pro Bono Training: Employment Rights
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