Over the last four decades, he has tried over 225 cases on behalf of physicians and other healthcare providers in state and federal courts.
An expert in professional-liability and complex-litigation matters, Mr. Dughi is retained to counsel insurance, pharmaceutical, and manufacturing companies as well as other law firms in negotiating difficult settlements and preparing trial strategies. Hospitals, physicians, and other healthcare professionals rely on Mr. Dughi to provide counsel and representation related to licensing and hospital-privilege disputes and fraud investigations before the Board of Medical Examiners as well as other state agencies and hospital hearing committees.
An active member of the legal community, Mr. Dughi has been a frequent and sought-after lecturer for attorney and client groups, where he delivers presentations on current legal trends related to civil litigation, settlement strategies, and alternative-dispute resolution (ADR).
Before founding Dughi & Hewit with Mr. Russell Hewit in 1979, Mr. Dughi began his legal practice at Shanley & Fisher (now Drinker Biddle) in 1972. In 1983, Dughi, Hewit & Domalewski opened a second office in Mt. Laurel, NJ, which Mr. Dughi managed through 2007, an experience that gave him the opportunity to try cases in all but one county in New Jersey (Salem has thus far eluded him).
Mr. Dughi has been awarded the prestigious AV Preeminent® rating from Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™, the gold standard in attorney ratings, which have recognized lawyers for their strong legal abilities and high ethical standards for more than a century. The AV Preeminent rating, the highest peer-rating standard, signifies that a large number of the lawyer’s peers rank Mr. Dughi at the highest level of professional excellence for his legal knowledge, communication skills, and ethical standards. Since 2010, Mr. Dughi has been listed among the “Super Lawyers,” an honor bestowed by New Jersey Super Lawyers magazine on no more than five percent of attorneys in the state.
Mr. Dughi served as a faculty member of the New Jersey Trial Advocacy College in the 1980s. Since the early 1970s, he has a frequent lecturer on trial techniques for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education. He has been a member of the American Board of Trial Attorneys and a member of the Defense Research Institute.
Active in charitable organizations, Mr. Dughi has served as a member of the board of trustees of Kent Place School for over 30 years. He is also on the board of Ocean Medical Center Foundation and annually chairs the Lawyers for Tri-County Awards Dinner for Tri-County Scholarship Fund. Previously, he served as alumni president and member of the board of trustees of Blair Academy.
Mr. Dughi has been married to Virginia Kiss Dughi for 45 years, and together they have three children: Christopher Polek, David Polek, and Christina Tonzola, as well as five grandchildren. Though a lifelong resident of Westfield, New Jersey, Mr. Dughi has spent every summer of his life on Barnegat Bay, where he enjoys sailing and is an accomplished sailboat racer. Over the years, he has taught various sailing classes, and today he continues to teach recreational sailing to adults. During his summers on the bay, Mr. Dughi loves to strategize with his grandsons, who are also sailboat racers, as well as fish for fluke and blues with all of his grandchildren.
Education
- J.D., Cornell University, 1972
- B.A., Cornell University, 1969
