D. Mark Poag
General Counsel and Senior Vice President, Marketing
D. Mark Poag, DataCert's General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Marketing,
joined the company in 2001 following its acquisition of DigiContract, which he
co-founded in 1999 and at which he served as president and CEO. In this capacity,
he was entrusted with high-level responsibilities, including raising equity funding,
recruiting employees, and directing business development efforts. Prior to joining
DigiContract, Poag practiced corporate law at Bracewell & Patterson, LLP. Poag now
leverages his legal and business expertise to provide DataCert strategic guidance
about the legal technology industry.
Poag is an active member of many esteemed professional organizations, including the
Association of Corporate Counsel, American Bar Association, and the State Bar of Texas.
He has been selected by his peers as a Texas Rising Star and, in 2006, the Association of
Corporate Counsel and the Houston Business Journal recognized his achievements in the
field of corporate law by honoring him as Outstanding Solo Corporate Counsel.
At DataCert, Poag evaluates and
executes strategic alliances and M&A opportunities. In addition, Poag delivers
thought leadership for DataCert in the areas of legal spend, intellectual property,
and matter management and oversees the product strategy. Poag's responsibilities
also include oversight of transactional work, litigation, and regulatory activity
for DataCert and its subsidiaries. Specifically, Poag establishes and maintains
intellectual property protection policies and procedures, is responsible for all
contracts with customers, vendors, partners and employees, structures company policy
regarding pertinent legal issues (e.g. privacy, intellectual property, etc.) and
the maintenance of all corporate records.
Poag earned a bachelor's degree from Princeton University and graduated cum laude
from Tulane University School of Law with a juris doctorate. He graduated magna
cum laude from the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University where
he received his MBA.