Éric Dupond-Moretti


Éric Dupond-Moretti is a French criminal defence lawyer, famous for his record number of acquittals.
On 6 July 2020, he became Minister of Justice in the government of Prime Minister Jean Castex.

Early life

Dupond is the only son of Jean-Pierre Dupond, a metal worker from Avesnois and Elena Moretti, a housekeeper from Italy. His paternal grandparents, Achille and Louise, were also workers. Fatherless at the age of four, his mother raised him alone. Like many famous fatherless criminal lawyers, his childhood gave him a sense of injustice. He attended secondary school at the Catholic Lycée Notre-Dame in Valenciennes where he obtained his baccalauréat.

Career

After taking his oath as a lawyer on 11 December 1984 in Douai, he enrolled at the bar of Lille. Working for a Lille law firm, he began his career in the Labour Courts and then as a court appointed lawyer under the mentorship of Lille lawyer Jean Descamps et Toulouse lawyer Alain Furbury.
For his results, he is nicknamed "Acquittator" in the courtrooms.
In 2013, he refused the Legion of Honour.

Cinema

He played himself in the Claire Denis film Bastards.
He played a judge in the Claude Lelouch film Chacun sa vie.

Politics

He chaired the support committee for Martine Aubry in the 2008 municipal elections in Lille. He also signed a letter in her favour in Libération before the 2011 Socialist Party presidential primary.
In May 2015, Dupond-Moretti declared his support for the ban of the National Front.
On 6 July 2020, he was named Minister of Justice by President Emmanuel Macron in the government of Prime Minister Jean Castex.

Personal life

In 1991, he married Hélène, a juror he met during a trial, and they had two children.
A passionate hunter, he owns a Flemish farmhouse with retrievers and trained birds for falconry.
Now divorced, he has been in a relationship with singer Isabelle Boulay since April 2016.

Publications