The Connecticut Judicial Branch has announced the assignment of judges, including the new deputy chief court administrator and chief administrative judges, which are effective September 3, 2018 - September 1, 2019. If you would like to view the assignment of judges in its entirety, click here.

The CBA hosted LAW Camp 2018 at law firms and courtrooms in New Haven during the week of July 9-13. Twenty-five students from New Haven area high schools and summer programs were exposed to the legal profession and received instruction on critical and analytical thinking to help them succeed in their educational and professional careers.

During the week-long camp, campers participated in panel discussions and advocacy training.

Each afternoon the campers prepared their arguments for a mock trial. On Friday morning, they presented their case to Judge Erika M. Tindall at the New Haven courthouse. Those who successfully argued their case went on to present their arguments to Connecticut Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard A. Robinson at the Richard C. Lee United States Courthouse in New Haven. The case was about a fictional incident involving a high school student and the current national opioid epidemic.

Both Judge Tindall and Chief Justice Robinson remarked that the students were well prepared and wonderful advocates for their clients. They added that, despite only having a week to prepare, the students did an incredible job and demonstrated a mastery of the complexity of the rules of the court. They expressed hope that they would one day see the campers practicing law in their respective court rooms. Chief Justice Robinson added, “Dream and dream big. Get as much education that you can because without education you can’t make choices. And make good friends who support and encourage you along the way.”

Throughout the week, campers were coached by more than 30 CBA members who volunteered their time to answer questions and guide the students as they learned the techniques and skills necessary to effectively present their case.

At an end of the camp reception, CBA members Margaret Castinado and Chief Justice Robinson were recognized for their many years of volunteer service to the camp. Wiggin and Dana LLP and Halloran and Sage LLP were also recognized for their support of LAW Camp since its inception in 2011.

This was the first year the CBA assisted in organizing LAW Camp. Hon. Angela C. Robinson, now of Wiggin and Dana LLP, and Sung-Ho Hwang of the Law Offices of Sung-Ho Hwang LLC, founded the camp in 2011. In 2019, the CBA hopes to expand the program to New Britain and Hartford.

CBA members receive special opportunities and discounts from numerous providers, allowing them access to the resources and services they need to achieve their goals as practitioners. Approved benefit providers are:

• Listed on the CBA’s website ctbar.org/benefits
• Included in member benefit publications and listings
• Featured in the Weekly Docket (e-newsletter) and social media posts for at least one month during the bar year

Interested businesses should submit a CBA Member Benefit Application to Carol DeJohn, cdejohn@ctbar.org,
by Friday, September 14, 2018.

Submitted applications will be reviewed by the Membership Committee in October. If selected by the committee, a business will be notified and enter into a contract with the CBA. The contract will be for two years and have an effective date of January 1, 2019. After two years, the business will be given the opportunity to extend the contract, with the approval of the Membership Committee.

After a software update to the CBA’s database this past weekend, members have reported difficulty accessing Casemaker.  We have been in touch with Casemaker and our software provider and are working to resolve the issue.

In the interim, you can access Casemaker by logging into the CBA’s website and clicking HERE.

If this resolution does not work, we encourage you to clear your cookies and cache.  If you still experience issues, please contact the Member Service Center at (844) 469-2221.

We apologize for this inconvenience and thank you for your continued support and membership.

Erin E. Boatman received the Rising Star Award for her consistent and meaningful participation in section activities and meetings, and implementation of section initiatives. Attorney Boatman is an active member of the section’s Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee and previously served as the Young Law Section’s diversity director. She is an associate attorney at The Law Offices of Patrick W. Boatman LLC in East Hartford. Previous recipients of the Rising Star Award are Patrick R. Linsey and Joanna M. Kornafel.

Irve J. Goldman received the Service to the Profession Award for his section leadership, development of educational programs, and delivery of pro bono services. Attorney Goldman is a member of the section’s Bench/Bar Committee, has served as a moot court judge to assist in Quinnipiac University School of Law’s preparation for the Duberstein Bankruptcy Moot Court Competition, has served in numerous section leadership roles, including the position of chair from 2006-2008; and represented more than 20 pro bono clients in Chapter 7 cases. He is a member at Pullman and Comley LLC in Bridgeport and is a certified specialist in business bankruptcy. Past receptions of the Service to the Profession Award are Elizabeth J. Austin and Jeffrey M. Sklarz.

Barbara H. Katz received the Career Achievement Award for her professionalism, and exemplary practice of commercial and bankruptcy law for more than 40 years. Attorney Katz previously held section leadership positions, including serving as chair from 2004-2006. Currently, she is a United States Bankruptcy Court District of Connecticut Chapter 7 Trustee and a solo practioner at the Law Office of Barbara H. Katz in New Haven. Previous recipients of the Career Achievement Award are Ira B. Charmody and Thomas A. Gugliotti.

The Commercial Law and Bankruptcy Section promotes the practice of commercial law and bankruptcy and provides education and updates in the area of creditor/debtor relations in commercial transactions. The CLABBY awards, established in 2016, are presented by the section each year to honor the professional achievements of section members.

Over 500 guests were in attendance at the sold-out “Celebrate with the Stars” event on April 12 at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville. The evening began with cocktails, a wine tasting, and hors d’oeuvres.

Prior to the awards presentation, members of the bar admitted in 1968 were honored for 50 years of practice with half-century pins.

The Honorable Anthony V. DeMayo Pro Bono Award was the first award of the night to be presented. The award’s namesake, Judge DeMayo, was passionate about the law and unwavering in his support of legal services for the needy. The winners of this year’s award, as selected by the Pro Bono Committee, not only exhibit commitment and dedication to pro bono service, but also serve as role models for the profession. Video testimonials were played for each award winner to give the audience members a better sense of who the winners are and their dedication to their work.

After dinner, video testimonials continued for the signature awards, which were played prior to their award acceptance, and added a personalized touch to the honor. The signature awards were presented by President Karen DeMeola, President-elect Jonathan M. Shapiro, Vice President Ndidi N. Moses, Treasurer Vincent P. Pace; YLS Chair Aidan R. Welsh presented the Young Lawyers Section Vanguard Award.

Edward F. Hennessey Professionalism Award winner James A. Wade reminisced of his time with Edward F. Hennessey, who was both his friend and colleague and the namesake of the award, sharing, “Tonight is not about me, it is about Ed Hennessey. He had my back and I had his; you will not ever see two lawyers who had more fun practicing law than Ed and me.”

Also among this year’s tremendous slate of stars were Chief Judge Janet C. Hall, former Chief Justice Chase T. Rogers, and State Treasurer Denise L. Nappier.

After asking all treasurer members in the audience to stand up and be recognized, Treasurer Nappier shared, “Public service is not only ingrained in the culture of my office, it’s in my DNA.”

John Eldred Shields Distinguished Professional Service Award winner, Chief Judge Janet C. Hall, accepted her award on behalf of the Connecticut Bar Association members, “who day in and day out contribute to the work of the courts, the legal profession, and their communities…that work is so often unappreciated and unrecognized…Yet, I don’t think I can overstate how critical you are to the proper functioning of the work of the courts, to the operation of our local governments, and to the fabric of our communities. You, the lawyers, are the unsung heroes of our profession—the true stars—and I salute you tonight.”

The final award of the evening was the Henry J. Naruk Judiciary Award, which was presented to former Chief Justice Chase T. Rogers. She began her acceptance by thanking two of the night’s awardees, Chief Judge Janet C. Hall for showing her how to try a case, and James A. Wade for his “unparalleled ability” to tell his clients’ side of the story in the courtroom. Additionally, she thanked her colleagues for helping to bring “somewhat heated debates about what to do in a particular situation back to the question of what is the right thing to do…we may not have always gotten it right, but I can assure you we tried to do the right thing.”

The evening concluded with dessert and cordial pairings, along with music and dancing. Thank you to our sponsors for helping make the fifth annual “Celebrate with the Stars” a resounding success.

Committees Accepting Applications

Civics Education Committee
Connecticut Bar Journal Board of Editors
Connecticut Lawyer Advisory Committee
Diversity and Inclusion Committee
Immigration Law Committee
Medical Marijuana Committee
Membership Committee
Municipal Law Committee
Privacy & Data Security Committee
Pro Bono Committee
Professionalism Committee

Attorneys John P. Clarkson and David J. Morrissey were inducted into The College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers (CWCL) on March 3 at the ABA Workers’ Compensation Midwinter Conference and CWCL Symposium in Nashville, TN.

The College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers honors attorneys who have distinguished themselves in their practice in the field of workers' compensation; have been in practice for 20 year or more; and advanced the future of the practice through lecturing, writing, or teaching on Workers’ Compensation or related fields of law.

Attorney Clarkson is the workers’ compensation team leader of the Travelers staff counsel office and is a member of the CBA Workers’ Compensation Section Executive Committee. He has published several articles on workers’ compensation law and is a regular CLE lecturer.

John P. Clarkson and David J. Morrissey were
inducted into The College of Workers’
Compensation Lawyers (CWCL).

Attorney Morrissey is founder of Morrissey Morrissey & Mooney LLC and a CBA board certified workers’ compensation specialist. He is a member of the CBA Workers’ Compensation Section Executive Committee and the Standing Committee on Workers’ Compensation Certification.

CBA members previously inducted into CWCL are James L. Pomeranz, Lucas D. Strunk, Robert F. Carter, Angelo P. Sevarino, Donna J. Civitello, and Jason M. Dodge.

Based on the past legislative session, new acts have become effective on January 1, 2018. A selection of new acts that are of special interest to CBA sections are below. A full list can be found here.

AN ACT PREVENTING PRESCRIPTION OPIOID DIVERSION AND ABUSE.
Public Act No. 17-131 (See Sec. 3, 8-9)
Summary
House Bill No. 7052

AN ACT CONCERNING COURT OPERATIONS, VICTIM SERVICES, FRAUDULENT FILLINGS, AND TRANSFERS OF AN INTEREST IN REAL PROPERTY TO A TRUST.
Public Act No. 17-99 (See Sec. 46-49)
Summary
House Bill No. 7198

AN ACT CONCERNING REIMBURSEMENTS TO HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE SERVICES.
Public Act No. 17-157
Summary
House Bill No. 5140

"Dear Colleague:

As you may have heard, the tax reform bills passed by the House and Senate obtain provisions that exclude many law firms and other professional service businesses from the substantial federal tax reductions that will be granted to most other partnerships and other 'pass-through entities.' (The House bill would completely deny a new 25% pass-through tax rate to law firms, while the Senate bill would only allow law firms to receive a new 23% tax deduction if the law firms' income fell below a certain threshold.)

The ABA is joining lawyers and law firms around the country in opposing these discriminatory provisions, and we need your help to make sure that they are removed from the final tax legislation.

Please call Congress today at (202)224-3121 and tell your senators and representative that you opposed discriminatory provisions in the tax bills that prevent law firms from receiving the same tax reductions as other pass-through businesses. (Look up your legislators here.) The ABA is not taking a position on the overall tax reform legislation, and we are not asking you to take a position.

Our message is simple: 'All pass-through businesses should be treated equally, and law firms should be unfairly excluded from new pass-through tax reductions.'

Talking points and more information about pass-through entities and the proposed tax legislation is available on our website. If you have any questions or would like to share feedback about your calls please e-mail us at: GrassrootsCenter@americanbar.org.

Sincerely,

Hilarie Bass
President, American Bar Association"

Connecticut Food Bank’s Chief Executive Officer Bernard J. Beaudreau stated, “Thanks to you [the CBA Workers’ Compensation Section] we are able to feed more people in our communities every day.”

The Workers’ Compensation Section aims to organize the members of the CBA who are workers’ compensation practitioners and to educate all members of the bar from all sides at all levels of expertise as to workers’ compensation law. Furthermore, the section attempts to provide services to organizations other than the CBA when those organizations are involved in the Connecticut Workers’ Compensation system. The section consists of members who represent injured workers, employers, and insurers, as well as the State of Connecticut and the Second Injury Fund.

The Connecticut Food Bank and Foodshare partners with the food industry, food growers, donors, and volunteers to distribute food to people across Connecticut.

The CBA is collecting monetary and food donations for Foodshare this holiday. Learn how you can contribute.

(L to R) Workers’ Compensation Section Chair Francis X. Drapeau, Connecticut Food
Bank Chief Executive Officer Bernard J. Beaudreau, Foodshare Corporate and
Community Giving Manager Al Marino, and Charity Golf Committee Chair Richard L.
Aiken, Jr.

(L to R) CBA Workers’ Compensation Section Chair Francis X. Drapeau
with the Pomeranz-O’Brien Award recipient William C. Brown.

Attorney William “Bill” C. Brown received the Pomeranz-O’Brien Award from the Connecticut Bar Association’s (CBA) Workers’ Compensation Section for his contribution and exemplary service to the workers’ compensation system and community.

“Bill is the epitome of high ethical standards and should have received this award years ago. If there was a Workers’ Compensation Hall of Fame, Bill would be a First Ballot Hall of Famer,” expressed Attorney Brian L. Smith, who nominated Attorney Brown for the award.

Attorney Brown was a founding member of the Workers’ Compensation Section and served on its executive committee. He worked tirelessly on the development and implementation of the Workers’ Compensation Specialist Certification program and served as chair of the program’s standing committee. Throughout his career, he authored articles for the section’s newsletter, Compensation Quarterly, and lectured at CBA and Connecticut Trial Lawyer’s Association seminars. Attorney Brown retired from his firm, McGann Bartlett & Brown LLC, in 2016 and is now mediating workers’ compensation claims with the Law Office of Angelo Paul Sevarino.

CBA Workers’ Compensation Section Chair Francis X. Drapeau added, “Bill Brown showed us the way and set the standard for all other sections.”

The Pomeranz-O’Brien award is presented to a practitioner who has, over the course of a career, exhibited excellence in the practice of workers’ compensation law, and/or made outstanding and extraordinary contributions to the practice. It is named for Edward Pomeranz, an early pioneer in the practice of workers’ compensation law and a founder of Pomeranz Drayton & Stabnick, and Ed O’Brien, Sr., an accomplished practitioner who also served the state as workers’ compensation commissioner. Past recipients of this award include Angelo Paul Sevarino, James L. Pomeranz, Robert F. Carter, Donald C. Cousins, and Douglas L. Drayton.

The Workers’ Compensation Section aims to organize the members of the CBA who are workers’ compensation practitioners and to educate all members of the bar from all sides at all levels of expertise as to workers’ compensation law. Furthermore, the section attempts to provide services to organizations other than the CBA when those organizations are involved in the Connecticut Workers’ Compensation system. The section consists of members who represent injured workers, employers and insurers as well as the State of Connecticut and the Second Injury Fund. 

On October 25, members of the Connecticut Bar Association Diversity and Inclusion Summit Committee gathered with other leaders in the legal profession at Quinnipiac University School of Law for the second annual Connecticut Diversity & Inclusion Summit: The Collaborative Blueprint, to empower them with tools to make Connecticut a more diverse and inclusive bar.

Statistics show that the legal profession faces unique challenges in terms of diversity and inclusion. “The challenge is…[t]he system we rely on in admitting, hiring, and sponsoring attorneys relies on an assumption that everything is equal, when we know it is not,” stated CBA President and Diversity and Inclusion Committee Co-chair Karen DeMeola.

At this sold out event, through a workshop and discussions, attendees learned how implicit bias impacts the workplace and the methods used toward a successful change, new research from Dr. Arin Reeves of Nextions on how organizations should rethink diversity and inclusion training, and gained the tools needed to create a concrete training plan to support diversity and inclusion within their organizations.

“As a result of the summit, the pledge and plan, and the work of law firms, in-house departments, government law departments, law schools, Lawyers Collaborative for Diversity, the Connecticut Bar Foundation, the affinity bars, and so many others, I believe Connecticut is on its way to becoming a leader in diversity and inclusion,” stated CBA Immediate Past President Monte E. Frank.

The event’s keynote speaker, Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of the Association of Corporate Counsel in Washington, DC, James Merklinger, discussed biases regarding disabilities in the legal profession illustrated by his own experiences with Tourette Syndrome, sharing that his tics from this disorder have gotten him thrown off a plane and fired.

Attendees also participated in the workshop, “An Enigma? Why Unlocking Diversity and Inclusion Training Starts with Throwing Away Everything You Think You Knew About It,” with Dr. Arin Reeves, a leading researcher, author, and advisor in the fields of diversity and inclusion. The innovative workshop gave attendees tools for their organizations to help them move toward measurable success in their diversity and inclusion goals.

Cecil J. Thomas of Greater Hartford Legal Aid and Diversity and Inclusion Committee Co-chair, presented the goals of the Connecticut Bar Association’s collaborative pledge and plan, and discussed recent progress from last year with the signatories of the pledge. The Connecticut Legal Community’s Diversity & Inclusion Pledge & Plan reflects a reaffirmation of the legal profession’s commitment to approaching diversity and inclusion strategically, collaboratively, and with accountability.

“We are proud of the work of our signatory organizations as they work through this multiyear process, supported by the Connecticut Bar Association Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and look forward to more positive progress in the years ahead. We welcome other Connecticut legal organizations to sign the pledge, and to join us in this important effort,” stated Cecil Thomas.

In 2016, the CBA began an initiative to enhance diversity and inclusion in the Connecticut bar. As part of facilitating this effort, the CBA solicits signatories for a collective pledge reflecting the commitment of Connecticut legal organizations to create more diverse and inclusive environments and for a collaborative plan to achieve this goal. Twenty-seven organizations have currently signed onto the Connecticut Legal Community’s Diversity & Inclusion Pledge & Plan. More information can be found at ctbar.org/PledgeAndPlan.

CBA President Karen DeMeola addressing the event's attendees.	Dr. Arin Reeves presenting her new research on how organizations should rethink diversity and inclusion training.
(L to R) Diversity and Inclusion Summit Committee member Alix Simonetti, Diversity and Inclusion Summit Committee member Neeta Vatti, Diversity and Inclusion Summit Committee Chair Christine Jean-Louis, event speaker Dr. Arin Reeves of Nextions, President Karen DeMeola, Diversity and Inclusion Summit Committee member Cheri Phoenix-Sharpe, Diversity and Inclusion Committee Co-chair Cecil Thomas, Immediate Past President Monte E. Frank, and President-elect Jonathan Shapiro.	Retired State Supreme Court Justice Lubbie Harper, Jr. and Immediate Past President Monte E. Frank interacting during the event workshop.