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Week Of Monday August 2, 2010
Med-Mal Lawyers:New Mediation Law Is No Panacea 
Plaintiff and defense lawyers are trying to gauge the overall impact of a new state mandate requiring mediation in medical malpractice cases. So far, the apparent consensus is the new law may take smaller cases off the litigation track, but won’t resolve big-ticket cases that require the opinions of experts and extensive discovery.
Verdicts & Settlements
Video Helps Lawyers Win Fatal Crash SettlementFREE
When Michael Jainchill and other lawyers at Hartford’s RisCassi & Davis first reviewed the bus accident death of biotech executive Michael Jaye, they had serious doubts that the case could possibly be won.
Q&A
Standing Up For State Campaign Finance Law
Beth Rotman, of the State Election Enforcement Commission, is the top lawyer overseeing Connecticut’s publicly-financed election program. She has testified before the legislature and had a key role in drafting much of this reform measure, in her post as director of the Citizens’ Election Program.
A 16-Year Odyssey As Advocate For The Disabled
Bloomfield attorney David C. Shaw remembers when it was common for parents to institutionalize their mentally retarded children for life. In Connecticut, many of those handicapped people were sent to Southbury Training School, which opened in the 1930s. But for the first time, its 450 residents will be offered an opportunity to live in society like everybody else, thanks to a recent court settlement.
Taking The Romance Out Of Living Together FREE
Sharon and Bradford Remillard were married in 1975. The marriage lasted nearly three decades but by 2002 it had sputtered out, and Sharon Remillard wanted a divorce.
Several months later, the two sides reached a separation agreement. As part of the pact, Sharon, the breadwinner, was to pay Bradford $125 a week in alimony – at least until Bradford found another meal ticket.
Making The Court System More AccessibleFREE
Last week, people gathered at the Middlesex J.D. courthouse in Middletown for the Judicial Branch’s 20th anniversary celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act. What they may not have known is that in the midst of the celebration is the branch’s ongoing initiative to make the Middletown courthouse and all other state courthouses more accessible to people with disabilities.
Judge Says No To Seven-Year Alimony RebateFREE
Georgine Howe was almost beside herself with conflicting emotions when she talked to New Haven family lawyer Laura S. Mitler early this past spring. On the positive side, Howe’s twin sons from her previous marriage were to turn 19 on June 1.
Getting A Rush From The Roll Of The Dice
When it comes to taking a break from her job at New Haven Legal Assistance, attorney Marcy Kossar is old fashioned. Really old fashioned. She’s an avid backgammon player, a connoisseur of a board game whose history stretches back several thousand years.
Tipsy Teens Find Tickets Are Tough To AppealFREE
Stories that begin with teen drinking parties and $136 fines don’t usually end up in the state Appellate Court. But this one does. It all began when someone’s parents went away on the first Saturday night in March 2007. Soon enough, a group that included a couple 21-year-olds but mostly young people in their late teens got their hands on some alcohol.
Discretion DebateFREE
The arrests and convictions are in the news every week, and often the details make us cringe. In most cases, the bottom line is that some guy has been caught with child pornography on his computer.
Recession Whacks Top GCs In The Wallet FREE
In a year when discretionary bonuses for corporate counsel dropped nearly 40 percent, it might seem hard to find a silver lining — or even an aluminum one. As the recession battered markets over the past couple of years, and publicly traded companies saw their profitability hammered, it was reasonable to think compensation would tank, too, for the top lawyers at major corporations.
Verdicts & Settlements
Hairdresser Gets $250K For Back Injuries
Cheryl Betkoski v. Marlene Albini: A Wolcott hairdresser received more than $250,000 for injuries suffered in a car accident, after her attorneys managed to persuade a jury to overlook a past drug addiction that led the woman to lie to doctors in the past.
Taking a Seat Near The Supreme CourtFREE
Holly Sellers wrote a paper in high school about the U.S. Supreme Court. “I knew when I was in high school I wanted to work in the courts,” said Sellers, the Connecticut Supreme Court’s chief administrative officer. “I suspect that is a bit unusual. But those people exist and I’m one of them. I really like what I do.”
Foreclosure Program Sees Upswing In Participation FREE
The program that gives distressed homeowners a second chance to save their home from foreclosure received its own extension earlier this month. So now the state Judicial Branch’s foreclosure mediation program will be active until July 2012, and program manager Roberta Palmer is encouraged by what she’s seen since the program technically became mandatory in 2009.
Q&A
An Expert’s Dissection Of Government Secrecy
In 2005, when Mitchell W. Pearlman retired after 30 years as the state’s first executive director of the Freedom of Information Commission, he said he had a book or two he wanted to write. Normally outgoing, Pearlman left his writing plans uncharacteristically vague. Now they can be told.
Standing Up For State Campaign Finance Law FREE
Beth Rotman, of the State Election Enforcement Commission, is the top lawyer overseeing Connecticut’s publicly-financed election program. She has testified before the legislature, and had a key role in drafting much of this reform measure, in her post as the director of the Citizens’ Election Program.
Group Takes Lunch Beyond Brown BagFREE
Last month, attorney Frances Slusarz took over an important new role as CLO, but it has nothing to do with being a chief legal officer. Instead, she became the new Chief Lunch Officer of a group of Stamford professionals who are dedicated to spending a full hour outside of the office to eat lunch together on a weekly basis.
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