Michael D. Colonese

John C. Wirzbicki

Jeffrey F. Buebendorf

Karl-Erik Sternlof

Sean P. Sullivan

Brown Jacobson has capable and experienced trial attorneys available to assist business clients with matters that require skill in business negotiation and litigation. We have experience in both defending against and asserting claims on behalf of a wide range of businesses. Our practice involves litigation in both State and Federal courts. Our corporate client base ranges from international corporations requiring assistance with sophisticated and specialized telecommunications and product liability issues to local businesses confronted with basic contract and financial disputes.

Our trial attorneys, working together with our Corporate Department attorneys, handle each case in a manner best suited to protect the interests of our client.

Christopher C. Frayer

Trial work was the original cornerstone of the firm, and it remains one of our strengths.  A typical trial day will find several of our attorneys appearing in courts throughout central and eastern Connecticut.

Our trial attorneys have been distinguished by national recognition, lecture at the University of Connecticut School of Law and conduct statewide seminars in trial practice.

Most of our trial clients are individuals who need personal legal help.  We remain active in courts throughout the region.

We pride ourselves on being good listeners and involve our clients in their legal matters.  We understand their difficulties and are ready to help them and ensure a fair and just result.

We also handle major commercial litigation and larger trial matters.  With our attorneys and a staff of paralegals, assistants, and support personnel, we can bring extensive experience and trial skills to bear and can successfully deal with other major firms from across the state.

The beauty and opportunity of eastern Connecticut remains in its land.  Real estate transactions and land use regulations remain vital functions in our firm.

Our Real Estate Department has the capacity to represent buyers, sellers, and financial institutions in all aspects of residential transactions.  We also routinely handle all types of secured and commercial transactions.  We maintain a staff of paralegals who perform title searches in every town in eastern Connecticut.

Our attorneys also have an extensive background in planning, zoning, and wetland regulations, having represented municipalities and commissions throughout the region, from Stonington to Colchester.  Our direct experience with these regulations, which differ from town to town, gives us a special advantage in advising land owners regarding development possibilities and consequences.

Our firm is fortunate to have an attorney whose practice is concentrated in the areas of estate planning and administration.  Mr. Duggan lectures frequently in this area of vital concern to families in our region.

For younger families, we prepare simple wills to protect the spouse and children in the event of  a death of a parent.  For more complex estates, we prepare tax-oriented documents including marital deduction wills, living trusts and other tax-saving devices.  These documents allow clients to realize their estate planning goals and, above all, keep taxes to a minimum.

We represent clients in handling all aspects of the probate process including the preparation of federal and state tax returns and related documents.

Another phase of estate planning that is becoming increasingly important is that of planning for long-term care.   Eligibility for the Title XIX program is complex but important for many of our disabled or elderly clients. 

The Indian Law Practice Group at Brown Jacobson began in the early 1990's.  Our firm specializes in civil litigation on behalf of tribes and their entities in tribal, state, and federal courts.  Our representation in this regard has primarily been on behalf of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, their tribal entities and their tribal officials and employees.  The range of our civil litigation is quite broad, including suits for personal injury, breach of contract claims, employment and wrongful termination claims, and all types of tort actions.

Our Indian Law attorneys possess significant experience in federal court and have successfully defended suits against the tribe, tribal entities, and tribal officials brought under federal laws such as: the Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. ? 201 et seq.; 42 U.S.C. ? 1981; 42 U.S.C. ? 1983; and the Age Discrimination Act, 29 U.S.C. ? 621, et seq.  Specifically, we litigated the recent Second Circuit Court appeal of Bassett v. Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, 204 F.3^rd 343 (2^nd Cir. 2000) in which the court held that the Copyright Act, 28 U.S.C. ? 1338, did not provide an explicit waiver of sovereign immunity from suit to allow private individuals to sue the tribe under the Act.  In addition, our firm handled the Second Circuit Court of Appeal Amicus Brief on the land into trust case on behalf of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, Babbitt v. Connecticut, 26 F.Supp.2d 397 (D.Conn. 1998).  We have also litigated numerous cases involving Indian Civil Rights Act  claims, 25 U.S.C. ? 1302 et seq., brought in the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Court.

Our practice also involves advising tribal clients in regard to land claims suits and treaty rights; internal tribal dispute resolution methods; the federal recognition process; and tribal code revisions.  Further, we advise tribes, tribal entities, and individual Indians regarding tax matters, and specifically, the structuring of particular tribal entities and the tax consequences thereof.

 

Family Law
Kevin B. F. Emerson
Eastern Connecticut is not immune to the family pressures and problems of modern America.  Divorces, custody disputes and juvenile difficulties need special legal attention, and we try to help our clients through these difficult experiences. Our firm has a department that particularly serves divorce situations.  Our lawyers appear at all divorce courts in eastern Connecticut.  Our lawyers come to court prepared to defend our clients' interests, whether in property, alimony, support or custody disputes. At the same time, we recognize that family problems are first and foremost human problems, and if they can be solved through negotiation to all parties' satisfaction, we make every effort to do so.  We, therefore, give personal attention to each case and try to know our clients as individuals.  In juvenile cases, we emphasize mediation as opposed to confrontatoin.  We work closely with the courts to protect the well-being of the young people involved.