Legal Services for Lawyers

Counsel to the Profession: Legal Services for Lawyers

We encourage fellow members of the bar in Connecticut or elsewhere to call on us to assist them with their practice in Connecticut.

We offer:

Local counsel services. If you have never handled a case in Connecticut, particularly in our State courts, you may be surprised by the intricacies of our procedural rules. Let us help you. We maintain an active “local counsel” practice in both Federal and state matters, and are more than willing to share our local knowledge with you.

Conflict referrals. We are available to serve as special litigation counsel to your clients when you believe you should not act because of an actual or potential conflict of interest. Because we do not normally provide general counsel services to business clients in areas such as corporation law, financing, transactional, compliance and tax work, you will maintain an ongoing relationship with your client in all areas other than those in which you are conflicted out, and your client will remain “yours” during and after the time that we perform our work.

Forwarded matters. We accept forwarded cases, and advance costs and expenses in forwarded cases without obligation to you. We pay appropriate forwarding fees in matters where such fees are permitted by law, including personal injury and medical malpractice cases and certain types of business litigation. We are happy to discuss potential forwarded matters with you.

Appeals. We maintain an active appellate practice in state and federal courts. We have prosecuted appeals in criminal and civil cases as well as in family matters. We write appeals on cases tried by other lawyers. If you have a case, which is going up on appeal and need or want to bring in appellate counsel, feel free to contact us. We will discuss the case with you, and provide you with an evaluation and a fee proposal to do the work involved.

Legal malpractice actions. Lawyers sometimes commit errors or omissions causing damage to their clients. We have handled these cases on behalf of victims as part of our civil practice for many years. If you have a client who has been injured by legal malpractice and you would prefer not to bring the case yourself, you may contact us for an evaluation as to whether and on what basis we would handle the claim.

Contingent fee business litigation. We have handled a broad range of commercial litigation on contingent fees. If you have a client with a substantial commercial or business claim that cannot afford to litigate the matter on an hourly basis, we are willing to assess the claim to determine if it is one we can handle on a contingent basis, or on some other non-standard fee arrangement.

Unusual or problem cases. We are happy to evaluate unusual cases or potential cases and willing to discuss non-standard or creative fee arrangements for clients with cases that are not run-of-the-mill. If you have a client with a “strange claim” and you are not sure you want to take it on, don’t hesitate to call us for a free consultation. We sometimes pay forwarding fees on unusual or problem cases depending on the nature of the claim.

Bar discipline defense. We defend lawyers accused of violations of the Rules of Professional Conduct, before the Grievance Committee and in court. If you want to discuss such a matter, please contact us as soon as the complaint is made, and if at all possible prior to filing any written response.

Lawyers accused of crime. We have served as defense counsel to lawyers accused of crime. We also counsel lawyers who have or may have criminal exposure although they have not been charged.

Second opinions. Do you need a second opinion? Does your client want one? We are willing to review cases and provide second opinions on all matters where we are qualified to do so.

“Out of county counsel.” Sometimes, on delicate matters, it makes sense to bring in a firm that does not normally practice in the local courthouse. Perhaps your client needs or wants counsel outside of a perceived “old boy network.” Perhaps you need to bring action against a major local defendant whom nobody will sue. Please do not hesitate to consider bringing us in. We litigate statewide but our home court is the Judicial District of New Haven.

Mediator and arbitrator. We are available to serve as mediators or arbitrators in cases involving mediation or arbitration where you need a neutral lawyer. We have experience serving as arbitrators in uninsured and underinsured motorist cases and a number of our lawyers serve as judicially appointed fact finders, arbitrators or special masters in our state and Federal courts.

Counsel for the minor child. Our domestic practitioners frequently serve as counsel for the minor child in contested custody matters.

Counsel to the uninsured. We are available to provide defense services for uninsured or self insured defendants, for defendants subject to high retention limits, in defense of claims for which no coverage is provided, and defense on claims involving exposure in excess of available coverage. We also represent the interests of the insured in coverage disputes with insurance companies. Normally we are adverse to insurance companies and we typically do not represent clients on behalf of insurance companies.

Facilitator. We are willing to serve as facilitator in law office split-ups. We understand the business of practicing law. We have experiences in amiably resolving these situations. We are also willing to serve as counsel for one party in litigation arising out of the business of practicing law.

Consultations. We are pleased to consult with members of the bar who have questions or concerns about their cases. Initial inquiries are always free. Please do not hesitate to call.

Counsel to the profession. We take our responsibilities seriously as counsel to the profession. If you need careful, confidential advice from a firm you can trust, please do not hesitate to call us. We will do our utmost to assist you.