May 25, 2022 — As a Nation, we are exhausted by the endless news of massacres and murders, but we cannot become desensitized to them. Each loss of an innocent life is a tragedy. Last night we learned of another horrific shooting targeting elementary school children. This follows the shooting in New York targeting Black people, an anti-Taiwanese attack in a church in California, and a shooting in Wisconsin. As parents, families, aunts, uncles, and friends, we are terrified for our children and community members, but we cannot lose hope. We hope for a society where people feel safe going to thei ..read more

The COVID-19 virus has put an enormous strain on the Connecticut court system.  It has never confronted such a significant challenge.  The Court is now faced with major issues in commencing civil jury trials for all cases, including medical malpractice cases. Safety, in particular, presents significant concerns.  For instance, how will jurors be able to safely congregate in a jury assembly room containing more than 50 jurors and how will they be arranged in the jury box to ensure that they are the appropriate distance from each other and counsel throughout a jury trial?  Wh ..read more

Connecticut Birth Injury Law If your newborn is suffering from medical problems (such as cerebral palsy) that you suspect were caused by doctors or other medical personnel who delivered your child, you should seek the services of an experienced law firm as soon as possible.  There are several factors to consider when choosing a birth injury law firm, including to help you to find out why the birth injury occurred, whether it could have been prevented and whether you should consider filing a medical malpractice lawsuit. When choosing a birth injury law firm, the firm should: B ..read more

Just a reminder from Mike Kennedy that we are one of the drop off locations for the Fairfield County Bar Foundation’s (FCBA) 13th Annual Toy and Gift Drive. There is a box for any donations in our lobby. Please note the deadline for donations is tomorrow, Wednesday, December 16. They are in need of new and unwrapped toys for younger children, grocery store gift cards and other appropriate gifts (e.g., gift certificates to clothing, music or book stores) for older children and teenagers. The FCBA also delivers food baskets to needy families in the area. Your generosity is appreciated and makes ..read more

CTLA Lawyers vs. Hunger We are very proud to make a donation to the Women’s Caucus of the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association‘s Lawyers vs. Hunger campaign. We hope that you will join us in supporting this very worthy cause fighting against hunger; it will make a big difference in the lives of some of Connecticut most vulnerable citizens. Fully 100% of the tax-deductible contributions to the Lawyers vs. Hunger campaign will go directly to the Connecticut Food Bank and Foodshare for buying and delivering food to the hungry during this holiday season. Food insecurity in Connecticut continues ..read more

The phrase “pre-existing condition” is a term of art that has been cropping up more and more frequently in recent news cycles. In the context of medical malpractice, a “pre-existing condition” is an illness or injury that a person sustains before the negligent medical treatment. There is a common misconception that a claim for medical malpractice cannot be successful if the patient who received the negligent medical treatment also suffered from one or more pre-existing conditions. While pre-existing conditions certainly play a part in evaluating malpractice claims, the fact that an individual ..read more

When people learn of a childhood sex abuse scandal, their mind may reflexively think of clergymen or camp counselors. However, while the Boy Scouts of America and the Catholic Church have regularly appeared front and center in the news for the horrifying sexual abuse that ran rampant within their respective organizations, they are by far not the only organizations harboring such awful secrets in their past. In fact, earlier this year such a scandal was uncovered in Connecticut’s very own backyard. In February 2020, following an independent investigation, credible reports of physical and sexual ..read more

The COVID-19 virus has put an enormous strain on the Connecticut court system.  It has never confronted such a significant challenge.  The Court is now faced with major issues in commencing jury trials for all cases, including medical malpractice cases. Safety presents significant concerns.  For instance, how will jurors be able to be safe in a jury assembly room containing more than 50 jurors and how will they be able to be seated the appropriate distance from each other and counsel in the jury box throughout a jury trial?  When jury cases do commence, it can be anticipate ..read more

STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL CRIME VICTIM BAR ASSOCIATION ON THE HARVEY WEINSTEIN GUILTY VERDICT Over 80 survivors stood in strength and unity to speak out against a serial abuser. Eighty incredibly brave women faced not only their abuser, but a barrage of attacks in the media and victim-blaming in the courts. We are hopeful that the conviction of Harvey Weinstein marks a turning page in treatment of survivors of sexual assault and rape, and is the beginning of the path to justice for all victims. It reaffirms that the rule of law still prevails in the United States but also proves how difficult ..read more

By Angelo A. Ziotas (Excerpted from the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association FORUM, Fall 2019) — Try your case, be prepared to pounce and be sure to create your record for appeal. The party that prevails at trial most often succeeds in framing the dispute on his or her own terms.  So, you must prepare your case with your evidence and themes firmly in mind, i.e., try your case. However, you must also keep your eyes and ears open for that moment – that opening or mistake that allows you to drive home your theme or undermine your opponent.  Finally, you need to preserve your record for ..read more