Brian R. Smith

Stephen M. Sedor focuses his practice in the areas of education law, employment litigation and labor disputes. He defends public and private sector employers in lawsuits involving wrongful discharge, employment discrimination, wage and hour disputes, First Amendment and retaliation claims, unfair labor practice charges, restrictive covenants and other disputes. Stephen provides general counseling and advice to public and private sector employers on a wide range of labor and employment matters...

Andrew Garza is a co-founder and the lead trial attorney at Claggett, Sykes & Garza, LLC ("CSG"), in Connecticut. He grew up in public housing, bartended his way through college and law school, and opened his own law firm in 2013. He has tried cases to 7-, 8-, and 9-figure jury verdicts as lead counsel. In 2022, he obtained a $100 million verdict on behalf of a paralyzed man and his wife, which was the largest verdict in Connecticut history. Garza and his team speak nationally to plaintif...

Laurie Rubinow is an attorney with Miller Shah LLP in Chester, Connecticut, where her practice includes Commercial Litigation and other complex civil matters. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley, graduating summa cum laude and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Laurie received her law degree from Temple University School of Law and also completed a portion of her undergraduate studies at McGill University. While in law school, she served as a legal in...

Mike Spagnola focuses his practice on solving difficult and complicated labor and employment problems for management clients. Mike represents employers exclusively in connection with all aspects of labor and employment law, and in particular, litigation and preventive counsel. He has appeared on behalf of clients in state and federal courts and before administrative agencies, for cases relating to discrimination, retaliation, harassment, whistleblowing, wrongful discharge, wage and hour law, ...

Brian Parrott is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Brian is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area. Brian is a top-rated Connecticut personal injury lawyer who focuses his practice on representing individuals injured in car accidents, motorcycle crashes, dog bites, and other serious negl...

Robert L. Holzberg, Connecticut Superior Court Judge (Ret.), leads the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) practice at Pullman & Comley, and possesses extensive experience serving as a mediator and arbitrator in complex civil matters in state and federal court including personal injury, employment, construction, environmental, probate, insurance and commercial disputes. He retired from the bench in September 2012 after more than 22 years of service as a Superior Court judge. Retired Judg...

Frederic Lee Klein chairs the Energy and Utilities Section of the firm's Regulatory, Energy and Telecommunications Department. Fred has wide-ranging experience in energy and utility matters, including electric and natural gas market restructuring, and transactions in regulated and competitive markets. His practice includes representing regulated and unregulated companies before more than a dozen state and federal regulatory commissions, district and appellate courts, as well as representing c...

Jonathan Kaplan is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation. Jonathan, who practices law in Hartford, Connecticut, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jonathan is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

As chair of the firm’s Real Estate and Land Use Department, Gary B. O'Connor's practice focuses on real estate, land use and environmental matters. He has extensive experience in all aspects of complex industrial and commercial real estate transactions, particularly those impacted by environmental conditions. Gary is experienced in the fields of regulatory compliance and permitting. He has worked closely with regulators from DEEP, EPA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and local agencies on ...

Allison P. Dearington ​is a principal in the Hartford, Connecticut, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. Her practice is focused on employment litigation, including class and collective action defense, and preventive counseling. Allison represents employers in state and federal courts, before the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and in arbitration. She defends a variety of employment claims including discrimination, harassment, ret...