Vanessa Avery Roberts

Mr. McQuade represents and counsels private and public employers with respect to a wide-range of employment, civil rights and business issues. Mr. McQuade has extensive experience in defending employers, municipal entities and government officials in state and federal court and in administrative tribunals, against a variety of employment law claims, including civil rights claims, First and Fourteenth Amendment claims, race discrimination claims, disability discrimination claims, age discrimin...

Craig Raabe joined the partnership in 2016 from a large, regional law firm, where he previously served as the chair of the litigation department. Mr. Raabe has tried many complex civil and criminal cases. He is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers. He has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America© since 2006 (Copyright by Woodward/White, Inc., Aiken, SC), most recently in six disciplines: Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Antitrust, Regulatory/Environmental...

For nearly three decades, the emphasis of Mr. Escalera’s practice has been labor and employment law and litigation. Initially, Mr. Escalera served with the Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps for nine years where he engaged in extensive criminal and civil litigation. Mr. Escalera was last stationed at the Pentagon where he acted as lead counsel for the Army Litigation Division defending the Department of the Army in employment discrimination suits brought by civilian employees in ...

Eliot B. Gersten focuses his practice on complex litigation involving individuals and companies engaged in disputes, and most recently was lead counsel in successfully challenging the candidacy of Susan Bysiewicz for Connecticut Attorney General. He has represented owners, developers, banks, contractors and subcontractors on a number of different kinds of contract negotiation, as well as handled litigation over the contracts, and accounts receivable. He has experience handling commercial and ...

Holly L. Cini is a principal in the Hartford, Connecticut, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. Holly regularly defends clients in employment-related litigation, including whistleblower claims, general retaliation matters, employment discrimination and harassment claims and ADA and FMLA litigation in all forums ranging from trial courts to administrative agencies to the state and federal appellate courts. Holly has extensive experience in every phase of litigation, from discovery to trial to appeal. ...

Caroline Demirs Calio is a Principal in Cummings & Lockwood's Private Clients Group and is based in the West Hartford office. She practices in the areas of estate and gift tax planning, asset protection, estate settlement and trust administration. In addition, Caroline advises closely-held business owners on succession planning issues and various general corporate matters. She also has experience serving as an Executor and Trustee. Prior to joining Cummings & Lockwood, Caroline worked...

Joshua A. Hawks-Ladds is chair of the firm’s Labor, Employment Law and Employee Benefits Department. His practice includes counseling on and litigating business, construction, labor and employment and civil rights matters and municipal law. Attorney Hawks-Ladds has tried cases in numerous state and federal courts, argued before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and the Connecticut Supreme and Appellate courts and litigates extensively before administrative tribunals. Attorney Hawks-La...

Myles H. Alderman, Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law. Myles H., 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 Myles H. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

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...

John P. Shea Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management, Labor Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. John P., 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 John P. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.