Blog Posts

I am, of course, relieved to see that the Legislature and Governor M. Jodi Rell have decided not to seize the Client Security Fund. Theft of funds held in trust is wrong, even when the government does it. Score a victory for the rule of law, but hold tight to your wallet. We lawyers will pay for...

One would have thought that the British had reasserted their right to tax tea the other day. I was sitting in a judge's chambers hammering away about some arcane issues in a pending criminal case. The prosecutor hammered back. We decided to step back for a moment, and change our angle of vision. So...

The death penalty is cruel, wastes money and makes fools of perfectly good men and women. Abolishing it makes both economic and moral sense. But will abolition play in the Legislature, where passion rules and reason is often an unwelcome guest?
The Legislature’s Judiciary Committee...

The Sixth Amendment's right to compulsory process of witnesses may well fall a victim to the vagaries of federalism next week. And I am not sure what to do about it.
Evidence begins today against my client, a former homicide detective accused of diverting funds intended for confidential...

Jury selection in Connecticut is unique. We speak to each potential juror outside the presence of all other potential jurors. Thus, it sometimes takes longer to pick the jury than it does to try a case. There's plenty of time to experiment in such a voir dire: If you try something that does not...

Most lawyers I know struggle with the mental health needs of at least some of their clients. We are not trained for this work, and generally make a mess of it. Yet new rules of professional conduct place a premium on client communication. Just how many tirades drenched in hatred, rage and paranoia...

Spring flirted with New England yesterday, showing just enough sunshine and warmth to make me believe that winter may end. So, of course, my wife and I spent the afternoon in the garden. A week ago, we planted peas. Yesterday, we were preparing beds for other, less hardy plants. I was delighted...

State of Connecticut
v.
Clarence Willoughby
MOTION FOR ORDER REQUIRING STATE TO COOPERATE WITH FEDERAL AUTHORITIES TO PRODUCE WILLIAM WHITE AS A WITNESS AT TRIAL
The defendant in this case is a former homicide for the New Haven Police Department. He is accused of forging public...

My wife is a saint, and not just because she lives with me. When a wild hair sprouts and I just have to heed some distant drummer, she is gracious. Hence, she's given me leave to return to Wales late this spring for the annual Hay-on-Wye festival. Now that I think of it, maybe she is not a saint:...

It would not take much to assure that there were fair criminal trials supported by a truly neutral and independent crime laboratory in Connecticut. But I suspect most folks like the way things are and see little need for change. But none of those folks were responsible for producing the National...