Fall 2024

We believe that all people, regardless of their economic status, should have equal access to legal representation. 

Joette Katz, who was named to the National Board of Directors of Lawyers for Children America, recently found herself back in trial court where she represented a child in a pro bono case resulting in the termination of the parental rights of the child’s father. Joette argued that it was in the child’s best interest for the parental rights be terminated. The case included two phases – adjudicative, which focused on the conduct of the parent, and disposition, which focused on the child’s best interest.

Born in 2020, the child had not had a stable home until she was placed in her current foster home. Her paternal grandmother notified the department that she could no longer take care of her in October 2022, which led to the child being placed in the care of a family friend. The child was again a victim of violence and was removed from the family friend’s home in June 2023. She was placed in a foster home in July 2023 and has been with this family since. She has made great progress since this placement, and although still bonded to her paternal father and grandmother, she calls her foster parents “Mom” and “Dad”.

Joette explains that “these cases are often emotionally very difficult, but seeing a young child achieving permanency in a loving, committed home is a reward for which there are no words.” Joette’s exceptional work led to the court finding “by clear and convincing evidence” that it was in the best interest of the child to terminate the father’s parental rights which then opened the door for the child to be adopted. Joette noted “Every child deserves unwavering love and commitment that will allow them to thrive. Being a part of that journey has been incredibly rewarding.” 

On referral from LFCA and with a lot of help from Erin Shaffer and Joette Katz, Joe Williams represented a baby girl who was born one week before the referral came in. The baby’s parents have serious substance abuse problems and DCF immediately took custody of her. Joe has represented the baby in the court hearings that resulted in custody being awarded to DCF and temporary placement of her with her paternal grandmother while the parents are given time to prove that reunification is in her best interests.

Erin Shaffer also participates in similarly life-changing juvenile court representations through Lawyers for Children America. Erin is honored to serve as the firm’s representative to the LFCA Advocate Network, which strives to increase their pool of pro bono attorneys and secure funding to continue to support their important work. Despite her busy schedule, Erin not only takes on cases for LFCA, but also serves as a mentor and resource to other lawyers at the firm who are interested in handling LFCA cases. Says Erin, "It is incredibly rewarding work ensuring the safety,  well-being and long-term stability of children unable to advocate for themselves. The legal work is also fulfilling and varied. During the month of November, I have a motion hearing, OTC (order of temporary custody) trial and an adoption. I encourage everyone to attend a LFCA training session and to represent a child in a child protection proceeding."     

GLAD Project

For more than two years, Shipman has partnered with GLAD Legal Advocates and Defenders of Boston, MA, on its Transgender ID project, which provides free legal services for members of the LGBTQ community who are seeking to change their legal name and/or gender marker.  Shipman serves as GLAD’s exclusive referral source for Connecticut residents seeking assistance. As part of the project, our attorneys have assisted at GLAD Transgender ID clinics, including monthly clinics held at the Institute of Living and sponsored by Hartford HealthCare’s Center for Gender Health. Shipman lawyers also staff at least three additional clinics each year at the Metropolitan Community Church of Harford, CT, which are co-sponsored with the Social Work Department at Saint Joseph’s University and Health Care Advocates International.

Armed with a comprehensive Name and Gender Marker Change: Connecticut Quick Reference Guide, prepared by Jaime Welsh with a team of regular and summer associates, Shipman lawyers, including Pat Fahey, Mike King, Nina Pelc-Faszcza, Liz Buchanan, Deanna McWeeney, Abby Booth, and Alexis Harrison, have given their time to assist transgender individuals in navigating through the name and gender marker change processes for state and federal documents. The next Metropolitan Community Church of Hartford clinic is scheduled for January 11. If you are interested in volunteering and receiving training for the Transgender ID Project, please contact Brenda Eckert.

Hartford HealthCare’s Building Gender Literacy Conference

In June, Pat Fahey and Jaime Welsh were co-panelists at Hartford HealthCare’s Building Gender Literacy conference, which features speakers recognized as experts in the field of gender health. Pat and Jaime presented on the GLADTransgender ID Project and on how to navigate legal challenges with respect to legal name changes, parental rights, and estate planning.

Shipman Team Steps In to Handle Representation of Trans Woman In Federal Court Pro Bono Wheel Case

Joette Katz, Linda Yoder, Matt Gibbons, Kelsey Scarlett and Abby Booth recently stepped in to take over a U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut pro bono wheel case from prior pro bono counsel.  This Shipman pro bono team is representing a trans woman in relation to a Rehabilitation Act discrimination claim against the Bureau of Prisons. She is alleging that because of her diagnosed gender dysphoria, she is being unlawfully excluded from a female-only re-entry program. She sued in Connecticut for complicated reasons, and the team is currently tied up in a procedural dispute with the U.S. Government about whether her claim should remain in the U.S. District Court of Connecticut.

Vaughan Finn Pro Bono Awards

Congratulations to Pat Fahey and Liz Buchanan, recipients of this year's Vaughan Finn Pro Bono award. This award recognizes lawyers in the firm for their outstanding pro bono contributions and includes a $500 donation by the firm to a legal organization of each recipient’s choice. Pat has chosen to make his contribution to Greater Hartford Legal Aid Foundation and Liz has chosen Lawyers for Children America.

Thank you to all involved in pro bono
and community projects!

Here are just a few honorable mentions:

The Greater Hartford Legal Aid Foundation awarded its 2024 Pro Bono Leader award to Shipman & Goodwin. The award was presented at the GHLAF’s Celebrating Leaders for Justice Gala at the Bushnell. In attendance were Liz Buchanan, Leander Dolphin, Pat Fahey, John Lawrence, Morgan Rueckert and Kelsey Scarlett. 

Congratulations to everyone at the firm, including Shipman lawyers, Kent Nevins, Anne Littlefield, Greg Muccilli, Morgan Rueckert, Vaughn Finn, Scarlett Lara Alcantara and Ian Leon, and Shipman staff, Andrea Brunoli and Maria Preiser, who helped make this award possible through their pro bono efforts.

Shipman has continued its pro bono efforts working with Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS) over the last year. Shipman first began working with IRIS in the fall of 2021 in connection with resettlement efforts undertaken after the collapse of the Afghanistan government and takeover by the Taliban. Those early efforts primarily consisted of preparing numerous humanitarian parole applications for individuals in Afghanistan at that time. Over the past year, Shipman has continued to assist IRIS in preparing additional humanitarian parole applications and asylum applications for Afghanistan refugees, including some refugees for whom their humanitarian parole applications from 2021 were ultimately granted by the United States. More recently, Shipman has also agreed to assist in asylum applications for individuals who have fled the ethnic cleansing and violence from West Darfur. IRIS is grateful for the firm’s continued support and a big thank you to all who have assisted on these projects over the past year! A special acknowledgement of thanks to everyone who has worked on behalf of IRIS, including Victor Beck, Sara Bonaiuto, Abby Booth, Liz Buchanan, Keegan Drenosky, Lee Duval, Vaughan Finn, Diane Haddam, Jennifer Hancock, Connor Huydic, Kim Johnson, Mike King, Mara Kravitz, Ian Leon, Joe Miller, Sarah Niemiroski, Mark Ostrowski, Tom Owen, Nina Pelc-Faszacza, Julie Reznik, Anthony Scarcella, Jessica Signor, Ben Sharpe, and Andy Zeitlin.

Tyler Archer has done outstanding work for Legal Food Hub, a provider of free legal assistance to support a sustainable, resilient, and just regional food system. Tyler’s knowledge and understanding of this growing business sector has been greatly appreciated by clients referred to him through Legal Food Hub. They describe him as “above and beyond amazing to work with,” and “extremely kind and helpful.” One client even claimed that without Tyler’s guidance they “would not have been able to successfully set up my business in a timely manner.”

In August, Legal Food Hub named Tyler Attorney of the Year based on his handling of more than ten matters on their behalf, and invited him to join its Attorney Council, an advisory board serving farmers and food producers across New England. Great job Tyler!

Liz Buchanan, always an enthusiastic supporter of Shipman's pro bono efforts, led a Back-to-School Backpack Drive, together with Lawyers for Children America, to donate to children in the care of Department of Children and Families. Although this effort was timed around back-to-school, non-school-age children will also get to use these backpacks to transport their things between care services and foster homes. Many of these children have not had the opportunity to be the recipient of something new that is their very own to keep no matter where or with whom they end up. This year, Shipman donated 151 backpacks, more than doubling last year's donations.

Since 2021, Liz has contributed over 315 hours to pro bono matters on behalf of the firm, including over 75 hours in 2023.  She has worked on matters related to our partnership with GLAD and the Connecticut Transgender ID Project as well as IRIS (Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services) and most notably, for Lawyers for Children America.  In 2023, Liz spent over 60 hours on LFCA matters alone, and on top of that she spearheaded the highly successful backpack drive on their behalf.

Congrats to Sarah Dlugoszewski for some good news on behalf of a veteran (pro bono) client. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) had proposed reducing his PTSD disability rating from 70% to 30%. Sarah briefed the issue and argued it in person back in June. The decision came in in favor of our client and Sarah was able to successfully convince the VA that he still deserves a 70% disability rating for PTSD. As a result, our client is now service-connected for PTSD, has a firm disability rating, and his DU application was granted.

Sarah also garnered a second big win in a pro bono case on behalf of veteran of the U.S. Navy who worked on the flight deck of the USS Vinson and did two deployments in the Persian Gulf at the height of the U.S.’s confrontation with terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan in the 2010s.  Our client suffered numerous traumas in-service, which ultimately led to his development of PTSD.  He was discharged under “Other than Honorable” circumstances after an isolated instance of marijuana use, for which he was “randomly” drug tested when re-boarding the USS Vinson after a holiday.  We successfully argued to the VA that our client’s PTSD is service-connected, and he now receives a significant monthly monetary benefit for that injury.  We are in the process of preparing a further appeal to the Board for Correction of Naval Records seeking to upgrade our client’s discharge status to a full “Honorable” discharge. Nice job, Sarah!

Congratulations to Vaughan Finn who will be honored by Lawyers for Children America as part of their 30th anniversary celebration on November 7th in Hartford. Said LFCA, "Your work to support and advocate for abused, neglected, and abandoned children has changed lives and we...look forward to celebrating and thanking you for the work you have done to make the world a better place!"

Congratulations to Joette Katz, who successfully had the convictions vacated and the charges dismissed against George Gould, a Connecticut man wrongly imprisoned for nearly three decades. Joette’s pro bono representation was historic, as it was the first case resulting in a dismissal following an investigation by the newly formed Conviction Integrity Unit of the Chief State’s Attorney’s Office.

Through the firm's ongoing referral relationship with Pro Bono Partnership, Sarah Kettenmann and Deanna McWeeney have assisted Wheel it Forward, Inc., in its efforts to secure 501(c)(3) status for a branded lending library that provides essential durable medical equipment (DME) to those in need. Deanna applied her expertise in tax exemption and corporate issues to guide and prepare the client for its “Form 1023” submission, which includes a narrative description of Wheel it Forward’s activities, a budget, and other necessary documentation to demonstrate eligibility for tax-exempt status. For the last four years, Wheel it Forward has facilitated a convenient donation system, enabling community members to contribute lightly used DME and promoting sustainability and environmental stewardship. Its lending model ensures that critical medical resources are accessible to individuals facing financial or logistical barriers, making a positive impact on both individual lives and the community as a whole.

Congratulations to Niko Kittredge, who was commended in a heartfelt thank you note from the New London Food Pantry regarding his outstanding work on their pro bono matter. Both the Pro Bono Partners and the Food Pantry noted Niko's excellent work. The letter from the Food Pantry read (in part): “I would like to express my gratitude for the excellent work provided by Nikolas Kittredge on our lease agreement with our new landlord, the VFW. Nikolas was very professional and responsive at all times. The lease agreement is a very nice piece of work.”

Last year, we held an information session with the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center (CVLC), and several lawyers expressed an interest in becoming more involved in representing veterans on a pro bono basis, so the Pro Bono Committee organized a training session with Chelsea Donaldson, Supervising Attorney of the Veterans Benefits & Military Unit at CVLC. Chelsea covered the attorney accreditation process and answered questions related to the accreditation application process. As a result, several attorneys recently received their VA accreditation, including Anne Littlefield, Chelsea McCallum and Deanna McWeeney. In October, the CVLC hosted a Pro Bono Social at Urban Lodge in Hartford and Chelsea, Deanna, Ben Sharpe and Joe Miller all attended. Thanks to everyone for their willingness to participate in these pro bono efforts on behalf of Connecticut’s veterans.

The firm’s enthusiastic participation in the Read to A Child program at the Annie Fisher STEM School in Hartford, CT is continuing unabated. Shipman administrative professionals and lawyers, including Abby Booth, Rose Frink-DeBaise, Sarah Dlugoszewski, Lee Duval, Brenda Eckert, Eddie Gibbon, Alexis Harrison, Connor Huydic, Sarah Kettenmann, Deanna McWeeney, Suzanne Obedzinski, Kelsey Scarlett, Megan Tenney, Susan Waterbury and Tracy Williams have signed up to serve as reading mentors to Annie Fisher students for the current school year. Many of these Shipman volunteers enjoy the benefit of mentoring the same student for a second year!

Shipman’s pro bono efforts have been extended to the musical world!  The firm recently provided pro bono immigration services, performed primarily by Nina Pelc-Faszcza and Immigration Paralegal, Jennifer Hancock, to assist the New Haven Symphony Orchestra with various immigration issues. 

Our thanks to Deanna McWeeney, Melissa Mack and Sarah Westby for teaming up to update the corporate documents for a long-time pro bono client, Simply Smiles.

BENEFITS OF PRO BONO

COMMUNITY

Doing good for the community is more than just an ethical obligation. You're providing access to justice for underserved populations.

COLLABORATE

Working on pro bono projects affords Shipman lawyers the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues outside of those you may normally work with.

PRACTICE

Exercise, practice, and build your legal skills by working on projects that allow you to take the lead and develop confidence.

EXPLORE

Pro bono work provides the opportunity for Shipman lawyers to explore areas of law they may want to expand into.