Winter 2026

Shipman attorneys and staff have engaged in incredible pro bono and community work since our update last summer. Here are some of the highlights:

Pro Bono by the Numbers

Shipman lawyers performed more than 4,450 hours of pro bono service in 2025, up 2% over 2024 and up more than 27% over 2023. Heartfelt thanks to all who so generously gave their time and talents.

A Mother Protected

Kristie Beahm convinced the prosecutor to drop the domestic violence criminal case against her pro bono client, whom Kristie came to represent through a referral from our pro bono partner, Greater Hartford Legal Aid. The client is a single mother of two who was in an abusive relationship with the father of their children. As commonly happens, especially in states with mandatory arrest laws and preferred arrest laws, both parties were arrested when police came to the house after the father of her children assaulted her and she defended herself. The resolution of the criminal case allows the client, a Registered Nurse, to go back to work to support herself and her children. Incredible work, Kristie!

Potential Discharge Upgrade for Vietnam Veteran

Through the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center, Sarah Dlugoszewski and Justin Cedeño represented a Marine veteran who served during the Vietnam war. Unfortunately, he was other than honorably discharged because he went AWOL multiple times during his five-year tenure of service and lost his hard copy official orders in a taxicab while spending time on permitted leave in his hometown of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Much later in life, the Marine was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that stems back, at least in part, to physical and emotional trauma he endured during basic training.  Sarah and Justin recently filed a discharge upgrade application with the Board for Correction of Naval Records (BCNR) arguing that the Marine’s service-connected PTSD spurred his decision to go AWOL and thus mitigates his conduct. Given the significant backlog of applications pending with the BCNR, we expect a decision on his application in the next 12-18 months.

Recent Collaborations with Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services

Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS) is a nonprofit organization that assists refugees and other displaced persons who have received authorization to come to the United States and who are fleeing persecution and conflict.

Jennifer L. Hancock attended the IRIS Pro Bono Green Card Clinic at the United Church on the Green in New Haven. At this clinic she assisted a refugee family to complete their green card applications. To assist IRIS after significant federal funding cuts and subsequent staff reductions and office closings, Jennifer and Nina Pelc-Faszcza are now working with IRIS to complete green card applications for a refugee family from Nicaragua and a family from Afghanistan.

Jennifer and Nina are also assisting IRIS by filing re-parole applications for Ukrainian citizens and their immediate family members who are in the U.S. as a result of being displaced by the Russian invasion in Ukraine. This process relates to Uniting for Ukraine, a federal program created in April 2022 that allowed certain Ukrainian citizens who fled the country as a result of the war with Russia to come to the United States for up to two years, which is referred to as “humanitarian parole.” Certain of those individuals are now eligible to apply for an extension of this authorization, through a process referred to as “re-parole.” Any attorney or paralegal interested in being trained and accepting a pro bono Ukrainian re-parole matter should contact Gwen Zittoun.

Mara Kravitz, Scarlett Lara-Alcantara and Sarah Westby worked swiftly and diligently to obtain renewal of our client’s work authorization permit and obtained approval of the permit just days before the Department of Homeland Security eliminated automatic extensions of employment authorization documents, effective Oct 30, 2025. The team also successfully managed to obtain the approval – despite the client’s financial hardship and payment processing challenges – before the government reduced the permit length from 5 years to 18 months. Therefore, the client has work authorization for an additional 5 year-period, which is vital to her ability to provide for herself and her family.

Essential Education

During 2025, through The American Place at the Hartford Public Library, Vaughan Finn and Mike King helped more than 15 Lawful Permanent Residents to work toward obtaining citizenship by preparing them for their interviews with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officers.  Vaughan and Mike prepared them for extensive questions from officers about their personal backgrounds and character, gave them tips for demonstrating their understanding of the English language, and helped them study for the Civics Test, which tests their understanding of American civics, history and geography through various questions (“name one of the writers of the Federalist Papers,” “how many amendments does the Constitution have,” “what is the rule of law”).  These applicants came from South America, Asia, and the Caribbean, and had entry-level positions in the Hartford area, including as home health care workers and warehouse employees.

Shipman has performed pro bono legal services for many years on referrals from Lawyers for Children America (LFCA). LFCA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the rights of children who are victims of abuse, abandonment and neglect. Shipman attorneys work in partnership with LFCA staff attorneys and serve as counsel to children under the age of three who are in the child welfare system.

Over the past three years, the number of lawyers at Shipman involved with pro bono work for LFCA has more than doubled and Shipman pro bono service hours on behalf of LFCA have increased by 20%. Here are some of the notable recent cases:

Children Saved

With help from Joette Katz and Erin Shaffer, Joe Williams represented an infant who was taken into custody by the Department of Children and Families (DCF) immediately after being born last summer. The child was taken because both her parents had serious substance use disorders. The child’s mother died of a fentanyl overdose three months after the child’s birth. Fortunately, the grandmother was able and willing to raise the child, and DCF placed her with her grandmother permanently. Joe visited with the child and her grandmother and appeared in family court multiple times to advocate in favor of DCF’s proposal to transfer permanent legal guardianship to the grandmother, which the court approved.

Erin Shaffer also represented a newborn baby girl who was born exposed to substances. The mother had a long history of substance abuse (including immediately prior to giving birth) and the child received no prenatal care. The father’s whereabouts were unknown and it did not appear that there were any relatives willing to take custody of the baby. The baby was still hospitalized when Erin took her on as a client.  The DCF placed the child with a non-relative pre-adoptive foster placement and, after a trial to terminate parental rights (in absentia) in July 2025, the baby girl was adopted in December 2025. Erin played an incredible role in helping this baby girl reach the home she deserves!

Teacher Adoption

Last November, through the help of Joette Katz, a child was adopted by a loving family after over four years in DCF custody. The child’s mother had abandoned the child early, but the father and grandmother fought intermittently and sporadically against termination of parental rights and a permanency plan. Following a trial, and unsuccessful appeal by the father, the child was finally allowed to be adopted by the teacher who found the signs of abuse, along with her husband, and became a permanent member of their family.

It was particularly joyful for Joette to witness the adoption in Superior Court, which as a consequence of her lobbying as DCF Commissioner, now has jurisdiction over adoption for children whose parents lost their parental rights through Superior Court proceedings. This meant that DCF did not have to start over in Probate Court after the termination proceedings. Rather, DCF could pursue adoption proceedings in Superior Court before the same judge who had adjudicated the case amidst all the heartache, but who could now be a part of the celebration.

More Pro Bono Success Stories...

Congratulations to Liz Buchanan and Chelsea McCallum who, under the guidance and advice of Joette Katz, filed an appellate brief as Special Public Defenders challenging the felony conviction of an appointed client. The brief cites to 800 pages of testimony, challenging the admission of fatally prejudicial and misleading scientific evidence, the exclusion of highly probative social media communications and police interview testimony, and finally the prosecuting attorney’s improper arguments to the jury during closing argument. Liz and Chelsea now await the State’s response which they anticipate receiving in early 2026.

Melissa Mack and Deanna McWeeney 

were approached by a unique veterans’ organization focused on supporting its community through fundraising and service projects. The entity was run by devoted volunteers who had inadvertently allowed its tax-exempt status to lapse for failure to file tax returns. Given the passage of time and turnover of volunteers, the entity struggled to find the information needed to resolve their issues to justify reinstatement. Melissa and Deanna made a compelling argument to the IRS and were able to obtain reinstatement of its tax-exempt status saving our client thousands of dollars in taxes and allowing its members to continue serving their community and carrying out their tax-exempt mission.

Through a referral from the Pro Bono Partnership, Donna Brooks and Tyler Archer are evaluating the implications of the Connecticut Recreational Use Statute (52-557g and h) for a local land trust. This statute encourages landowners to open their lands to the public for recreational purposes by providing a liability shield for certain conditions on the property. Donna and Tyler are determining whether the land trust can host certain types of events on its property while continuing its compliance with the statute. We look forward to hearing how it all works out!

The Firm recently renewed its work with the Statewide Legal Services (SLS) Security Deposit Clinic.

SLS is a Connecticut legal aid organization that assists low-income individuals with a variety of legal matters. Pro bono attorneys participating in the Security Deposit Clinic assist individuals in completing the small claims court forms necessary to file a lawsuit for the return of their security deposit. Attorneys meet virtually with the SLS clients to collect the necessary information and pro bono assistance generally concludes with the completion of the court forms.

Ian Saum has already provided assistance through this program to an individual who vacated her rental property and then received notice from her former landlord that her security deposit would not be returned because the damage caused to the property exceeded the amount of the security deposit. Ian argued in the small claims court documents that the landlord was not permitted to retain the entire deposit because, among other things, the law did not entitle the landlord to the full cost of brand-new kitchen appliances. The client will now file this matter pro se  in small claims court.

Congratulations to Greg Muccilli:

Greg Muccilli, Chair of Shipman’s Pro Bono Committee, is one of the recipients of this year’s The Honorable Anthony V. DeMayo Pro Bono Award given by the Connecticut Bar Association (CBA). Each year, various Connecticut pro bono agencies nominate attorneys to be honored for their exceptional pro bono service to the community. Greg was nominated by Shipman’s pro bono partner, Greater Hartford Legal Aid, in connection with his integral role in administering the $1 million rental assistance program funded by the City of Hartford that aids tenants facing eviction or suffering poor housing conditions. As detailed in our Summer 2025 Pro Bono Newsletter, Greg reviewed and approved hundreds of Hartford-resident applications for these funds and led a team of Shipman pro bono attorneys and business professionals in ensuring that the funds were appropriately disbursed. This achievement would not have been possible without the dedicated efforts of the many colleagues who supported the program, including Victor Beck, Justin Cedeno, Brenda Eckert, Mara Kravitz, Scarlett Lara-Alcantara, Anne Littlefield, Ian Leon, Joseph Miller, Kent Nevins, Tom Owen and Gwen Zittoun as well as Andrea Brunoli, Maria Preiser, Linda Buckland, and others from our accounting and finance department.

The award is named in honor of The Honorable Anthony V. DeMayo, who fought for fundamental fairness and championed the legal rights of the poor and accused. He was active in the legal community, his membership including New Haven Junior Bar Association, University of Connecticut Law School Alumni Association and Law School Foundation, Lecturer in Law at the University of New Haven. He also served as the president of the Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund and helped pave the way for women to become fully fledged members of the Connecticut legal team. Recipients are selected based on their demonstrated dedication to the provision of legal services without expectation of payment to those in need.

We are thrilled to celebrate Greg and his receipt of this award at a ceremony hosted by the CBA in March 2026. Congratulations, Greg!

Congratulations to Joette Katz:

The LFCA Board of Directors recently elected Joette Katz as Board President. This is an incredible honor and we are so thrilled for Joette!

LFCA released this announcement following the election: 

LFCA is pleased to share that Justice Joette Katz of Shipman & Goodwin has been elected as the organization’s new Board President. Katz succeeds John Pitblado, of Carlton Fields whose leadership from 2022 - 2025 helped guide the organization through a period of unprecedented challenge and transformation. Justice Katz is a partner in the Shipman & Goodwin litigation practice, focusing on appellate work, mediation, and investigations. She formerly served as an Associate Justice on the Connecticut Supreme Court, where she authored nearly 500 decisions. Katz also served as Commissioner of the Connecticut State Department of Children and Families, where she oversaw DCF’s services for children and families, including children in DCF’s custody and under its guardianship. Katz has taught at all three of Connecticut’s law schools and is an Associate Fellow of Trumbull College at Yale University. Joette Katz said “I became familiar with the incredible work of Lawyers for Children America, Inc. when I was DCF Commissioner, never dreaming that one day I would have the privilege of becoming its President! I look forward to building on the organization’s strong foundation as we expand our impact and ensure that even more children have access to the outstanding advocacy they deserve.”

• Liz Buchanan, Jack Ferdman, Joette Katz, Claire Pariano, Anthony Scarcella, Erin Shaffer and Gwen Zittoun attended the Celebrating Advocates in Action gala on November 13^th, hosted by our pro bono client, Lawyers for Children America, at the Society Room in Hartford.
  
  
• Shipman sponsored The Children’s LAW Center Gala on November 20^th. The Children’s Law Center is dedicated to securing the best possible outcomes for children and families navigating crisis or transition. The gala celebrated empowering families and inspiring change for children and families. Shipman’s attendees included Gwen Zittoun and Ian Saum.
  
  
• Shipman sponsored the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center 16^th Annual Saluting Service event on November 6th. The event honored another Shipman pro bono partner, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law), with the Veterans Justice Award, as well as other law firms and attorneys. Shipman’s attendees included Chelsea McCallum, Sarah Dlugoszewski, Justin Cedeño, and Megan Medlicott.

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