Alisha Sullivan and Emily Zaklukiewicz Appointed to Key Positions in CBA-YLS Women in the Law Committee

Employee Benefits and Compensation Group member Alisha N. Sullivan and Labor and Employment Group member Emily A. Zaklukiewicz have been appointed to key roles within the Connecticut Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section (CBA-YLS) Women in the Law Committee for the 2020-2021 bar year. Effective July 2020, Emily serves as co-chair of the Committee, while Alisha steps into a new role within the Committee as Director. YLS leadership is encouraging her to mold the position, which functions to lead and guide the Women in the Law Committee co-chairs. Previously, Alisha served as co-chair of the Women in the Law Committee for both the 2017-2018 and 2019-2020 bar years and was even presented with a CBA-YLS Star of the Year Award in recognition of her leadership.

The Young Lawyers Section has as its primary goals the promotion of justice, the encouragement of public service, and the promotion of diversity and education of young lawyers and newly admitted practitioners. The Section serves a valuable social and networking role in fostering connections among young lawyers and assisting them in their transition into the legal practice in Connecticut. It includes all members of the CBA who are 37 years old or younger or who have been admitted to the Bar for less than six full bar years.

The Women in the Law Committee of the Young Lawyers Section monitors the progress and works to enhance the status and opportunities available to women in the legal profession; provides women attorneys in Connecticut an opportunity to share concerns, communicate, and network with one another in a supportive forum; and promotes the participation of the CBA in substantive areas of law and legislation that present issues of particular concern to women in the profession, and to those who seek legal services. 

Virginia McGarrity and Alisha Sullivan Co-Author Checklist on Terminating a Defined Benefit Plan Published in Lexis Practice Advisor

Employee Benefits + Compensation group lawyers Virginia McGarrity and Alisha Sullivan co-authored the article “Terminating a Defined Benefit Plan Checklist,” published in Lexis Practice Advisor. Following strong market returns and larger-than-expected employer contributions in anticipation of future corporate rates from tax reform, many employers are finding now to be an optimal time to terminate their pension plans. This checklist provides a detailed and centralized list of the necessary requirements to be used by the various actuarial, legal, and plan administration practitioners tasked with advising an employer through the plan termination process. View the full article.

Abby Warren and Alisha Sullivan Speak at CBA's Young Lawyers Section Event

Alisha Sullivan organized and moderated the CLE program “Hot Topics in Employment: Discrimination & Harassment,” presented by the Connecticut Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section. She is a member of the Section's Executive Committee. Abby Warren served as a panelist for the program, which examined the history of civil rights in the employment context, the evolution of law in Connecticut based on shifts in society’s general thought, and how sexual harassment and discrimination looks different in the #MeToo era. The panel also discussed counseling employers on dealing with implicit bias and micro-aggressions in the workplace; how Connecticut has been seen as a leader with respect to workplace protections for LGBTQ individuals; how employers are handling claims of discrimination relating to the medical use of marijuana; and different ways employers can limit the risks presented by the electronic communications of employees and supervisors.

Alisha Sullivan Moderates Panel on Careers in Tax-Related Areas of Practice

Employee Benefits + Compensation Group lawyer Alisha N. Sullivan moderated a panel focused on the practice of tax law at Quinnipiac University’s School of Law on March 4, 2019. The discussion was sponsored by the Connecticut Bar Association (CBA) Young Lawyer’s Section (YLS) Tax Section, of which Alisha is the Chair, the Tax Section and Estates & Probate Section of the CBA and Quinnipiac University School of Law’s Tax Law Society. The four-person panel was comprised of lawyers from the tax and estate planning divisions of three law firms in Connecticut and New York as well as a representative from the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services. They offered perspectives on the practice of tax law, including what tax lawyers do, challenges to breaking into tax law and how to overcome them, career trajectories and decision points, and what the future holds for this area of the law.

Robinson+Cole Supports Annual CBA-YLS Diversity Award Dinner

On February 7, 2019, J. Tyler Butts, Jason H. DePatie, Timothy P. Larsen, Charles F. Modzelewski, Nicole S. Mulé, Je'Quana S. Orr, Ashley R. Paholski, Alisha N. Sullivan, and Abby M. Warren attended the 11th Annual Diversity Award Dinner hosted at Amarante's Sea Cliff in New Haven, Connecticut. Presented by the Connecticut Bar Association Young Lawyers Section (CBA-YLS), the event honored Asha Rangappa, a CNN Contributor, Senior Lecturer at Yale University, and former FBI agent. Tyler currently serves as the Diversity Director on the CBA-YLS Executive Committee. Robinson+Cole was a proud sponsor of the event. View a photo.

51 Robinson+Cole Lawyers Recognized by Super Lawyers®

A total of 51 Robinson+Cole attorneys were named Super Lawyers® in the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island for 2018. In addition, 32 attorneys at the firm were recognized as “Rising Stars.” The Super Lawyers designation is based on regional balloting by attorneys, third-party research, and a peer review process encompassing myriad practice areas. An explanation of the Super Lawyers methodology can be found here. View the list of recognized attorneys and their areas of practice.

Amanda Schreiber and Alisha Sullivan Appointed to Connecticut Bar Association Young Lawyers Section Leadership Roles

The Connecticut Bar Association Young Lawyers Section (CBA-YLS) has appointed Business Litigation Group lawyer Amanda Gordon Schreiber and Employee Benefits + Compensation Group lawyer Alisha N. Sullivan to leadership roles. Ms. Schreiber has been elected to serve as the CBA-YLS Chair-elect and will eventually, pending annual election results, be elevated to lead the CBA-YLS as Chair in 2019. Ms. Sullivan has been named the chair of the CBA-YLS Tax Committee. In addition, she was presented with a CBA-YLS Star of the Year Award in recognition of her previous role as co-chair of the section’s Women in the Law Committee. Read more in the press release.

Virginia McGarrity and Alisha Sullivan Co-author Article Published in ABA Labor and Employment Law Newsletter

Employee Benefits + Compensation Group lawyers Virginia E. McGarrity and Alisha N. Sullivan co-authored the article "Disaster Relief in the Workplace," published in the Fall 2017 edition of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Labor and Employment Law Newsletter. In the article, Ms. McGarrity and Ms. Sullivan cover the benefits and resources available to employees by human resource management to assist those who have been affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. Click here to read the article

Virginia McGarrity and Alisha Sullivan Co-author Article Published in the Public Fiduciary

Employee Benefits + Compensation Group lawyers Virginia E. McGarrity and Alisha N. Sullivan co-authored the article "Proposed Expansion of the PBGC's Missing Participant Program," published in the Fall 2017 edition of the Public Fiduciary, the official newsletter for Fiduciary Investment Advisors (FIA). FIA is an independent, employee-owned investment consulting firm that works with fiduciary clients including retirement plan sponsors, institutions, non-profit organizations, and private clients.

Alisha Sullivan Presents on Women in the Law Program at Quinnipiac University

Employee Benefits + Compensation Group lawyer Alisha N. Sullivan was among the panelists in the discussion "Struggles Women in Law Face and How Men Can Be Allies," at the Quinnipiac University School of Law in Hamden, Connecticut, on November 15, 2017. The program discussed the challenges women face with negotiation, equal pay, and sexism and how men can be allies.

Virginia McGarrity and Alisha Sullivan Co-author Article Published in the Hartford Business Journal

Employee Benefits + Compensation Group lawyers Virginia E. McGarrity and Alisha N. Sullivan co-authored the article "Trump admin. allows employers to opt out of ACA's contraception mandate," published in the November 6, 2017 issue of the Hartford Business Journal. The article offers a pointed update about the expansion of the contraceptive exemption offered to public and private companies citing a religious or moral conviction against providing contraceptive coverage to its employees. Click here to view the entire article.

Alisha Sullivan Appointed to CBA’s Young Lawyers Section Roles

Employee Benefits and Compensation Group lawyer Alisha N. Sullivan has been appointed to the Connecticut Bar Association (CBA) Young Lawyers Section’s (YLS) Executive Committee, and she has been named the co-chair for the YLS Women in the Law Committee. Both appointments are for the 2017-18 bar year. The goals of the YLS are to promote justice, encourage public service, and promote diversity and education of young lawyers and newly admitted practitioners. These goals are achieved through educational, public service, and community programs, servicing both junior and senior members of the CBA. The Section, made up of over 2,000 members, also serves a valuable social and network role in introducing young lawyers and assisting them in their transition to the Connecticut legal practice. The Women in the Law Committee plays a key role in planning two of the most well-attended CBA events: The Annual Women’s Professional Golf Event, and in conjunction with the CBA Women in the Law Section, the annual Pathways to Leadership for Women Lawyers dinner where the YLS honors the Ladder Award recipient.

52 Robinson+Cole Lawyers Recognized by Super Lawyers®

A total of 52 Robinson+Cole attorneys were named to Super Lawyers® lists in the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island for 2019. In addition, 32 attorneys at the firm were recognized as “Rising Stars.”

The following lawyers were named to the Top 50: 2019 Connecticut Super Lawyers list: Denis C. Cavanaugh, Gregory R. Faulkner, Linda L. Morkan, Todd R. Regan, and Jeffrey J. White. Linda also appears on the Top 25: 2019 Women Connecticut Super Lawyers list.

The Super Lawyers designation is based on regional balloting by attorneys, third-party research, and a peer review process encompassing myriad practice areas. An explanation of the Super Lawyers methodology can be found here. Read more in the press release.

Robinson+Cole Lawyers Appointed to Connecticut Bar Association Young Lawyers Section Leadership Roles

The Connecticut Bar Association Young Lawyers Section (CBA-YLS) has appointed Robinson+Cole lawyers Kathleen E. Dion, Amanda Gordon Schreiber, and Alisha N. Sullivan to leadership roles.