Christian Nolan

June 24, 2011 | Legaltech News

For years, Connecticut criminal defense attorneys have campaigned for a law that would require police to record all interrogations of suspects, a measure many attorneys believe would reduce the number of coerced confessions. This year, lawmakers got the picture. The recording bill was one of many legal-related measures approved by lawmakers in the just-finished legislative session.

By Christian Nolan

5 minute read

July 07, 2010 | Legaltech News

Authorities say they have evidence a suspect was near a Connecticut bank that was robbed and in close proximity to others implicated in the robbery -- his cell phone's location information. Should law enforcement have access to that data without a warrant? A federal court will debate it.

By Christian Nolan

5 minute read

March 05, 2010 | Law.com

Perhaps the most common reason for a mistrial is a hung jury. And from time to time a judge might cite improper evidence or misconduct by an attorney or juror. But even veteran trial lawyers couldn't recall the last time a mistrial was declared due to the prolonged illness and absence of one of the lawyers. That's exactly why a criminal trial was interrupted in a case -- involving a $6.5 million Ferrari -- that raised questions of double jeopardy and was recently considered by a divided Connecticut Supreme Court.

By Christian Nolan

5 minute read

March 28, 2007 | Law.com

Connecticut solo Douglas J. Monaghan has handled juvenile cases for two decades. And for the past several years, he has been a leader in the push to move child protection attorney's wages from a flat rate per-case fee of $500, which works out to about $25 an hour, to an hourly rate of $60. House Bill 7238 proposes the wage increase, and Monaghan expects to know by June whether or not the $60 hourly rate will meet approval. "When all you do is child protection, it's very hard to make ends meet," he says.

By Christian Nolan

4 minute read

January 26, 2010 | Law.com

Last week, John Michael Farren, a former White House lawyer, stood in a Connecticut courtroom and pleaded not guilty to a series of charges related to an alleged attack on his wife. Among them: attempted murder, first-degree assault and first-degree strangulation. There is nothing novel about the first two. But the strangulation charge is a relatively new one in Connecticut and across the country, one created specifically to deal with the epidemic of domestic violence.

By Christian Nolan

6 minute read

January 26, 2011 | The Legal Intelligencer

Longtime Waterbury State’s Attorney John Connelly will be remembered for trying more death penalty and murder cases than possibly any other prosecutor in the state's history.

By Christian Nolan

6 minute read

August 19, 2009 | Legaltech News

Given the growing trend of jurors causing mistrials by using electronic devices to do research pertaining to their cases, some Connecticut judges have taken it upon themselves to expand the warnings that they give to impaneled jurors. Others aren't convinced quite yet that's necessary.

By Christian Nolan

4 minute read

September 28, 2009 | Law.com

When Connecticut Legal Services was faced with a funding crisis that threatened jobs and client services, CLS attorney Astrid Lebron kicked things into high gear -- by writing 40-plus grant applications in an astounding 75-day period earlier this year, and raising $775,000 for the agency so far. As the director of development, Lebron is the only person of color currently in a CLS management position, and feels the responsibility of her role: "I shouldn't be afraid ... to trail blaze and open up some doors."

By Christian Nolan

4 minute read

March 04, 2009 | Law.com

After former Pfizer executive Alan J. Hesketh was convicted of distributing child pornography, a district court judge, in an unprecedented move, ordered Hesketh to pay $200,000 in restitution to one of the girls whose images he downloaded and distributed. The girl's attorney, James Marsh, says there is no distinction between Hesketh and the people who produced the pornography. But Hesketh's attorney says, "How much harm do you do to a victim who doesn't know her picture is being downloaded four times?"

By Christian Nolan

4 minute read