Hartford-based Robinson & Cole has promoted seven attorneys to partner, including three in its Hartford office, effective Jan. 1, 2018. The Hartford promotions are as follows:

Insurance and liability litigator Stephen O. Clancy becomes a partner in 2018, focusing on insurance coverage and extracontractual litigation as well as professional liability and other complex litigation. He is a member of Robinson & Cole's Litigation Section and its Insurance and Reinsurance Practice Group.

Clancy's insurance coverage experience includes the representation of property, liability and excess insurance carriers in connection with high-exposure litigation often involving claims for extracontractual damages. His experience also includes the representation of a diverse group of individual and institutional clients including legal, medical, financial, insurance and design professionals.

New partner Rachel V. Kushel has worked with clients on employment law and human resource issues, including equal opportunity, investigations and hiring, discipline, termination, discrimination, leave and harassment issues. She litigates matters from inception to trial and through appeal in federal and state courts.

Kushel has represented clients in administrative matters before the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, state Department of Labor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. She also represents clients in arbitration hearings and regularly represents clients in other alternative dispute resolution and in mediations with federal, state and private mediators.

Keisha S. Palmer, a member of Robinson & Cole's Public Finance Group, brings experience representing state, municipal and Indian tribal governments in the issuance of tax-exempt and taxable general obligation bonds. She serves as bond counsel to issuers of 501(c)(3) bonds, qualified private activity bonds, revenue bonds, tax credit bonds, lease financings and conduit borrowings.

Palmer's work as bond counsel includes drafting bond authorizations, negotiating indentures, advising clients on refunding transactions, arbitrage rebate liability, changes in use of bond-financed facilities, restructuring tax-exempt obligations due to financial distress and guiding clients through Internal Revenue Service examinations of bond issues.

Additional newly-named partners at Robinson & Cole include real estate attorney Kendra L. Berardi in the firm's Boston office; insurance litigator Dana M. Horton in Providence, Rhode Island, land-use attorney Timothy C. Twardowski in Boston and Providence; and environmental/utilities and telecommunications attorney George W. Watson III in Providence.

“The development and advancement of our lawyers is critical to our continuing success,” said Managing Partner Stephen E. Goldman in a written release. “The advancement of these new partners is representative of the ways in which the firm continues to grow and be successful. It gives me great pleasure to congratulate our new partners, and also congratulate the R+C community for helping them achieve their success.”