Judge Robert Clark

Gov.-elect Ned Lamont has tapped Bridgeport Superior Court Judge Robert Clark, a veteran lawyer from the Connecticut Attorney General's Office, to be his general counsel.

Lamont, who will be sworn in on Jan. 9, said Clark will oversee legal operations for his office, as well as provide expert and strategic advice on legal matters.

The 47-year-old Durham resident has been a judge for just seven months. Before that, Clark had a 14-year stint working for several attorneys general in Connecticut.

Clark, who is a Democrat, was in that department's Special Litigation Unit until George Jepsen, the outgoing attorney general, named Clark his special counsel. Clark began his career in private practice working for Day, Berry & Howard in Hartford, which later became Day Pitney, and at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel in New York City.

Jepsen said that Clark, who worked for him for seven and a half years, was a key part of his office.

“He is a powerful, powerful intellect. He is just a really intelligent and extremely good lawyer on top of that,” said Jepsen, who's known Clark since the 1990s. “He was someone I could always rely upon to provide me with the legal advice I needed in the complex environment I operated.”

One key area was Clark's help guiding the state on gaming.

“One big issue he helped me and my office's participation in was the four-year process of siting a mini-casino in East Windsor,” Jepsen said. “It was the tribe's joint venture, which had to be navigated through the Legislature. All of the i's and t's had to be dotted and crossed and he worked hard on that. He was essential.”

Clark's role in various capacities coupled with his extensive legal background will bode well for him as Lamont's general counsel, Jepsen said.

“He knows the legal and political aspects of the job and has an extraordinary positive relationship on both sides of the political aisle,” Jepsen said. “He knows all of the players. Private practice doesn't prepare for you the issues that will be front and center to the governor's office, whether they be casino gaming or public-sector pension issues. You can't learn them overnight and Bob has immersed in them, not just with me but before that with the office's Special Litigation Unit.”

Jepsen, who said he's close friends with Clark and Lamont, added: “I think they will be a good match. Ned likes the bottom line and is a focused type of guy and Bob always delivers the bottom line.”

In a statement, Clark said he was “deeply honored and humbled” to be chosen for the job. “I look forward to serving the new administration at this critical juncture for the state of Connecticut,” Clark said.

Clark received his law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1997, where he also served as executive editor of the Connecticut Law Review.