Updike Attorneys Join Lamont Team In addition to this week's announcement that Gov.-elect Ned Lamont has chosen Bridgeport Superior Court Judge Robert Clark to serve as his general counsel, three Updike, Kelly & Spellacy lawyers have been tapped to serve Lamont's transition team.

Robert J. Martino was chosen as part of a diverse group of advisers to serve on the steering committee for the transition. He joins 18 other leaders from across the state.

Martino and Arunan D. Arulampalam were selected to serve on the transition team's jobs and economy subcommittee, and Benjamin A. Wiles, a venture finance attorney who represents technology companies in areas such as blockchain, will serve on a data strategy subcommittee.

Martino was also selected to chair Lt. Gov.-elect Susan Bysiewicz's transition committee. Lamont and Bysiewicz were elected on the Democratic ticket Nov. 6 to replace outgoing Gov. Dannel Malloy.

Before the election Arulampalam served on the Lamont Campaign Steering Committee and Martino was a senior adviser to Bysiewicz's campaign.

Updike Kelly is a founding member of Meritas Law Firms Worldwide.

Benjamin C. White Joins Murtha Cullina Murtha Cullina has hired Benjamin C. White as counsel in the firm's intellectual property practice group.

White will focus on patent prosecution, litigation and strategy, as well as general counseling on intellectual property issues. He has drafted and prosecuted hundreds of electronic, mechanical and software patent applications in fields ranging from medical to automotive. Before becoming an attorney, he worked as an electrical engineer on radar and radar suppression technology.

“Ben's experience working as an engineer with companies like Pratt & Whitney and Raytheon give him a unique perspective and the ability to more effectively communicate with inventors,” said Anthony P. Gangemi, chairman of Murtha Cullina's intellectual property practice group. “He also has strong patent litigation experience and has worked on post-grant proceedings at the Patent Office. Ben is a valuable addition to our team and we are very happy he joined our firm.”

White is secretary of the Connecticut Intellectual Property Law Association, president of the University of Michigan Alumni Club of Fairfield County and an active participant in the Judge Janet Bond Arterton American Inn of Court. He received his law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law and his bachelor's degree in general physics from the University of Michigan.

Murtha Cullina has more than 100 attorneys and six offices throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York.