The Connecticut and Massachusetts legal profession lost some powerful voices in 2018. From famed Connecticut civil rights attorney to a Harvard professor known as a pioneer in the field of alternative dispute resolution, the year drew the curtain on several distinguished careers.

The Connecticut Law Tribune compiled five of the more notable icons lost in lower New England this past year. The names are listed alphabetically.

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Attorney David Jaffe:

David Jaffe devoted most of his practice to plaintiff's trial work, emphasizing civil rights and police misconduct cases throughout the state. He also specialized in medical malpractice, employment law, personal injury and criminal law as a partner in the Hartford offices of Brown, Paindiris Scott. He became of counsel in late 2017 and died after a sudden illness in April.

His obituary in the newspaper and on his firm's website described Jaffe, who was 63, as a civil rights attorney who passionately advocated for those without a voice.

Jaffe, who served as treasurer of the Connecticut Civil Liberties Union, grew up in West Hartford and was always active in local and national political causes. Jaffe loved sports and was a devoted fan of University of Connecticut athletics. He was a former adjunct professor at the school and a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Connecticut School of Law.

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Former Connecticut Chief Justice Francis McDonald:

Known in Connecticut's legal circles as an outspoken, witty and compassionate jurist who tilted right but had a libertarian streak, former Connecticut Supreme Court Chief Justice Francis McDonald was someone whose vote could not be pigeonholed.

Although he was on the Supreme Court for less than five years, including 16 months as chief justice, the Waterbury native and Yale graduate was never a sure vote for either side of the political aisle, many said. Although he was considered a conservative, he often sided with Justice Robert Berdon, then the court's most liberal justice.

“I considered him a more libertarian type, but it was often the case where McDonald and Berdon were the court's two dissenters,” said Wesley Horton, a partner with Hartford's Horton, Dowd, Bartschi & Levesque.

McDonald was 87 years old when he died of complications from pneumonia in October.

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Harvard Law School Professor Frank E.A. Sander:

Known as a mentor to many and a pioneer in the field of alternative dispute resolution, Frank E.A. Sander served on the Harvard faculty from 1959 to 2006. He authored numerous books on alternative dispute resolution and taught the topic at Harvard.

“He was simply known as the Godfather of ADR in the United States,” friend and fellow ADR expert Harry Mazadoorian told the Connecticut Law Tribune soon after Sander died in February at 90.

Born in Germany in 1927, Sander escaped Nazi Germany at age 11, coming to Boston via New York City on one of the last passenger ships to leave England during World War II. He earned his law degree from Harvard in 1952, graduating magna cum laude and serving as treasurer of the Harvard Law Review. After law school he clerked for Chief Justice Calvert Magruder of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and then for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter.

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Attorney Richard Terbrusch:

Based out of Stamford and Danbury, Richard Terbrusch, a family law and divorce attorney, was best known in the latter years of his life for representing “Southern Charm” star Thomas Ravenel following the reality-TV star's arrest. Ravenel, who was accused of sexually assaulting his children's former nanny, has denied the charges.

Terbrusch, who was 53 when he died in a plane crash in New York in October, was hired as a support enforcement officer for the Connecticut Judicial Branch in 1991 and ended his 16-year run with the branch in 2007 as a research attorney. The Ridgefield resident later went on to open his own practice, where he was the principal attorney, focusing on matrimonial law, probate and bankruptcy.

Terbrusch graduated from the Quinnipiac University School of Law in 2004. He was an avid polo enthusiast and fly fisherman.

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Former New Haven Public Defender Thomas Ullmann:

A visiting clinical lecturer at Yale University, Thomas Ullmann was best known as New Haven's chief public defender from 1992 until he retired in August 2017.

An active member of the Connecticut Law Tribune's Editorial Board, Ullmann most notably represented Steven Hayes, one of two men convicted in 2007 in the Cheshire home invasion murders. Dr. William Petit, now a Republican state representative, was the lone survivor of the attack and robbery, which left his wife and two daughters dead.

The 67-year-old Ulllman died in a hiking accident in New York in April. Those who knew him said he exemplified all the qualities of a great defense attorney.

“If I ever found myself in harm's way, I'd want Tommy Ullmann by my side,” New Haven attorney Norm Pattis told the Connecticut Law Tribune soon after Ullmann's death. “He was courageous, cunning and loyal.”

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