Christopher P. McCormack of Pullman & Comley.

It is with great sadness that Pullman & Comley announces that Christopher P. McCormack passed away on yesterday afternoon, Thursday, April 30, 2020.

Chris was a brilliant lawyer, serving his clients as counselor and advocate in environmental law, environmental litigation and complex commercial litigation. He served as chair of the Environmental Section of the Connecticut Bar Association from 2015 to 2017 and recently as the Section's Legislative Liaison. He has served as member and Membership Secretary of ASTM Committee E50 on Environmental Assessment and Risk Management and chaired the Task Group for ASTM Standard E1903-11 on Phase II Environmental Site Assessments. He also participated in revision of ASTM's industry-standard practice for Phase I site assessments. Before joining Pullman & Comley, Chris was a partner at Tyler, Cooper & Alcorn, LLP, and chair of its Environmental Practice Group.

Chris wrote and lectured extensively on environmental site assessment issues, providing legislative updates that became "must-reads" for the Environmental Section of the CBA. His virtuosity in writing was recognized in 2013 when he received the "Distinguished Legal Writing Award" granted on behalf of The Burton Awards for Legal Achievement in association with the Library of Congress.

Chris received his J.D. in 1987 from Fordham University School of Law, where he was the writing and research editor of the Fordham Law Review; his M.A., Pi Kappa Lambda, from Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester in 1981; and his B.A. from Yale University in 1978.

Chris was an active member of the community, in roles that reflected his diverse interests, and love of music. He served as vice president of the Board of Governors of the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra, where he played viola. He was president of the Housatonic Community College Foundation from 2013 to 2018 and was a member of the Trumbull Conservation Commission since 2017. He was a member of the choir at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Fairfield, where he served on the vestry from 2008 to 2011.

"Chris was an Ivy League-educated individual who never let you know where he went to school, a classically-trained violist who never lorded his skill over others and a generous soul who donated his time to numerous causes in the community and never looked for thanks," said Lee Hoffman, co-chair of Pullman & Comley's Real Estate, Energy and Environmental Department. "The word 'brilliant' gets tossed around more than it should, but frankly, I cannot think of a better word to describe Chris. He was meticulous, thoughtful, and strategic in his thinking, but never pedantic in his manner. His sardonic wit was laser-focused, and he focused it on himself more often than he did on those who truly deserved it."

"Chris was a friend. His door was always open, the reassuring twinkle in his eye always present. He made time for everybody because everybody was important to Chris," said Tim Shearin, chairman of Pullman & Comley. "He was adored by all."

Chris's family—his wife, Sarah, and their three adult sons—plan to have a service in his honor later this summer that promises to be filled with the church music that Chris loved so much.

Our profession lost one of its leading lights yesterday, and we at Pullman lost a treasured friend. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the McCormack family.