Amanda M. Brahm of Carlton Fields in Hartford, Connecticut. Courtesy photo.

Amanda M. Brahm Joins Carlton Fields in Hartford

With employment issues taking center stage among concerns brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hartford office of Carlton Fields is boosting its labor and employment practice with the addition of associate Amanda M. Brahm, who makes a lateral move from Wiggin & Dana in New Haven.

The move is part of a strategic expansion of Carlton Fields' national Labor and Employment Practice, which includes the arrivals of attorneys Rae T. Vann in Washington, D.C., and Federico "Fred" M. Maciá in Miami. As a key part of her practice, Brahm represents both businesses and educational institutions, including some work in class actions.

"There have been a lot of new employment issues," Brahm said in an interview 10 days into the new job. "Return to work has been the biggest one, and you have safety protocols, and what to do if someone isn't comfortable going back to work."

Brahm said she expects her background with educational institutions to come in handy over the next few months as schools and universities deal with similar issues. "There are going to be a lot of class actions against universities," she predicted, acknowledging many students are asking what the value is for an online versus an in-person education.

Being able to deal with these issues at "such a booming labor and employment practice with a nucleus in Hartford" made Carlton Fields the perfect fit, Brahm said. Attorneys in the firm's labor and employment practice represent employers of all sizes, while Brahm's labor and employment and education practice encompasses federal and state court litigation.

Brahm also said she appreciates a team-oriented approach Carton Fields takes with cases, and she is already busy on the job. "I do like to be busy," she said, "and who can complain about a lot of work during a pandemic? I feel very fortunate in that regard. As soon as I got here, they were ready for me to hit the ground running."

Brahm earned her J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law and her B.A. from Saint Anselm College. During law school, she interned for the privacy and data security department of the Office of the Attorney General in Hartford.

Carlton Fields has more than 325 attorneys in offices across the country.

Murtha Cullina Manages Acquisition of GE Lighting

While contending with the COVID-19 pandemic, a team of Murtha Cullina attorneys recently represented the professional smart home space company Savant Systems, Inc. in its acquisition of General Electric Lighting.

The acquisition combines Savant's innovative technology and professional installation channels for the home with the well-known GE brand, which the company will continue to use.

Murtha Cullina noted that the deal required a breadth of experience and talent from across all of the firm's offices, involving more than 20 attorneys from different practice areas. The firm provided additional guidance in the areas of tax, finance, real estate, employment, employee benefits, environmental, and privacy and cybersecurity.

In addition, Murtha's experienced intellectual property group provided essential insight from due diligence, to patent assessment and managing all aspects of the transition of intellectual property to Savant.