Morrison Mahoney LLP

Morrison Mahoney LLP is pleased to announce that Best Lawyers has named James Brawley the 2025 Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants “Lawyer of the Year” in Hartford, CT. The Lawyer of the Year recognition is awarded to individual attorneys with the highest overall peer-feedback for a specific practice area and geographic region. Only one attorney is recognized as the ‘Lawyer of the Year’ for each specialty and location. Receiving this designation reflects the high level of respect a lawyer has earned among other leading lawyers in the same communities and same practice areas for their abilities, professionalism, and integrity. Morrison Mahoney is proud of Jim for receiving this well-deserved designation. Jim is the Liaison Partner for Morrison Mahoney’s Hartford office and is an elected member of the firm’s Executive Committee. He has been with the firm for 30 years and has tried many cases to verdict in both state and federal court. This year’s award is Jim’s second Lawyer of the Year recognition in the last three years. Congratulations, Jim! https://lnkd.in/exzTU2QN

Morrison Mahoney LLP is proud to announce that 29 of our attorneys have been selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©, 15 of our attorneys have been selected for the 2025 edition the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch™ list, and one attorney has been awarded a Best Lawyers: Lawyer of the Year recognition. Attorneys represented on this annual list by Best Lawyers are widely regarded by both clients and legal professionals as a significant honor bestowed by Best Lawyers in conjunction with his or her peers. “Morrison Mahoney is proud to have this group represent the firm on the Best Lawyers, Ones to Watch, and Lawyer of the Year lists,” said Morrison Mahoney Managing Partner, Grace Garcia. “Year after year, our attorneys are awarded for their exceptional legal skills, hard work, and dedication to our clients. These recognitions are well-earned and serve as a true testament to each attorney’s excellence and the value they bring to our firm.” “I extend a special congratulation to Jim Brawley who has earned his second Lawyer of the Year recognition in two years,” Grace added. “Jim’s outstanding expertise and commitment to excellence in his practice truly sets him apart.” Congratulations to all those who received this honorable recognition! Find the full list of 2024’s awarded Morrison Mahoney attorneys here: https://lnkd.in/gin-UrR6

Morrison Mahoney LLP is proud to be recognized by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly as an “Empowering Women” firm in the publication’s 2024 awards. Such an award highlights Morrison Mahoney’s strong commitment to supporting and elevating women attorneys. Per Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, firms represented on the list demonstrate a commitment to hiring and promoting women, providing mentoring and opportunities for professional advancement to women attorneys, and establishing programs and policies to help women attorneys thrive professionally. “Morrison Mahoney is grateful to be recognized for providing an empowering and supportive professional setting for our women attorneys to thrive and grow,” said Morrison Mahoney Managing Partner, Grace Garcia. “We will honor this designation as we continue working to uplift our amazing women attorneys.” Read the firm's feature here: https://lnkd.in/eQBsZfRS

In July’s issue, Morrison Mahoney partner Joe Ciollo covers recent decisions from Connecticut state and federal courts on various topics relating to insurance coverage. Read here: https://lnkd.in/esCaJh6b

Morrison Mahoney is seeking two Automobile/Premises Liability defense attorneys in our New York, NY office with 2-8 years of relevant experience. Learn more and apply here: https://lnkd.in/e9SAu3dY

On Tuesday, August 6, 2024, Morrison Mahoney Partner Richard Hennessey will be a panelist in the complimentary CLE webinar hosted by ALFA International's Insurance Practice Group, titled "Shifting the Risk: Additional Insureds and Indemnity." The hour-long presentation will cover the ins and outs of additional insurance issues, recent developments in the types of additional insurance endorsements commonly found in commercial general liability policies and the manner in which courts across the country have interpreted such endorsements. Additionally, the webinar will cover general issues of indemnity, carrier defense obligations, equitable allocation of such fees and costs among multiple carriers on the risk and effective approaches for minimizing exposure in such situations. The webinar will take place at 12 p.m. Central Time (1 p.m. EST) and is open to all who are interested in joining. Good luck, Richard! Register here: https://lnkd.in/ebbCjV87 #ALFAIInsurance

Members of Morrison Mahoney’s Connecticut offices recently gathered at Hartford Yard Goats Baseball Stadium for their annual Summer Associate Outing, joined by Summer Associates Tiffany McCormick, Joe Vail and Adelina Miceli. Our Connecticut attorneys and staff enjoyed an evening of nice weather, good company, and watching the Hartford Yard Goats play.

Morrison Mahoney Associate Jordan Sasa recently obtained a defense verdict in binding arbitration. Plaintiffs alleged that their vehicle was sideswiped at a high speed by our clients’ vehicle on Route 4 in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. The clients denied being involved in any accident. Plaintiffs brought suit against our client for negligence and the plaintiffs’ own automobile insurance carrier for uninsured motorist benefits, given the indication that our clients were improperly identified as the involved vehicle. On cross-examination, Jordan questioned whether the plaintiff driver saw the actual contact of the vehicles and whether our clients’ vehicle was responsible for the accident, probing the time it would have taken the plaintiff driver to react to the accident, regain control of the vehicle, and look ahead. Jordan argued that the plaintiff driver merely assumed that our insureds were at fault, as their vehicle was likely the first one that the plaintiff driver observed after the accident. Jordan submitted the deposition testimony of a trooper who contacted our clients following the alleged accident, inspected our insureds’ vehicle for damage, and testified that there was no damage on the vehicle consistent with the nature of the alleged motor vehicle accident. The arbitrator rendered an award against the plaintiffs’ automobile insurance carrier, and a defense verdict for our clients. The arbitrator stated that the lack of damage to our clients’ vehicle controlled his decision and determined that “the only logical conclusion was that the impact was with another phantom vehicle.” Great work, Jordan! Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eJZ8SWRN

Next week, Morrison Mahoney Partner Alan Brown will serve as a panelist for the National Organization of Bar Counsel’s upcoming “A View From the Other Side” webinar. The webinar will delve into how Alan and his fellow panelists view the disciplinary process, what they think works well, and what they believe can be improved. The webinar is open to NOBC members only. Good luck, Alan!

Morrison Mahoney Associate Jessica Savino recently prevailed in an uninsured motorist (UM) arbitration proceeding. The claimant was a truck driver who was involved in a serious accident on Interstate 91 in Hopkinton, NH, when his truck left the highway and turned over. He was ejected and sustained serious injuries. The claimant contended that the accident occurred due to the negligence of a phantom vehicle, which swerved into his lane and forced him off the roadway. Jessica was able to convince a New Hampshire State Trooper who investigated the accident to appear at the arbitration via Zoom. The trooper testified that the claimant told him the accident happened as the result of his having “dozed off” at the wheel of his truck which caused it to tip over, and that the claimant made no mention of the involvement of another vehicle. Jessica presented the medical records in evidence, which stated that the claimant was involved in a single-vehicle accident when he fell asleep at the wheel, left the roadway and was ejected. The arbitrator accepted the hospital records in evidence, notwithstanding the claimant attorney’s argument that they should have been stricken. Finally, the claimant acknowledged having made a Facebook posting within a short time after the accident, in which he said that he was traveling at 70 miles per hour with cruise control engaged and that his truck veered onto the soft shoulder, with no mention of another vehicle having been involved. The arbitrator described the case as “a close call.” However, he denied the claimant’s uninsured motorist claim and entered a finding in favor of the involved insurer. Great work, Jessica! Read more here: https://lnkd.in/ep_SxD3Z