It’s a day worthy of fireworks. Aside from the 4th of July, I can’t think of a more appropriate occasion to have a fireworks display. Spring lurks in the distance.

In Connecticut,  fireworks displays by the Rock Cats have an interesting legal history.  In Esposito v. New Britain Baseball Club, Inc., 49 Conn.Supp. 509 (2005) (Berger, J.), neighboring homeowners brought an injunction against the Rock Cats to prevent the Rock Cats from commencing and continuing almost biweekly fireworks shows.

In a thoughtful opinion, Judge Berger, ruled that the fireworks constituted a nuisance and substantially interfered with the neighboring homeowners’ use and enjoyment of their property and ordered the Rock Cats to reduce the number of fireworks shows during the season to one time each month.

As for me, I don’t stick around for fireworks displays. But I tend to arrive early to watch Red Sox prospects take batting practice.

by Tom Ciuba

This holiday season, the Connecticut Bar Association (CBA) offers attorneys throughout the state a chance to help the less fortunate. The CBA has published From Court to Cuisine, a charity cookbook to benefit the Young Lawyers Section (YLS) Soup Kitchen Project.

Edited by Livia DeFilippis Barndollar, CBA past president and self-proclaimed “food aficionado and cook,” the cookbook features more than 80 favorite recipes from CBA members and staff. The CBA will donate proceeds from sales to local soup kitchens in Hartford, Norwalk and New Haven, Conn. This fall, members of the CBA’s YLS have volunteered at those soup kitchens; they will continue to do so through the spring.

“What I learned last year as President of the CBA, is that cooking and sharing of food is a bond among Connecticut attorneys,” Barndollar said. “Most of us are blessed to consider everyday what we want to eat and not to wonder if we will eat. This cookbook is another avenue through which we attorneys can carry out our passion for helping others.”

Copies of the cookbook are $7.50 each, and can be ordered by calling the CBA Member Service Center at (860)223-4400 or by visiting the CBA Online Store at www.ctbar.org. Additional donations to the soup kitchens are also welcome.

The Connecticut Bar Association is a membership organization serving Connecticut attorneys and the legal profession by working to advance the principles of justice, the practice of law, the image of the profession, and public understanding of the law.

For the past few months, I’ve been working with Susan Cartier Liebel and Dan Schwartz on putting together a seminar for lawyers on web 2.0.

The Basics of Blogs, Twitter, and Social Media for Lawyers CLE will take place on May 26th at the CBA Law Center in New Britain at 6:00 pm.

Why Susan and Dan? They’re the best. Really.

The pamphlet lists me as chair but that’s really a misnomer. The bar association said it was too many characters to write “the guy who asked Susan and Dan to put on a seminar.”

Dan Schwartz is the founder and writer for the wildly successful Connecticut Employment Law Blog. Dan’s blog has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, he’s become the “go to” person for the Hartford Courant on employment related articles, and his blog is on the top of the charts for numerous “best employment law blog” lists.  Dan is a rock star in the lawyer/blogger world.

Susan Cartier Liebel is the founder of Solo Practice University.  Susan’s Build A Solo Practice blog is an ABA 100 Blawg (something you’ll learn about at the seminar but in short it means she stands out from the crowd) and is always on top of the ABA’s most viewed blogs. In my opinion, one of the reasons for Susan’s success is that she understands web 2.0 as a component of law practice 2.0.

I’m excited. I’m getting to learn from the best. I have a feeling they’ll say that posting videos in a post called “Thursday Evening Nonsense” of a girl walking up an escalator isn’t the best idea for a law blog.

Really, if you’ve thought about starting a blawg, wonder what Web 2.0 is all about, have a blawg, then this seminar is a MUST.  Big firm, small firm or solo this is for you.

Speaking of solos, as an added bonus, Susan has generously donated a one-year scholarship to Solo Practice University (a $595 value). Show up and bring your business card. One winner will be selected at the end of the seminar. Way cool.

1/26/2009

I’m happy to announce that A Connecticut Law Blog is launching a CT Legal Events page. I’m sure I won’t get them all but if you are reading this and are hosting an event drop me an email at rmckeen@lttnlaw.net . I’ll be happy to add your event to the page. You’ll notice a new tab on the top of this page titled: CT Legal Events.

Everywhere I go I hear about the train. The TRAIN! A light rail service that would connect Hartford with its suburbs and ultimately the rest of the world.

All of this talk about a train reminds me of a town called Springfield and a monorail plan.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The monorail didn’t work out too well for Springfield. Will light rail work for Hartford? I hope so.

For those interested in rail issues be sure to check out The 16th Annual Gallivan Conference at UCONN School of Law.

The Conference is Friday, February 20th from 12:00 to 2:15 p.m. at William Starr Hall in Hartford.

The Conference features Tom Condon from the Hartford, Courant; UConn Law Professor Sara Bronin;  Norman Garrick, Director, Center for Transportation and Urban Planning; and Albert, Martin, Deputy Commissioner CT Dept. of Transportation.

The event is FREE and open to all.

Click here for registration information.

Attend and make sure that Hartford avoids Springfield’s problems.