My research has narrowed my options down to two choices: Clio or Rocket Matter.

If you are using either Clio or Rocket Matter, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please comment below or send me an email.

Hartford, CT- The Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence (CCADV) has selected Karen M. Jarmoc to serve as its leader as it moves forward with its meaningful work to strengthen Connecticut’s response to victims of domestic violence. Board President, Sandy Aldieri today announced that Jarmoc, who has held the post of Interim Executive Director with CCADV since April 2011, has been appointed its Executive Director effective February 15th.

 ”Karen Jarmoc has been a tremendous and strong voice for our  statewide coalition and for victims of family violence in Connecticut,” said Aldieri. Aldieri notes that over the past nine months, CCADV established its Training Institute, officially issued its first report of the CT Domestic Violence Fatality Review Committee, and launched its inaugural “First 100″ men event which raised much needed dollars for public awareness. Most recently, Jarmoc served as co-chair of the General Assembly’s Task Force on Law Enforcement Response to Family Violence. That group has made significant recommendations to the legislature to build upon law enforcement’s comprehensive work to assist victims. “Karen’s leadership on these initiatives and her vision to guide CCADV in its work as the recognized voice for victims of domestic violence and those who serve them in Connecticut, makes her the perfect chief for the future,” added Aldieri.

Jarmoc said that taking on this important role is like coming full circle. Nearly twenty years ago, Jarmoc worked as the Executive Director at the Network Against Domestic Abuse, Inc. in Enfield. The Network is one of CCADV’s 18 member agencies which provide a critical response to victims including advocacy in court, emergency shelter, counseling and a 24-hour hotline. As a Connecticut state lawmaker, Jarmoc was a member of the Speaker’s Task Force on Domestic Violence. “I am grateful for the opportunity to get up every morning and do this meaningful work,” said Jarmoc. “CCADV and its membership serves more than 54,000 victims annually and I appreciate this occasion to lead this effort and fortify training, policy and public awareness to better serve victims.”

Jarmoc represented Enfield’s 59th House District from 2007 to 2011. In 2008, Jarmoc was honored by CCADV as a leader whose commitment to change made a difference in the lives of survivors of domestic violence. Jarmoc serves on the board of the Connecticut Airport Authority. Locally, she is board chair to the United Way of North Central Connecticut and the Asnuntuck Community College Foundation, Inc. In 2011, she was named by the Rotary Club of Enfield as a 2011 Paul Harris Fellow.

update: Spelling Mr. Dankosky’s name wrong in the original title of my post – not good (I did get it right in the post itself). My editing staff is roughly the size of the Courant’s staff so there’s no excuse for this (tongue in cheek). I wrote “Dankowsky” in the original title out of habit. My cousins have the last name “Mankowsky”. I guess my subconscious thinks of WWL as family? Maybe Colin can do a show on that?

Dan did not win in a landside (17 votes). I’m an avid listener of “Where We Live” and think it’s the finest local radio show around.  There is nothing nerdier than being a law blogger – nothing.  The idea that a law blogger could win “Hot In Hartford” gives law bloggers everywhere hope.  If law blogger is the new cool, perhaps one day I too can sit with the cool kids.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is following through on his promise to end the year in the black by cutting nearly $79 million from the current budget.

Malloy’s decision to use his rescissionary authority to keep his first budget in the black will have a “relatively small impact” on state services according to the governor himself, but it’s possible others may disagree.

“Last year we were on the brink of the abyss with the largest per capita deficit in the nation. Today we’re talking about an adjustment of less than one percent,” Malloy said trying to put the proposal into perspective.

The Judicial branch received a $5.76 million cut to its budget.

Click here to read more on Malloy’s budget cuts.

One of the country’s best law blogger v. the host of one of the very best local radio shows in the country?  Hartford is pretty darn awesome.

As much as I enjoy Mr. Dankosky’s work, few contribute more to our legal community in Connecticut than Dan Schwartz.  Vote Dan Schwartz!

On December 18, 2008 I wrote “Tweet! Judicial Branch Website! Tweet! . In that post, I argued:

The judicial branch can inform attorneys and the public of programs, changes in forms, updates in procedures, decisions, court closings and a variety of other information by creating a twitter feed.

Today, my dream has been realized. The Connecticut Judicial Branch has joined Twitter!

The Connecticut Judicial Branch is now using Twitter to broaden public access to information about the courts.

“Twitter is yet another way to get word out quickly about delays or closures due to inclement weather, news about events, revised court forms or procedures and a host of other developments,” Chief Court Administrator Barbara M. Quinn said. “Our account will link followers to new information posted on the Branch’s website, at www.jud.ct.gov, and we hope that users will find this ‘real-time’ service beneficial.”

The Branch’s Twitter account is at https://twitter.com/#!/search/CtStateCourts ; it may also be accessed through an icon on the Judicial Branch’s website.

Can a CT Judicial Branch Facebook page be far behind? As much as I love twitter, Facebook is probably the best “social media” forum to “….to get word out quickly about delays or closures due to inclement weather, news about events, revised court forms or procedures and a host of other developments…”

The first reaction for many people to twitter is “I don’t get it”.  It’s text based and limited to 140 characters. If you expect twitter to be like Facebook – you’re going to be disappointed. Twitter limits of 140 characters make it the greatest market place of ideas ever created. It is part news feed and part chat room. Twitter forces users to be concise. Concise posts allow a reader to know almost instantly if a link is worth clicking on.

Facebook reaches a larger audience. It’s the only place on the net where one can reach my 85 year old grandfather and my 15 year old cousin and everyone in between.  Twitter does not reach either of them. Twitter is incredibly useful and easy to use on phones. For many Connecticut residents, a phone is their only access to the internet. Twitter makes it easy for users of most phones to get access to information without having to web browse (which is very difficult on some phones). The ease of use on mobile devices is why Twitter has played such a large role in protests in Egypt and Iran where web access is very limited.

The Judicial Branch should embrace Facebook in addition to twitter.

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A few months ago, I was waiting for my case to be called on the foreclosure docket when I saw a lawyer fight back.

I’m not sure of the lawyer’s name or the name of the case but whoever he is – he pushed back against the tidal wave that is the foreclosure mess in Connecticut.

You see, when his client received the foreclosure notice he filed a counterclaim for breach of contract, negligent lending and CUTPA and he didn’t stop there.

He served the lender with discovery requests pertaining to the ownership of the note.

And much to the annoyance of lender’s counsel, he didn’t stop with written discovery, he wanted to depose the officers of the company that wrote the mortgage. The lender was a California company and all of its employees lived in California.

The lender’s attorney argued that a deposition wasn’t necessary. Judge Satter would have none of it.

The lender’s attorney argued that a video depositon is what the court should order.

Homeowner’s counsel objected to this saying that it is important for him to “size up” a witness which is not something he could do through video conference.  Counsel for the lender responded that flying employees to Connecticut for a deposition wouldn’t be fair to the lender due to the expense.

Neither lender’s counsel nor the lawyer for the homeowner would back down.

You know what Judge Satter said to lender’s counsel? He said that they choose to write mortgages in Connecticut. Judge Satter then ordered that the lender had to make its officers available for live deposition in Hartford.

I don’t know what happened to the case or the homeowner’s claims. I do know counsel for the lender was not pleased.

At least in that court, on that day, a homeowner did the unexpected and challenged the lender. Good for the homeowner. Good for Judge Satter.

Below my search results for “ct attorney general” taken on Monday, January 16, 2012…..

With a new Democratic governor, 2011 seemed like the year the legislature would repeal Connecticut’s death penalty, until the sole survivor of a triple homicide appealed to lawmakers to wait. On Thursday a state senator said the wait may be over.

Sen. Edward Meyer, D-Guilford, said he will be sponsoring a prospective bill to repeal death penalty this legislative session. Three years ago the legislature passed a similar measure, but former Gov. M. Jodi Rell vetoed it.

Meyer said he’s confident enough votes exist in the House to pass the bill this year. However, it’s still unclear whether there are enough votes in the Senate. He said the issue will likely to come down to two Democrats—Senators Andrew Maynard and Edith Prague. Click here to read more.