Brown Paindiris & Scott LLP

Attorney Mackenzie Angels

Mackenzie Angels is a member of the Commercial Law and Real Estate Departments in the firm’s Glastonbury office. She counsels both individuals and institutional clients in a multitude of areas including residential and commercial real estate transactions, financing matters, leases, and business formations.

Prior to joining the firm, Attorney Angels obtained experience in all aspects of residential real estate transactions from their inception through closing. She has represented a wide client base ranging from first-time home buyers and sellers to developers, lenders, and real estate investors. This experience has led her to develop extensive knowledge in connection with all phases of a real estate transaction including contract and addendum drafting, resolving contract disputes, and solving title issues. Her real estate practice has evolved to include commercial and residential lease agreements, housing court matters, in addition to construction related financing and development agreements.

Attorney Angels is a graduate from Creighton University School of Law in Omaha, Nebraska. While in law school, Attorney Angels spent two years working in local general practice firms as well as a semester working with a private business immigration firm, where she assisted companies with obtaining employment-based green cards and work visas for corporate executives around the world. Attorney Angels also served as an Editor for the Creighton Law Review and was awarded the CALI Excellence for the Future Award for both Land Use Law and Law of Church and State. 

Attorney Steven Basche

My goal as your lawyer is to become one of your most trusted advisors, someone you count on to solve problems and provide sound advice.  I have heard that knowledge + experience = wisdom.  While I focus on wills, trusts and estates, I also have a rich background in many areas of the law including litigation, real estate, and corporate work, giving me great depth in the first component of this equation.  My over 35 years of experience as lawyer drafting hundreds of wills and trust, trying over 100 cases to courts throughout Connecticut, closing sales of businesses, and sales of homes, plus being a husband for 36 years and the father of three children, and the son of an 80+ year old mother, give me the second component, experience, and I have the gray hair to prove it.  I truly feel I have some wisdom to offer my clients.

My practice focuses on helping families plan for unexpected life events through estate and business planning in part because I learned first-hand the value of planning and the importance of having advisors you can trust when I was 14 and my father died suddenly. Today, I help families with wills, estate planning, probate and trust administration, conservatorships, and Medicaid planning so they and their loved ones will be prepared for the unexpected, as well as for what we all expect given our mortal status.

Attorney Kathryn Bissonnette

I joined the firm in 2017 and have been practicing since 2012, always with a focus in family law. My caseload involves the representation of individuals who are facing the end of their marriage and are dealing with such divorce-related issues as the division of assets and debts, alimony, child support, child custody and visitation. I also have experience mediating and litigating custody disputes for non-married parties, and have handled cases that involve the rights of grandparents and other third parties in custody cases.  

I have an extensive background representing the best interest of children in Connecticut’s family courts and have sought to extend that background into private practice. Through this work I have helped parents navigate the court system while always looking out for the children caught in the middle of the conflict. Because of this, I understand the dynamics and intricacies of the family court process. My goal is to provide realistic expectations to parents, while minimizing the impact the court process has on their children. I am always hoping to reduce conflict instead of inflate it. 

Another area of my practice consists of handling child protection matters, where the Department of Children and Families has become involved. I have appeared in various juvenile courts throughout the state for the purpose of protecting a parent’s right to raise their children. I have worked with many cases where substance abuse or mental health issues have been the deciding factor in a custody determination. I have helped the parents in these situations to regain control and get themselves back into the lives of their children. 

Attorney Richard R. Brown

Mr. Brown has handled numerous felony cases, including several murder cases. Additionally, he focuses on white collar, federal criminal cases. Mr. Brown has represented individuals, both in and out of governmental service during numerous federal and state grand jury probes. Mr. Brown has been qualified by several courts as an expert witness in litigation involving criminal law. On the administrative law side, he has represented numerous lawyers, educators, doctors and other health care professionals before many federal and state administrative agencies, particularly in connection with attempts to suspend or revoke professional licenses.

In addition Mr. Brown has been designated by his peers to be part of the “Top 50 Connecticut Super Lawyers” in Connecticut Super Lawyers Magazine, Criminal Law, 2006-2020, selected to  “Connecticut Super Lawyers” in Connecticut Super Lawyers Magazine, 2006 – 2020, “Best Lawyer In America” by Best Lawyers, Criminal Law 2009-2020 as well as 2021 Best Lawyers New England Best Criminal Defense:General Practice. Most recently, Mr. Brown published a guest commentary entitled Dealing with Disciplinary Hearings Before Connecticut’s Department of Public Health in the February 2014 issue of Connecticut Medicine, the Journal for the Connecticut State Medical Society.

Attorney Edward J. Bryan

My practice focuses on all aspects of Family/Matrimonial Law and Special Education Law.

My Family/Matrimonial Law litigation practice includes, but is not limited to, divorce, child custody, child support, post-divorce modifications and judgment enforcement, and grandparent and third-party rights. Here, I advocate and fight for my client’s rights in the courtroom. I also assist clients in negotiating, preparation, enforcement and litigation related to premarital and postnuptial agreements.

I also take my non-adversarial divorce/family law practice very seriously. I am on the Professional Development Committee of the Connecticut Council for Non-Adversarial Divorce, and am a member of the Collaborative Divorce Lawyers Association of Greater Hartford and the Connecticut Collaborative Divorce Group. I believe that, when possible, parties should try to resolve their differences outside of the courtroom. To help clients do this, I am a trained divorce/family law mediator and a trained Collaborative Divorce attorney/practitioner. In divorce and family mediation, my role is to facilitate discussions between parties to help them reach agreements. In Collaborative Divorce, I represent individuals who, along with their spouse, pledge to resolve all issues without judicial intervention. 

Attorney Ian C. Butler

Ian C. Butler is a member of the Commercial Law, Real Estate, and Cannabis Law Departments in the firm’s Glastonbury office, where he counsels both individuals and institutional clients in commercial transactions and financing matters, including business formation, licensure, mergers, acquisitions, as well as real estate transactions and leases, zoning and permitting. Attorney Butler also counsels clients in intellectual property matters including trademark and copyright applications, trade secrets, IP contracts and licensing.

Attorney Butler is a member of the firm’s Cannabis Law Department and represents medical and recreational cannabis businesses and entrepreneurs in all aspects of establishing, operating, and exiting legal cannabis businesses. He has represented medical marijuana dispensary applicants in the license application phase, including leasing, zoning, and entity structuring. He has also served as local counsel to several cannabis investment companies in multi-million-dollar transactions involving Connecticut medical marijuana producers and dispensaries.

Attorney Butler is a graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Law (2017) where he focused on Business Law and Intellectual Property Law. While in law school, Attorney Butler spent three semesters working with small business owners on intellectual property matters in the Law School’s Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Clinic, for which he was awarded the CALI Excellence for the Future Award. Attorney Butler also served as Online Publications Editor of the Connecticut Law Review, which has published some of his work. Prior to joining the firm, Attorney Butler worked as law clerk in the corporate legal departments of two Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Connecticut.

Attorney Cara Cavallari

Attorney Cara T. Cavallari is a trial attorney primarily practicing criminal defense and personal injury at Brown, Paindiris & Scott. Cara handles criminal matters across the state of Connecticut as well as in Connecticut federal court.  She regularly handles criminal matters ranging from DUIs, domestics, larceny, drug possession and sale to assaults, guns, drug distribution, sexual assault, manslaughter and murder.

Cara recently earned a Certificate of Completion for the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) DWI Detection & Standardized Field Sobriety Testing Course. In addition to criminal defense, Cara assists individuals with pardon applications in the state of Connecticut. She regularly presents in front of the Connecticut Board of Pardons and Paroles and represents individuals in hearings in front of the Board to get their criminal records expunged.

In her civil litigation practice, Cara also handles a wide variety of personal injury matters for individuals injured in various types of motor vehicle accidents, including motorcycles,  construction accidents, slip & falls, dog bites and sexual assault claims. She has tried multiple cases to verdict and has secured numerous settlements for individuals who have suffered serious physical injuries.

Attorney Deborah R. Eisenberg

I have enjoyed the practice of family law for more than 24 years.  Practicing family law enables me to effectively use my listening, advocacy, problem-solving and negotiation skills to protect my clients’ interests and help them accomplish their goals.  While I continue to serve clients in cases requiring court intervention, I find my collaborative divorce and mediation cases, which are handled outside of court, to be far more satisfying to me and my clients. 

Before practicing law in my home state of Connecticut, I worked for several years in Washington, D.C., primarily for the U.S. Government Accountability Office, Congress’s “watchdog” agency.  There, I directed investigations and program evaluations of federal programs affecting children and families, including Head Start, child support, day care, and others.  The attributes that served me well in my work as an investigator –being discreet, dogged and thorough—continue to serve me well as a lawyer.  Prior to joining Brown Paindiris & Scott, I operated my own law firm for many years during which time I had the pleasure of mentoring many new attorneys and law clerks.   

Since 2011, I have been annually designated by my peers as a Connecticut Super Lawyer.  I serve as a Special Master in the Hartford, Rockville and Middletown Family Courts.  I am a member of the Connecticut and Hartford Bar Associations, the Connecticut Council for Non-Adversarial Divorce, and the International Association of Collaborative Professionals.  I am a founding member of the Connecticut Collaborative Divorce Lawyers Group (past Secretary).  I am currently the President of the Glastonbury Rotary Club and am a past member of the Board of Directors of the Glastonbury Chamber of Commerce. I received my J.D. from The George Washington University Law School, my Master of Public Administration degree from The George Washington University and my B.A. from the University of Connecticut.

Attorney Kevin B. F. Emerson

Attorney Kevin B. F. Emerson has joined the law firm of Brown Paindiris & Scott, LLP, with offices at 2252 Main Street, Glastonbury, bringing over twenty years of expertise to the practice.

Attorney Emerson has practiced in all areas of family law, including divorces, custody actions, support actions, relocation hearings, and drafting both prenuptial agreements and cohabitation agreements. He has tried divorce cases from simple marital estates to multi-million dollar estates including family businesses. Attorney Emerson has also handled many divorce actions involving military service members and is as such familiar with the special rules applying to their federal benefits. In addition, Attorney Emerson has handled many divorce actions in the tribal court (Mashantucket Pequot) and is versed in the tribal statutes and their impact upon divorce and custody issues.

Attorney Emerson has received specialized mediation training and provides mediation services for divorcing couples. He has also served as a mediator and special master in numerous courts, including service as a mediator in the Early Intervention Pretrial program designed to address high conflict custody cases.

Attorney Emerson is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, earning his J D in 1995. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania, graduating Magna Cum Laude and with Honors. He is a member of the Connecticut Bar Association, United States District Court, District of Connecticut and Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Court.

Attorney Bridget C. Gallagher

Bridget Gallagher is a senior partner with the firm and has been in private practice in Hartford County since 1994.  Her practice focuses on transactional work, business law, and real estate litigation. Attorney Gallagher also has extensive experience in all aspects of business and real estate closings, and has represented developers, investors, lenders, buyers and sellers. This area of concentration has led her to develop a specialized knowledge of many real estate related practice areas, such as commercial leasing and leasehold financing, drafting declarations for commercial and residential common interest communities, and construction related matters. Attorney Gallagher has considerable experience analyzing title issues and solving difficult title problems. 

Attorney Gallagher has used her transactional and corporate experience to represent many individuals in buying or selling their small business in Connecticut. She has handled all aspects of business closings, from contract to closing. This work has encompassed the purchase and sale of professional firms, restaurants, franchises, gas stations, liquor stores, and various other small to medium sized businesses.

She has substantial experience with real estate contract disputes, boundary disputes, easement and prescriptive rights claims, tax appeals, and zoning appeals. She also handles various types of commercial litigation, including corporate disputes, and has significant experience with will contests and other probate litigation.  Attorney Gallagher has participated in all types of alternative dispute resolution, including both private and court-annexed mediation, as well as arbitration.

Attorney Hon. Timothy R.E. Keeney

After spending eight years as a Probate Judge for Enfield, Somers, Stafford and Union, Tim joined Brown, Paindiris & Scott as Of Counsel in 2018. His principal areas of practice include:

• Wills and Estate Planning
• Probate and Trust Administration
• Adoptions and Guardianships
• Elder Law
• Veterans Benefits
• Healthcare & Financial Powers of Attorney

Attorney Keeney has been admitted to practice law in Connecticut and the District of Columbia and is a member of the Connecticut Bar Association, including The Estate and Probate Section. He has been appointed by Probate Courts to serve as Administrator / Fiduciary or legal counsel in several Probate Courts around the State. In addition to these duties, Attorney Keeney is a long-time member of Somers Rotary, the American Legion Post 101 (Judge Advocate), Somers Cemetery Commission, Somers Education Foundation and is currently a Selectman for the Town. Previously Attorney Keeney served with distinction as a U.S. Navy SEAL: three years of active duty and 32 years in the Reserves, retiring as a Captain in 2005.

Attorney John D. Maxwell

Senior Partner John Maxwell has been practicing law in Connecticut for over 40 years and joined the firm in 1979.  He practices primarily in the areas of criminal defense, personal injury litigation including medical malpractice and workers’ compensation.  Attorney Maxwell has been invited to speak on various topics at workers’ compensation seminars and is the co-author of Defending DWI Cases in Connecticut, a highly regarded treatise on the topic of DUI cases published by The Atlantic Law Book Company in 2007.  He has handled many diverse and complex cases in the various practice areas in which he concentrates his efforts.  In the criminal field, he has defended individuals involved in homicides, sexual assaults, child pornography, large drug conspiracies and DWI’s and in the personal injury and workers’ compensation areas he has handled numerous catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases.

For many years, he was a member of the East Hampton Rotary Club and was a coach, director, and president of the East Hampton Little League. In his spare time, he is an avid skier, golfer, and saltwater fisherman.

Attorney Maxwell is admitted to practice before all of Connecticut’s State Courts, the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.  He is a longtime appointee to the Criminal Justice Act panel in the District of Connecticut, which is a panel of experienced criminal defense lawyers appointed to represent federal criminal defendants.  He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Connecticut Bar Association, the Middlesex County Bar Association and the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys.  He was selected by his peers to the Connecticut Super Lawyers from 2010-2012 and 2014-2020.

Attorney Bruce E. Newman

Attorney Bruce Newman has been practicing law for over 30 years and concentrates his practice in the areas of personal injury, wrongful death, employment litigation, medical malpractice, product liability, and class actions where he has served as lead counsel, plaintiff’s class counsel and liaison counsel. He is a Lifetime Member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, which is composed of a select group of lawyers who have achieved million dollar verdicts and settlements in personal injury and wrongful death cases. In addition to Connecticut, he has successfully tried cases in New York and California. Based on his accomplishments, Bruce Newman was selected by the National Trial Lawyers as a Top 100 Lawyer for the years 2013 through 2021.

He is ranked as being in the Top 1% of all attorneys by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel for the years 2015 through 2021.

He has also been designated by his peers to New England and Connecticut Super Lawyer in the Connecticut Super Lawyers Magazine, Personal Injury Plaintiff’s Law for 2017 through 2021.

Attorney Santolo L. Odierna

Santolo L. Odierna is a member of the Family Law and Civil Litigation Departments in the firm’s Glastonbury office. In his family law practice, Attorney Odierna counsels clients in all aspects of divorce, child custody, and child support issues. In his civil practice he represents clients in contract and real estate disputes, as well as Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in Federal Court.

Prior to joining the firm in 2020, Attorney Odierna founded his own solo practice as a member of the inaugural class of the Connecticut Community Law Center, an incubator program sponsored by the University of Connecticut School of Law. In that role he provided low-cost legal assistance to members of the greater Hartford community. In his solo practice, Attorney Odierna handled divorce, child custody, bankruptcy, contract litigation, foreclosure defense, tax debt resolution, and landlord/tenant law through all pretrial phases and through contested trials and mediations.

Attorney Odierna is a graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Law. While in law school, Attorney Odierna served as a law clerk for various attorneys specializing in landlord/tenant law and special education law. He also represented low-income taxpayers in the University of Connecticut School of Law Tax Clinic, also serving as the Clinic’s graduate fellow following his graduation. Attorney Odierna earned his Certificate in Tax Law from the University of Connecticut School of Law. Attorney Odierna also served as Notes & Comments Editor of the Connecticut Public Interest Law Journal.

Attorney Odierna holds a bachelor’s degree from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. He grew up in western Massachusetts and currently lives in Bloomfield, Connecticut, with his wife and son. He is a member of the Hartford County and Connecticut Bar Associations.

Attorney Nicholas Paindiris

Managing Partner Nicholas Paindiris’ principal areas of practice include corporate, finance, commercial business transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, commercial and residential real estate transactions, and licensing, including for Medical Marijuana businesses. In addition to representing individual business owners, Mr. Paindiris serves as counsel to financial institutions, and other commercial lenders in all aspects of commercial, fixed asset, asset based financing, Article 9 secured transactions, and government guaranteed loans. He has represented the State of Connecticut, Department of Economic and Community Development since 1996 in Urban Act grants, Manufacturing Assistance Act loans, HOME grants, and Housing Trust Funds Program loans and grants for affordable housing. He has also represented the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority and the Connecticut Housing Department for more than 20 years. 

He supervises a skilled and experienced residential real estate closing department that can close sales, purchases and re-financings effectively and at reasonable cost.

He is skilled in using principles of Connecticut business law to further his client’s business goals, whether through the use of limited liability companies, corporations, general partnerships, or limited partnerships. He has strong contacts and experience in commercial real estate and residential real estate closings in Glastonbury and throughout Connecticut, and has been a prominent Glastonbury real estate lawyer for many years.

Mr. Paindiris, who is fluent in Greek, has over 48 years experience. He founded the firm in 1977 and has long-standing connections to the Glastonbury community.

Attorney Sean M. Peoples

Attorney Sean M. Peoples joined the firm in 1990 and primarily focuses on litigation with a concentration on personal injury and workers’ compensation matters. Attorney Peoples has extensive experience dealing with motor vehicle accidents, fall down injuries, workers’ compensation claims, wrongful death and medical malpractice claims. He also practices probate law and residential real estate.

Attorney Peoples is admitted to practice in Connecticut and the U.S. District Court and is a member of the American Bar Association, Connecticut Bar Association, Hartford County Bar Association and the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association. He has served on the Manchester Community College Paralegal Advisory and External Advisory Committees and has served as an adjunct instructor in Legal Writing and Business Law.

Attorney Peoples also devotes his time to the Glastonbury Kiwanis Club, the Friends of Glastonbury Rowing, Inc. and he is the past President of The RiverEast Chapter of BNI, The Orchard Hill Club and the Neipsic Woods Water Association (N.W.W.A.).  He continues to serve as an assistant novice crew coach at Glastonbury High School, (2001 – present).

Attorney Ronald T. Scott

Attorney Ronald Scott has been practicing law in Connecticut for over 30 years and joined Brown, Paindiris & Scott in 1978. His principal area of practice is Connecticut Family Law and Connecticut Divorce Law. He is highly skilled in matters concerning divorce, child custody and financial support, and is recognized as a leader in these areas. He is also a skilled and experienced personal injury attorney.

Attorney Scott is admitted to practice in Connecticut and is a member of the American Bar Association and Hartford County Bar Association, the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and a charter member of the Collaborative Divorce Lawyers Association. He has been designated by his peers to”Connecticut Super Lawyer” in the Connecticut Super Lawyer Magazine, Family Law, 2008-2009, 2011-2015.

Attorney Stephen P. Sobin

Attorney Sobin understands the importance of building a case and delivering tangible results. He has successfully tried jury cases to verdict, and routinely argues matters on the complex litigation docket.   In 2021 alone, Attorney Sobin obtained more than $5 million dollars for his clients.  He has been named to the “Connecticut Super Lawyers” Rising Stars list for the plaintiff personal injury practice area for consecutive years.

Attorney Sobin is a Partner at BPS and is admitted to practice in the State of Connecticut.  He concentrates his practice in the areas of personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, product liability, premises liability, sexual assault. In his personal injury practice, he zealously represents plaintiffs who have sustained minor-to-catastrophic injuries in automobile accidents, construction accidents, slip-and-fall accidents, work-related accidents, as well as in incidents involving animals.  Attorney Sobin is equally proficient in defending his clients in the same types of cases and has gained considerable experience doing so as outside counsel for both local and national insurance companies.

As a trial Attorney for both Plaintiffs and Defendants, Attorney Sobin brings an invaluable perspective to each case he handles to achieve his clients’ unique goals effectively and efficiently no matter the challenge presented.  An avid hockey player since he was four years old, Attorney Sobin does not shy away from any challenge and utilizes the competitive spirit he developed over the course of his hockey career to benefit his legal career and, more importantly, his clients.

Attorney Sobin works in the BPS Lawyers Hartford Office, currently resides with his wife and two young sons in New Haven, Connecticut, and continues to play ice hockey. 

Attorney Nancy W. Tonucci

Attorney Nancy W. Tonucci is an attorney in the estate planning, probate and elder law practice at Brown, Paindiris & Scott, LLP, in its Main Street Glastonbury office.

Her elder law practice includes counseling families on asset protection, nursing home, assisted living, and various options to keep seniors in their homes, as well as eligibility for governmental benefits including Medicaid and Medicare. She represents clients in the preparation of Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney and Advanced Directives.

Attorney Tonucci provides representation in probate courts on issues including decedent estates, conservatorships, and guardianships. She serves in various fiduciary capacities and represents individuals who serve in such capacities.

Her practice includes representing buyers and sellers in real estate transactions. 

Attorney Walter A. Twachtman

My areas of practice include a special focus on elder law, estate planning and probate, with an emphasis on Special Needs Trusts. I also practice in the areas of residential and commercial real estate, land use, and all aspects of appellate procedure and practice before the Connecticut Appellate and Supreme Courts.
 
I obtained my BA degree from the University of Connecticut, and my Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law, where I served as Associate Editor of the Law Review and a member of the National Moot Court Team. I was admitted to the bar in Connecticut in 1967 while serving as Law Clerk to Associate Justice Howard W. Alcorn of the Connecticut Supreme Court.
 
In 2003 I was awarded a Master of Law Degree in Estate Planning and Elder Law from Western New England University.
Currently, I am a member of the Connecticut Bar Association, the Hartford County and American Bar Association; and, a member of the Elder Law section, Estate and Probate section, Real Property section, of the Connecticut Bar Association. I am also member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) and a certified Veterans Administration Attorney.  I am a former member of the Board of Editors of the Connecticut Bar Journal and a past guest lecturer at the University of Connecticut School of Nursing and University of Massachusetts School of Nursing on Medical Legal issues and also a member of the faculty at the Second National Interdisciplinary Conference, Justice in Healthcare, Orlando, Florida (1988) and the Third National Interdisciplinary Conference, Justice in Healthcare, Chicago, Illinois (1990).