Cohen and Wolf, P.C., one of Connecticut's leading law firms, continues its growth throughout Connecticut by expanding its office in Danbury. The Danbury expansion follows the opening of new offices in Orange in 2008 and in Westport in 2007. Cohen and Wolf is the largest full-service law firm in Danbury, where it has had an office for more than 30 years.

"The Danbury office renovation reflects our strong commitment to staying in downtown Danbury," said David L. Grogins, principal and co-chair of Cohen and Wolf's Municipal Law Group. "Our ability to sustain and increase our practice here is significant, especially in light of current economic conditions."

Cohen and Wolf offers a broad range of legal services to the Danbury area from house closings to commercial real estate and development, all types of litigation, securities arbitration, family law, trusts and estates and elder law, as well as municipal and corporate matters. Cohen and Wolf serves as Town Counsel for five towns, including Newtown and Ridgefield.

Cohen and Wolf has more than 50 attorneys, seven of whom are resident in the Danbury office (located at 158 Deer Hill Ave.). Danbury natives David L. Grogins and Neil R. Marcus have been with the firm since it first occupied its current building in 1977. Attorneys Robin A. Kahn, Joseph G. Walsh, Monte E. Frank, Jason A. Buchsbaum and Peter A. Arturi are also based in Danbury.

When Neil Marcus first interviewed with the firm's co-founders, Austin K. Wolf and Herbert L. Cohen, 35 years ago, they commented on Mr. Marcus' long ties to the Danbury community where Mr. Marcus' grandfather started farming in 1919. "It didn't take me long to convince them that this area would be a great place to grow the law firm" said Marcus, a co-founder with Mr. Grogins of the Danbury office. "It seems hard to believe that we have been here for more than three decades, but it is reassuring to me that our original vision has been realized and the current project is a further commitment of Cohen and Wolf to Danbury. We look forward to serving our clients in our expanded facilities."

The office will grow in size by twenty-five percent to about 5,000 sq. ft. There will be additional offices and a new conference room, as well as a revamped reception area. The renovation is expected to be completed later this Spring.

Cohen and Wolf is being careful to maintain the building's historic character, which dates back to 1830. Moldings and the architectural integrity of the Greek revival house will be preserved. Philip Clark of Newtown-based Claris Construction has been hired as the contractor. He also did the work on the firm's Westport office when it was built last year.

Cohen and Wolf, P.C. has elected Courtney A. George to the position of shareholder in the firm. She resides in West Hartford, Connecticut. Ms. George is a principal in the law firm's Labor & Employment and Commercial Litigation groups, based in Cohen and Wolf's Bridgeport office. She joined Cohen and Wolf as an associate in 2001 after graduating from Boston College Law School. Ms. George represents private and public employers in employment litigation, contract negotiations and counseling. She has defended employment and workers' compensation discrimination claims in state and federal court and in agency proceedings and has litigated restrictive covenant, breach of contract and business tort claims.

Ms. George has represented clients in employment-related agency investigations and regularly counsels clients on personnel matters, including employee handbooks, pre-employment, disciplinary and termination protocols; employee classification; trade secret and non-competition restrictions; and compliance with employment-related laws, including wage and hour, USERRA, labor laws and anti-discrimination laws. She also has represented employers and employees in severance negotiations. Ms. George lectures on employment law topics and conducts workplace anti-discrimination/anti-harassment training.

Ms. George also practices in the areas of commercial and probate litigation and has represented clients in probate and state courts in will contests and in fiduciary removal proceedings.

She is admitted to practice in Connecticut and the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. Ms. George is a member of the American Bar Association (Labor & Employment Section), Connecticut Bar Association (Litigation Section, Labor & Employment Section, Common Law & Statutory Claims Subcommittee, Business Torts Committee and Women in the Law Subcommittee) and Greater Bridgeport Bar Association (Co-Chair, Labor & Employment Section).

Ms. George serves on the Board of Directors of Southern Regional Sickle Cell Association, Inc., and on the Board of Playhouse on the Green, where she is also Secretary. She is Co-Chair of the Parent Committee of the Early Childhood Department at the Jewish Community Center of Eastern Fairfield County.

Ms. George received her B.A., with distinction, in 1990, from McGill University and her J.D. from Boston College Law School in 2001.

 With its easily accessible main office in New Haven and convenient satellites in Stamford and Bridgeport, Stratton Faxon Law Firm represents plaintiffs who have suffered personal injury and loss in the most catastrophic ways.

Founded by dedicated trial lawyers Michael A. Stratton and Joel T. Faxon, the team of strong litigators and client champions at Stratton Faxon represent plaintiffs who have been truly wronged, those who have suffered personal injury and loss in the most catastrophic manner. Experienced in the courtroom and recognized by their peers, Stratton Faxon has demonstrated a sincere commitment to taking on the most serious and difficult cases, and bringing them before juries. In 2006, Stratton Faxon won the highest personal injury verdict in Connecticut Federal Court history.

The firm currently represents over 250 families have suffered injury due to the pharmacological agents Vioxx, Bextra, and Celebrex – defective Cox-2 inhibitor drugs used to treat arthritis pain. This class of drugs has been shown to have dangerous side effects and can be linked to serious health problems such as excessive clotting, heart attack and stroke.

Stratton Faxon is currently accepting claims involving the late Dr. George Reardon, a rogue endocrinologist affiliated for more than three decades with Saint Francis Hospital, New England’s largest Catholic hospital, and suspected of victimizing dozens, and perhaps hundreds, of Connecticut children during the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, prior to his death in 1998. Many unsuspecting children, primarily young boys, were lured into bogus human growth studies that in some cases may have devolved into full-blown illicit sexual liaisons.

In addition to catastrophic personal injury, medical malpractice, and product liability, Stratton Faxon handles a limited number of cases in the following practice areas: serious auto & truck collisions; birth injury/trauma; wrongful death; spinal cord and brain injury; nursing home abuse/neglect; pharmaceutical liability; aviation disasters; legal malpractice; vaccine injury; industrial or construction site accidents; and stock market losses. Asserts co-founder Michael A. Stratton, “The average person needs to know that without hard-working, authentic trial lawyers, it would simply be a world of might makes right.”

Penner Law Firm is pleased to announce that its principal real estate attorney, Scott Penner, is now licensed to provide legal services in Massachusetts. Since 2006, Penner Law Firm has performed real estate closings in Massachusetts through its associate relationships with real estate attorneys. Penner Law Firm will continue to utilize its associate real estate attorney relationships to handle title and real estate transactions on behalf of individuals and lenders. In addition to Massachusetts, Penner Law Firm also employs attorneys licensed to practice in Connecticut, New York, Delaware, Georgia and South Carolina.

Mr. Penner believes that becoming licensed in Massachusetts will enable the firm to provide legal services more efficiently. It will also open up the practice to include probate law, estate administration, will preparation and title insurance services. "Although we have had great success utilizing our Massachusetts real estate attorney relationships for the past few years, it is my belief that by conducting our business entirely in-house we will be able to streamline our current operations so that everything from contract negotiations to the actual real estate settlement will be as smooth as possible."

The desire to maintain an "exceptional level of client service" is also a number one priority for Mr. Penner. "Due to the complex and delicate nature of certain legal matters such as drafting wills, probate administration, and representing executors and other fiduciaries in estate matters, our customers are looking for a firm they can trust and work closely with. Now that we can operate independently in Massachusetts, Penner Law Firm will have complete accountability and our clients will be better served as a result."