Distinguished Graduate Award: Matthew Ritter ’07

Matthew Ritter is a partner at Shipman & Goodwin LLP and chairs the firm’s Public Finance Practice Group, where he focuses on public finance, municipal law, and election law. In addition to his legal career, Matt, a lifelong Hartford resident, is Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives. He is Connecticut’s 105th Speaker of the House since the state constitution of 1818.

Matt was first elected to the Connecticut General Assembly in 2010 and represents the 1st Assembly District in Hartford. He has served as Speaker since 2021. He earned his undergraduate degree in Government from Colby College and graduated with honors from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2007.

He lives in Hartford with his wife, Dr. Marilyn Katz, their two children, Jack and Emma, and their Goldendoodle, Finnegan.

Public Service Award: Natalie Braswell ’07 (CLAS ’00, MPA ’02)

Natalie Braswell has dedicated her career to public service in Connecticut, combining her legal expertise with a passion for strengthening state government and serving her community.

Attorney Braswell is a proud triple Husky having graduated from the University of Connecticut with a BA in Political Science, a master’s in public administration, and a Juris Doctorate. She has since gone to serve in leadership roles across state government.

She currently serves as General Counsel to Governor Ned Lamont, advising on legal, policy, and regulatory matters at the highest level of state government. She previously served as Connecticut’s State Comptroller, where she was responsible for overseeing the state’s finances, employee benefits, and retirement systems. Earlier in her career, she was General Counsel and Assistant Comptroller in the Office of the State Comptroller, and later Chief of Planning, Legal, and Regulatory Affairs at the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. In each of these roles, she worked to ensure integrity, transparency, and fairness in the state’s operations.

Throughout her career, Braswell has exemplified the highest standards of public service, combining legal acumen, policy expertise, and a dedication to ethical governance. Her work has strengthened state institutions and advanced the public good, reflecting the values of both UConn and the legal profession.

Distinguished Service Award: Professor Anne Dailey

Anne Dailey is Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Intellectual Life at the Law School and the Ellen Ash Peters Professor of Law. This year, she received the UConn Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor Award, the University's highest honor for a faculty member. She earned her BA from Yale University and her JD from Harvard Law School, where she served as an articles editor of the Harvard Law Review.

Following law school, she completed a judicial clerkship with Judge José Cabranes of the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. She joined the UConn faculty in 1990, where she has taught Family Law, Constitutional Law, Federal Courts, and classes on psychology and law, and children and law.

She has served in a variety of administrative roles at the Law School, including Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Associate Dean for Faculty. Dailey’s scholarship is widely cited and influential. Her co-authored articles “The New Law of the Child” (Yale Law Journal) and “The New Parental Rights” (Duke Law Journal), along with her sole-authored article “In Loco Reipublicae” (Yale Law Journal), have shaped the national discourse on children’s constitutional rights, state responsibility for families, and evolving family structures.

Rosendo Garza ’15
Rosendo Garza is a Senior Associate at Day Pitney LLP, where he handles energy matters, including regulatory, compliance, and transactional issues. He represents clients in proceedings before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Department of Energy, and federal courts. Rosendo is also a member of the team of lawyers serving as general counsel to the New England Power Pool (NEPOOL), a regional utility consortium engaged in the wholesale markets for electrical power. In this role, he represents NEPOOL before the FERC and regularly provides counsel on the design and operation of the region’s wholesale electric markets.

Rosendo is passionate about pro bono work. As a way to continue working with service members, he represents military veterans in landlord-tenant disputes and assists clients with discharge upgrades. After law school, Rosendo served as a law clerk for the Honorable Alexandra D. DiPentima, then-Chief Judge of the Connecticut Appellate Court. He also holds the rank of lieutenant colonel in the United States Marine Corps Reserve, having served three tours of duty in Iraq and one in Afghanistan as an infantry officer.

While in law school, Rosendo received hands-on training in the Asylum & Human Rights Clinic and represented a transgender woman in obtaining asylum, earning a graduate certificate in Human Rights. He is fluent in Spanish and an avid runner.

Trevor Larrubia ’19
Trevor J. Larrubia is an attorney at The Pickel Law Firm in Stamford, Connecticut, where he represents individuals in medical malpractice and personal injury matters. His practice focuses on helping clients recover after serious injuries and secure accountability through litigation.

He joined Pickel in 2025 after practicing complex commercial litigation at an Am Law 200 firm in Connecticut and New York. Previously, Trevor clerked on the Connecticut Appellate Court (Hon. Lubbie Harper Jr., Hon. Stuart D. Bear, and Hon. Thomas A. Bishop).

In addition to his litigation practice, he chairs the Fairfield County Bar Association’s Civil Litigation Committee and provides pro bono services through Connecticut Legal Services and the Connecticut Bar Association’s Lawyers in Libraries program.

For his work in federal and state trial and appellate courts, Trevor was selected as an Associate Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, Trial Lawyers Honorary Society, and has been recognized as a Connecticut Super Lawyers Rising Star since 2022.

Dinora Lopez ’17
Dinora Lopez is the Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Liberty Bank, based in Middletown, Connecticut. In her role at Liberty Bank, she leads the Office of General Counsel and supports all the bank’s business lines.

Dinora is very active in community affairs and is a leader on many boards and organizations. She is a member of the Connecticut Bar Association, the Commercial Real Estate Women’s Network (CREW) Connecticut Chapter, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Capital Community College Foundation, and a member of the Board of Directors of Connecticut Attorneys Title Insurance Company (CATIC), among many other organizations.

A proud UConn Law alum, Dinora is passionate about giving back to the community and supporting initiatives that promote access to justice and education. Outside of her professional life, Dinora enjoys running, reading, and spending time with family and friends.