Walter Flaherty, Jr. ’67 passed away on July 12 at the age of 83. According to his obituary, “Walt consistently sought to engage with and give back to his community.” He served as a juvenile court advocate, representing children and underserved youth.
Author: Katlyn
Joseph Morales ’10 Appointed Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Rucker Investments
Joseph Morales has been promoted to senior vice president and general counsel at Rucker Investments, a firm whose portfolio includes the Worcester Railers Hockey Club, the Worcester Palladium, Off The Rails, Pulse Magazine, and other businesses. Morales joined Rucker Investments from the law firm McLane Middleton, where he served as chair of the firm’s sports practice group.
R. Moses Vargas ’07 Appointed President and CEO of Hospital for Special Care
R. Moses Vargas ’07 has been named president and CEO of the Hospital for Special Care in New Britain. Vargas previously served as the hospital’s chief legal officer and vice president of government affairs. Before joining the organization, he was senior vice president and chief legal officer at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, where he oversaw legal strategy, government relations, corporate compliance, risk management, and insurance.
Richard Pomp Testifies in Successful Challenges to Maryland Digital Advertising Tax
Professor Richard Pomp served as an expert witness for Apple and Google in successful challenges to Maryland’s digital advertising tax. In decisions issued Aug. 14, the Maryland Tax Court found that the tax violated the federal dormant commerce clause, the due process clause, and the Internet Tax Freedom Act. Pomp, whose testimony addressed the history and scope of the Internet Tax Freedom Act, said the opinion was the product of a yearlong deliberative process and could have implications for challenges to similar digital advertising taxes in other states.
Luis M. Matos ’90 nominated to serve on the Rhode Island Supreme Court
Luis M. Matos ’90 has been nominated by Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee to serve on the Rhode Island Supreme Court. Matos has served as an associate justice of the Rhode Island Superior Court since 2012. Before joining the bench, he served as an assistant U.S. attorney and held a variety of roles in public service and private practice.
Julia Nye ’87 Joins Laconia City Council
Julia Nye ’87 has been appointed to the Laconia (N.H.) City Council, representing Ward 5 through January 2028. After earning her J.D. from UConn Law, Nye clerked for Judge William Batchelder on the New Hampshire Supreme Court and later worked as a public defender for more than 30 years.
Carrie Brodzinski ’88 Named Chief Underwriting Officer of MSIG USA
Carrie Brodzinski ’88 has been appointed chief underwriting officer of MSIG USA. Brodzinski brings nearly 30 years of underwriting and insurance leadership experience to the role. She will lead the company’s underwriting strategy, working across its specialty businesses to govern and drive underwriting performance, portfolio management, and execution.
She joins MSIG USA from The Hartford, where she served as chief underwriting officer for Global Specialty.
In Memoriam: James Joyce ’77
James Joyce ’77 passed away on July 28, surrounded by his family. He had a fulfilling career as a CPA and attorney, accomplishing his primary dream of providing an education for his five children. Read more about his life.
Eboni S. Nelson Discusses UConn Law’s Preparation for the NextGen Bar Exam
Dean Eboni S. Nelson was featured in Law.com discussing the launch of the new NextGen Uniform Bar Exam. Nelson said UConn Law appreciated the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ efforts to make the exam more accessible and better aligned with modern legal practice, noting that the first day of testing in Connecticut ran smoothly.
Nelson highlighted UConn Law’s extensive preparation for the transition, citing its strong experiential education program, innovative first-year Legal Practice curriculum, and rigorous academic offerings. She also noted that faculty have incorporated the lawyering perspectives and problem-solving approaches emphasized by the new exam into their courses, while research librarians have developed resources and instruction focused on the research competencies assessed by the NextGen exam.
Richard Pomp Quoted in Tax Notes
Professor Richard Pomp was quoted in Tax Notes regarding a lawsuit challenging Utah’s new tax on digital advertising. Commenting on the policy rationale behind the tax, Pomp expressed skepticism that taxing digital advertising would meaningfully address concerns about the impact of algorithms and social media on youth. “It may be good politics,” he said, “but it is no substitute for dealing with the very hard work of figuring out how to regulate social media.” The article examines legal challenges to Utah’s tax under the Internet Tax Freedom Act and the U.S. Constitution.