Peter Bryce Appleton ’68, airline consultant and coach to various corporations, died on Feb. 20, 2021. Read his obituary here.
Alumni
UConn Law Alumni Named in HBJ Power 50
Hartford Business Journal announced its 2021 Power 50, which aims to highlight private and public sector, nonprofit, higher education and healthcare leaders in Greater Hartford whose power and influence not only change the organizations they work for but the broader community. The following UConn Law Alumni were recognized: Matt Ritter ’07, Martin Looney ’85, Senator Christopher Murphy ’02, The Honorable Joseph D. Courtney ’78, The Honorable Kevin Kelly ’97, Jennifer Jackson ’93, Michael ’83 JD, and DeVaughn Ward ’11. Read their bios and see rankings here.
Kaitlin Kontyko ’17 Joins Los Angeles Firm
Kaitlin Kontyko ’17 has joined Nicolaides Fink Thorpe Michaelides Sullivan LLP as an associate in the firm’s Los Angeles office. Kontyko represents insurance companies in disputes arising under general and professional liability insurance policies. She also counsels insurers on coverage matters, including those involving first-party property claims and policies.
Kevin O’Leary ’19 Appointed to Council
Kevin O’Leary ’19 has been appointed to fill the vacant seat on the Prospect Town Council. On February 2, 2021 the Council unanimously appointed O’Leary to fill the seat vacated by former council member Paul Murray, a Democrat whose resignation was effective Feb. 1. O’Leary was nominated for the seat by the Prospect Democratic Town Committee, will serve the rest of Murray’s term to November.
Evan J. Seeman ’09 Elected to the CBF Fellows Program
Evan J. Seeman ’09 was elected a 2021 Fellow of the Connecticut Bar Foundation (CBF) James W. Cooper Fellows Program. Seeman is Counsel with Robinson+Cole LLP in Hartford, is a member of the Government Relations Committee for the Connecticut Chapter of the American Planning Association, and the immediate past chair for the American Planning Association, Planning & Law Division.
Ndidi Moses ’05 Nominated to Connecticut Superior Court
Ndidi Moses ’05 has been nominated to the Connecticut Superior Court bench. She s currently an assistant United States attorney for the District of Connecticut, where she has worked since 2008. In 2010, she became the office’s civil rights coordinator. Prior to joining that office, she worked as an associate at Robinson & Cole, LLP, and served as a law clerk in the Connecticut Appellate Court for Judge Thomas A. Bishop. Moses also previously served as president of the Connecticut Bar Association and the George W. Crawford Black Bar Association.
Carla Nascimento Zahner ’04 Nominated to Connecticut Superior Court
Carla Nascimento Zahner ’04 has been nominated to the Connecticut Superior Court. Zahner is currently a partner at Louden, Katz and McGrath, LLC, where she practices family law. She began her legal career working in the insurance industry and subsequently became an attorney for the Child Protection Commission, where she represented indigent parents and children who were the subject of investigations by the Connecticut Department of Children and Families.
Michael Gustafson ’86 Nominated to Connecticut Superior Court
Michael Gustafson ’86 had been nominated to fill vacancy on Connecticut Superior Court. Gustafson is currently an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut and specializes in violent crime prosecutions. Previously, he served as First Assistant United States Attorney and Chief of the Criminal Division.
H. Gordon Hall ’80 Nominated to Connecticut Superior Court
H. Gordon Hall ’80 has been nominated to the Connecticut Supreme Couert. He is currently an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, where he has served since 1989. Since 1992, he has worked in the office’s criminal division and he is responsible for supervising investigations and prosecutions of federal laws. Prior to working at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Hall engaged in the general practice of law with the Hartford law firm of Sorokin and Sorokin, worked as Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of New Haven, and served as counsel to the Connecticut Attorney General.
In Memoriam: William R. Davis ’55
William R. Davis ’55, a founder of RisCassi and Davis, P.C., and an instructor for and generous benefactor of the UConn School of Law, died on Feb. 9, 2021. Read his obituary.