The five remaining attorneys at the now defunct Hartford law firm Rome McGuigan aren’t leaving the industry.
But they did recently decide that maintaining their own independent firm was no longer in their best interests. Instead, they’re joining other firms.
“It was in the best interest of all of the individuals involved,” said attorney Rick Healey, who, along with his four former colleagues, had been with the downtown Hartford-based firm for at least 25 years. “It’s taken a tremendous commitment from everybody and – in the end – the people in the firm wanted to pursue their practices and go in different directions,” Healey told the Hartford Business Journal on Tuesday.
The five remaining attorneys all knew and worked with the firm’s founders, Austin McGuigan, a former chief state’s attorney and Lewis Rome, a former Republican state senate majority leader.
“We were proud of the work we were able to do for our clients and very grateful for the opportunities they (McGuigan and Rome) gave us,” said Healey, who worked at the firm since 1984. “We were blessed with the opportunity to practice with both men when they were at the height of their abilities.”
The five remaining Rome McGuigan attorneys each have new homes.
Healey and John Bradley Jr. will work for Halloran & Sage; attorneys Austin Ryan McGuigan – son of the co-founder – will join Joseph Burns at The Crumbie Law Firm; and Zisca St. Clair will work for the Connecticut offices of Perez & Morris LLC, Healey said.
At one time, Rome McGuigan – which was founded 41 years ago and was headquartered at One State Street downtown – had about 20 partners.
The law firm’s practice areas included business and contract law; municipal law; real estate; and commercial litigation and bankruptcy. It also had an investigations department. In addition, Rome McGuigan attorneys also worked on cases dealing with tribal finance and gaming, alternative dispute resolutions, and white collar crimes.
