Pullman & Comley Welcomes Hon. Marshall K. Berger (Ret.) to the Firm
HARTFORD, CT, February 9, 2023 — Pullman & Comley, LLC is pleased to announce the addition of Judge Marshall K. Berger (Ret.) to the firm as a member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) practice. His focus will be on the mediation of land use, zoning, environmental and construction matters. He will be based in the firm's Hartford office.
Judge Berger’s distinguished career of more than 30 years on the bench began when he was appointed as a Connecticut Superior Court judge in September 1988. He served as the Assistant Administrative Judge and the Civil Presiding Judge for the Hartford Judicial District from 1995 to 2000 and the Civil Presiding Judge for the New Britain Judicial District from 2001 to 2002. He became the Administrative Judge for the Hartford Judicial District from 2007 until 2012 while presiding over the Complex Litigation Docket.
In 2012, he established the Land Use Docket, a specialized Connecticut Superior Court judicial assignment that focuses exclusively on land use and environmental cases. He served as the Presiding Judge in that assignment until 2020.
Throughout his career, Judge Berger has specialized in resolving private and public land use matters. He has assisted property owners, and municipalities and their counsel in resolving complex and often contentious land use disputes, helping to devise creative and practical solutions for the parties. He has served on a number of Judicial Branch committees, including the Rules Committee, the Civil Jury Instruction Committee, the Complex Litigation Committee, and was an original member of the Civil Commission.
Judge Berger served on the Governor’s Task Force for Accidental Toxic Chemical Releases, the Department of Health Services Scientific Advisory Panel and the State Implementation Plan Advisory Committee.
“Judge Berger is a highly respected and distinguished judge known for his knowledge and expertise in land use, environmental and construction matters. His addition to our ADR practice group continues Pullman & Comley’s goal of expanding our highly regarded mediation and arbitration group, which is now comprised of four retired Superior Court judges and a retired Appellate Court judge, as well as AAA-certified attorneys,” said Judge Robert L. Holzberg (Ret.), who chairs Pullman & Comley’s ADR practice. “Not only will our clients benefit from his ability to mediate a range of complex cases across specialized areas, but his presence will further enhance our growing regional and national reputation for assisting counsel in resolving complex, multi-party disputes based on our technical expertise across the spectrum of civil disputes.”
In 2009, Judge Berger received the President's Award for Excellence from the Hartford County Bar Association. In addition to Connecticut, Judge Berger is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit.
Judge Berger taught land use law as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Connecticut School of Law from 1987-94, and has presented and taught numerous seminars and lectures concerning Connecticut civil practice, land use and environmental law. He graduated from the University of Vermont and George Washington University, where he earned his J.D., with honors.
Judge Berger is a member of the Boy Scouts of America’s National Outdoor Ethics and Conservation Subcommittee and the Connecticut Rivers Council Executive Board, and has been a patroller with the National Ski Patrol since 1976.
About Pullman & Comley
The Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) practice group at Pullman & Comley offers mediation and arbitration services in complex civil matters in state and federal court, including commercial, construction, employment, environmental, health care, insurance, land use, personal injury and probate disputes. In addition, the ADR practice offers services in all family and matrimonial matters including financial, custody and parenting disputes.
With more than 90 attorneys, Pullman & Comley, LLC, founded in 1919, is one of Connecticut’s largest firms and provides a wide range of legal services to clients in the New England region, as well as throughout the United States and internationally. The firm’s major practice areas include business organizations and finance; environmental and land use; public and private finance; health care; labor, employment law and employee benefits; litigation; property tax and valuation; real estate; regulatory, energy and utilities; and trusts and estates. The firm has offices in Bridgeport, Hartford, Waterbury and Westport, Connecticut; Springfield, Massachusetts; Wakefield, Rhode Island; and White Plains, New York. Pullman & Comley is a member of the Law Firm Alliance, an international affiliation of law firms. Visit pullcom.com for more information.