Practice Book Changes for 2025
In the CT Lawyer article “Practice Book Changes for 2025,” Pullman & Comley attorneys Frederic S. Ury, Livia DeFilippis Barndollar and Thomas S. Lambert provide an overview of significant amendments to the Connecticut Practice Book, adopted in June 2024 and effective as of Jan. 1, 2025. These revisions span multiple areas of law and were prompted in part by the Connecticut Parentage Act, which broadens legal recognition of diverse family structures including those involving unmarried, same-sex or nonbiological parents.
The authors highlight a wide range of changes including updates to terminology, electronic filing rules, attorney withdrawal procedures and deposition practices. Several amendments incorporate remote access and digital communication tools, reflecting the judiciary’s ongoing modernization efforts. In the realm of family law, the Practice Book now fully incorporates the Pathways case management program, revising scheduling, motion practice and filing deadlines to better suit how family matters progress through the courts. The rules also now allow attorneys to satisfy a portion of their continuing legal education requirement by serving as judges or coaches in student mock trial or moot court competitions, provided certain conditions are met.
Emphasizing that these updates aim to enhance clarity, consistency and inclusivity across the judicial system, the authors underscore the shift from “paternity” to “parentage” as a meaningful step in aligning court procedures with statutory law. The article also observes that many of the new provisions are designed to reflect the practical realities of litigation and family proceedings, stating, “this change is to recognize that a disputed custody action is often not ready for a hearing on its first court assignment.”
To read the full article, please click on the PDF linked below.