Marshall K. Berger

Judge Marshall K. Berger (Ret.) joined Pullman & Comley’s Alternative Dispute Practice in January 2023 after a distinguished career of nearly 34 years as a Judge of the Connecticut Superior Court.  He focuses his practice on the mediation of land use, zoning, environmental, and construction matters.

Judge Berger was appointed as a 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 focused exclusively on land use and environmental cases. He served as the Presiding Judge until 2020, authoring some of the Superior Court's most important and influential land use decisions and presiding over hundreds of hearings and successful mediated settlements.

Judge Berger is widely respected and admired for his knowledge and expertise in land use and environmental matters. In 1974-75, he served as Chief Counsel for the Air Compliance Unit in the Department of Environmental Protection's Office of General Counsel. Thereafter, Judge Berger practiced environmental, land use, and municipal law. Throughout his career, both as an attorney and as a judge, he has focused on resolving private and public land use matters and has assisted property owners, and municipalities and their counsel, in resolving complex and often contentious land use disputes.  

Judge Berger has served on a number of judicial committees, including the Rules Committee, the Civil Jury Instruction Committee, the Complex Litigation Committee, and was an original member of the Civil Commission. His governmental task force involvement included 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 taught land use law as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Connecticut School of Law from 1987 to 1994 and has presented and taught numerous seminars and lectures concerning Connecticut civil practice, land use, and environmental law.

Judge Berger was an original member of the Connecticut Bar Association’s environmental section, and has been an active member of the Hartford County Bar Association for over forty years.  He currently serves on its board of directors and in 2009, received the President's Award for Excellence from the Association.

Office

Professional Affiliations

Hartford County Bar Association - Board of Directors

Community Involvement

Boy Scouts of America - National Outdoor Ethics and Conservation Subcommittee; Connecticut Rivers Council Executive Board

National Ski Patrol - Patroller, 1976 - present

Honors & Recognitions

Hartford County Bar Association President's Award for Excellence - 2009

News

Speaking Engagements

Publications

Press Releases