F. Lee Bailey calls Norm Pattis One of the Giants of the Profession

News Coverage


Jury selection just the start of the process

Jury selection just the start of the process

- News Times
With his neat appearance, articulate speech and six years of military service, the former nuclear power training officer impressed everyone in the courtroom.
His personal library included works by Tolstoy and Steinbeck, his civilian resume reeked of responsibility and commitment, and his thoughtful, intelligent responses to questions about the presumption of innocence, reasonable doubt and an accused person's right not to testify seemingly marked him as an ideal juror, potentially even the...

Super Attorney Norm Pattis

Super Attorney Norm Pattis

- WPLR
The Steven Hayes trial has been the biggest story in CT the past few weeks, so Chaz and AJ's lawyer friend Norm Pattis stopped by the studio. Chaz and Norm had a disagreement on capital punishment which led to some very interesting conversation.

Feds Look at Prosecutor's Conduct

- NBC Connecticut
There are possible legal troubles brewing for Waterbury State's Attorney John Connelly.
It appears Connelly is the subject of a federal probe into possible case fixing and other issues.
Prominent defense attorney Hugh Keefe is representing Connelly in the matter and told NBC Connecticut he has talked to federal authorities, but also says Connelly is not the target of a grand jury investigation.
Another source familiar with the tight-lipped investigation told NBC Connecticut that...

Waterbury State's Attorney Under Scrutiny

- Hartford Courant
For at least three months a federal grand jury has been investigating the relationship between Waterbury State's Attorney John Connelly and prominent Waterbury defense attorney Martin Minella to see if preferential treatment was provided to Minella's clients in exchange for free trips to Las Vegas.
A source familiar with the federal probe said FBI agents recently asked for about a dozen files on criminal cases prosecuted in Superior Court in Waterbury to see if Minella's clients received...

Study, attorneys note inconsistent sentences in child pornography cases

Study, attorneys note inconsistent sentences in child pornography cases

- Connecticut Law Tribune
The arrests and convictions are in the news every week, and often the details make us cringe. In most cases, the bottom line is that some guy has been caught with child pornography on his computer.
Just last week, David Besaw, of Newington, was sentenced to 32 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Stefan Underhill for possessing child porn. Earlier in the year, Kevin Davis, of Putnam, was sentenced to just under four years by Chief U.S. District...

Colin McEnroe Show: The Power of a Flag

Colin McEnroe Show: The Power of a Flag

Flags are meant to be a uniting symbol, but in many cases they cause stark divisions.

- WNPR
Guests: Norm Pattis, Mike Lawlor, Tom Scott, David Blight
It's hard to quantify but I think it's fair to say that people who come to the United States from other countries often think we're a little bit weird about our flag.
It seems to them we display it more and argue about it more. It would make more sense if -- as was the case with Northern Ireland -- there were multiple flags competing for legitimacy.
These days, maybe there are. Connecticut just went through a fight over the...

Caught On Tape: Officer Beating Suspect

Caught On Tape: Officer Beating Suspect

- NBC News
A dash cam video just released by Meriden police shows former Officer Brian Lawlor beating a suspect in September 2005. It was the key evidence in the criminal case against Lawlor that wrapped up last week.
The tape shows Lawlor crashing into suspect Alexis Hernandez's car after a chase. Lawlor then gets out of his cruiser with his gun drawn and approaches Hernandez.
Police Chief Jeffry Cossette says Lawlor then pistol-punched Hernandez in the head 13 times, and pulled him out of his...

Woman: I was held hostage by my ex-husband

Woman: I was held hostage by my ex-husband

He told Nancy Tyler 'only way this marriage was going to end was by death'

- NBC Today
He was controlling, and obsessed with the wife who was ending their marriage. As their bitter divorce was coming to a conclusion, Richard Shenkman kept talking about "The War of the Roses," the hit movie in which a couple's divorce battle takes both their lives.
In Shenkman's mind, the film's title was "The War of the Tylers" – but the ending was just the same. "The only way this marriage was going to end was by death," Shenkman's ex-wife, Nancy Tyler, told TODAY's Meredith Vieira...

Willoughby Innocent

Willoughby Innocent

- New Haven Independent
A Superior Court jury Monday morning acquitted Clarence Willoughby in a case that put the New Haven police department on trial as much as the ex-detective.
The six-member jury, which began deliberating Thursday, produced its verdict at 10:14 a.m.
Willoughby (at left in photo), 48, faced nine charges of forgery and larceny. The state accused him of pilfering thousands of dollars intended for police informants while serving as a New Haven detective. He was found not guilty...

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