nothin New Haven Independent | As The Legal Wheel Turns

As The Legal Wheel Turns

Lucy Gellman Photo

In the 20 years since he began practicing law in Connecticut, Gerry Giaimo has witnessed major changes in the life of Connecticut law firms, including the closing of Tyler, Cooper & Alcorn LLP, in 2008 and the opening of Halloran & Sage’s New Haven offices in 2011. 

Giaimo pressed for a New Haven office because so many of the firm’s attorneys were commuting long hours even though they lived in the New Haven area. Giaimo’s family is well-known in New Haven. The late congressman Bob Giaimo and Gerry Giaimo’s father, Tom, were cousins.

Starting as a young associate, Giaimo, now a partner in his law firm has witnessed major changes in law firm life. The younger lawyers, he said, are trying to change entrenched habits of law firms, from work schedules, to dress codes, to a desire for a different lifestyle. All issues still in transition, he said.

Giaimo spoke about changes in the legal profession on the Legal Eagle’s WNHH radio show this week. We invited him to discuss issues facing younger lawyers, especially as his law firm, Halloran & Sage, celebrates its 80th anniversary this year. Eighty years ago the firm’s founders put out a shingle and handled all sorts of legal cases. These days the name of the game is specialization and the needs of the client typically trump all else.

Change, Change, Change

We asked Giaimo if the law firm model is changing.

This is the debate du jour,” he said. One issue is the hourly fee and clients dictating how much or too little on a particular aspect of a case. There is a desire to have legal services unbundled. I don’t think it has been figured out yet. It is so engrained in how law firms run. The motivation for change is coming from clients, lawyers and associates,” he said.

Another big change is taking place in state and federal courts in Connecticut. Giaimo remembers that back in the mid-1990s when he worked as a young associate for a North Haven law firm, every Monday was filing day” in every courthouse in Connecticut.
 
I would have 12 cases or 15 cases. And I would stand in front of a judge and argue each one for a few minutes. It was a great way to learn the business and to make your first mistakes, mistakes that you will never make again.”

Like what? we asked.
 
Like the judge would ask if I had tried to resolve the case before I got to court. Well, no, I was told to come here and argue this. And the judge said: That is not how we do it.’”

He recalled that Mondays meant meeting young lawyers from various law firms in the state. Now the rules have changed. Fewer cases are allowed to be argued in court itself,” he said. The biggest disputes have a right to be heard in court; the smaller ones not so. So today’s associates are not getting to court as much as they did in the past. Attorneys are not seeing each other at least in the litigation room as much as they did and all that is making it a little less personal. We get rulings based on the written submission rather than have people coming to court and argue.

So there has been a real shift? A serious shift,” he said. 

And especially in federal courts, he added, judges are doing arguments by phone. One lawyer goes, then another. All by phone. Things are speeding up all the time.”

Click on the above sound file to hear the full interview.

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