I am an attorney in general practice in New Haven, and I have also taken extensive time during my career for public service in government and nonprofit worlds from City Hall to the White House. My public service has included serving as Commissioner of Consumer Protection of the State of Connecticut; Chairman of the Connecticut Liquor Control Commission; Deputy General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Education; a member of the Presidential Transition policy development staff in 1988-89; Co-Chair of the Education Issues Group of the George Bush for President Campaign in 1987-88; and President of the City of New Haven Civil Service Commission. My practice includes Hague Convention International Child Abduction work, and litigation of civil and criminal matters in state and federal courts. I'm a lifelong New Havener, and have been fortunate to enjoy the good fellowship, friendships, and opportunities to interact with students as a Davenport Fellow for the past quarter-century. I pride myself on giving back as a community volunteer, including having been one of the four leaders of the Masks4CT initiative, which provided over 1.5 million masks statewide during the shortage of PPE in the first months of the pandemic under the auspices of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven; current VP for Legal Affairs of Connecticut Yankee Council of Boy Scouts of America; a board member of the B'nai B'rith International Center for Public Policy representing it as an NGO at the UN; a board member of Orchard Street Shul leading restoration efforts at the historic synagogue; and a board member of Liberty Community Services providing services to the chronically homeless. I enjoy art and books, and have developed extensive collections of both, with which I share my loft in Fair Haven. I have also been very involved in political life, including serious work in Presidential, gubernatorial, Senate and House campaigns.
I received my Bachelor of Arts from George Washington University in 1978 and my JD from Georgetown University in 1981.
