A Leading Connecticut Family Law Firm
PARRINO|SHATTUCK PC is a leading family law boutique in Connecticut dedicated to the litigation and negotiation of substantial cases. We deliver the highest quality of legal capability and client service — in equal measure.
Based in Westport, Connecticut, a significant portion of our work is concentrated in Fairfield County, yet our geographic reach often extends throughout the state. We strive to provide an unparalleled level of accessibility and responsiveness to our clients, giving them a sense of stability and security during a turbulent time in life.
Our Attorneys
Choosing the right legal counsel is one of the most important decisions a client must make in the divorce process. Our attorneys have extensive experience handling complex and high-asset cases and navigating myriad issues that come with this landscape.
Individually, our attorneys are accomplished, experienced, respected, thorough, creative and attentive. Collectively, our sum is greater than our parts. We work collaboratively and serve as valuable resources to one another. Our team-oriented approach to the practice of law enables clients to benefit from the cumulative experience we bring to bear as a family law boutique.
To learn more about the backgrounds of each of our lawyers, follow the links below:
Our Approach
Client service, quite simply, is the firm’s top priority. We pride ourselves on our accessibility and responsiveness to clients.
We recognize that our clients are under significant emotional strain, and we are sensitive to their need for regular communication and real-time updates. Earning and maintaining trust throughout the course of an engagement is as important to us as protecting our clients’ interests. It is worth noting that most of our clients originate from former client and peer referrals.
At the inception of our representation, starting with the initial consultation, we listen to clients to understand their unique circumstances, discuss goals and priorities, and weigh options. We then obtain a precise and comprehensive understanding of their financial affairs. PARRINO|SHATTUCK PC’s discovery work product sets us apart from our peers. Our skill is recognized by our colleagues and the judiciary. We have served as co-counsel with other law firms in all aspects of cases, including financial and child-related matters in very large and sophisticated cases. In addition, we have also been retained by clients to render second-opinion legal advice.
A Primer On Mediation, Collaborative Law And Litigation
Litigation is not the only means by which a case may be resolved. Litigation may be a last resort when alternative dispute resolution methods fail. PARRINO|SHATTUCK PC litigates only cases that must be tried, and we exhaust other strategies, such as negotiation, mediation, and arbitration, in an effort to settle cases.
Sometimes litigation is necessary to reach an equitable outcome for clients when settlement is not possible. PARRINO|SHATTUCK PC does not practice collaborative law as a means of alternative dispute resolution because collaborative law precludes litigation as an available tool and alternative remedy.
In collaborative settings, should negotiations fail, the parties must then restart the process and retain new counsel to litigate their differences irrespective of the time and cost already invested in collaborative counsel, potentially costing parties additional emotional stress, time and great expense. It is to our clients’ benefit that we preserve the option of prosecuting claims in court if we are unable to bring a case to a successful conclusion through nonadversarial means.
In mediation, some mediators do not advise clients as to whether an agreement is fair and equitable but rather refer them to reviewing counsel, who do not have the benefit of participating in discovery and depositions. Therefore, mediators do not typically provide legal advice or make a determination of whether any potential settlement is fair and equitable.
Firm FAQs
Q: Do you charge for an initial interview?
A: Yes. We charge hourly rates for an initial interview.
Q: In what family law areas do you practice?
A: Our practice includes divorce, alimony, child custody and support, property division, parenting and visitation, relocation, premarital and postnuptial agreements, jurisdictional disputes, legal separation, international family matters, post-judgment modification of financial and custody orders, and post-judgment enforcement of court orders.
Q: How long have the attorneys at PARRINO|SHATTUCK PC practiced family law?
A: Thomas P. Parrino since 1987
Laura R. Shattuck since 1999
Randi Nelson since 2011
Q: What distinguishes PARRINO|SHATTUCK PC from other law firms?
A: Our Westport firm’s top priority is client service. We are accessible and responsive to your needs, providing regular communication, real-time updates and prompt legal counseling on issues that arise in your particular circumstances.
As seasoned negotiators and capable litigators, we apply our skill and diligent preparation to resolve your case by agreement while always prepared to litigate when necessary.
Other law firms recognize our prominence by hiring us as co-counsel in cases. We work collectively to serve your needs, to research the legal issues in your case, and to devise the best course of action given the facts of your case in an effort to provide you with sufficient information to make important decisions.
Q: How does PARRINO|SHATTUCK PC approach collaborative law, mediation and arbitration?
A: Our experience leads us to our preference for exhausting all possibilities for negotiation of a voluntary settlement of a divorce by the involved spouses, each represented by independent counsel while reserving litigation as the last resort.
While the goals of the collaborative divorce process are admirable, spouses participating in the process rarely have equal negotiation skills or equal knowledge of the financial issues or ability to analyze those issues. They do not have advice of independent counsel until late in the process, if at all. While negotiating, neither has an experienced matrimonial attorney’s ability to measure their respective positions against what the family court may consider to be a fair and equitable resolution to their case.
The collaborative process fails either when spouses are unable to reach agreement or, when consulting independent counsel about the agreement reached, they find important law, facts, or factors have not been considered. This then requires retention of independent counsel to restart the divorce process irrespective of the time, expense, effort and emotion already invested in the attempted collaborative divorce.
There are a number of ways that cases are mediated. Some parties elect to represent themselves and choose one mediator who attempts through meeting with the parties and exchanging information to resolve their case. In those situations, the parties do not have independent counsel. After the mediator has made a recommendation some litigants will retain their own attorneys to serve as review counsel to advise the client as to the terms of the mediated settlement and what those terms mean.
PARRINO|SHATTUCK PC believes this type of mediation divorce process is fraught with risks since the process may not account for the unequal negotiation skills of the parties or forego the exchange of documents that verify the accuracy of financial information on financial affidavits. The process above often fails to focus on fair and equitable results as the primary goal, sometimes resulting in disproportionate and unfair results. The process, moreover, assumes that the couple involved, with no legal background, will be able to negotiate a resolution of all issues with the individual mediator who does not represent either party’s interest. When that assumption fails, in most cases, the parties then hire their own counsel, resulting in the additional expense of two more lawyers who may very well enter the mediation process at a late stage and advise their clients against that which a mediator has been recommending for a significant period of time.
The result is that the divorce is prolonged, the mediation may fail, and the time and finances spent on mediation have been unfruitful. Many times in mediation, the parties are left to the “good faith” representations of their spouse without the benefit of discovery, which would reveal whether or not the assets and incomes of the respective parties, upon which an agreement is reached, are accurate.
PARRINO|SHATTUCK PC typically engages in mediation at an appropriate juncture following the completion of discovery. In many cases, after discovery is completed, including depositions and court appearances, this firm will select a skilled mediator who specializes in family law or a retired family law judge selected by both counsels.
Most importantly, by selecting a mediator you hopefully will be able to resolve your case short of a trial and avoid the unpredictable results of litigation and the attendant costs.
In addition, Connecticut law allows for binding arbitration of a divorce (except for child custody, support and parenting issues) by an arbitrator agreed upon by the spouses and then appointed by the court. This avoids the exposures and strictures attendant to a public trial while providing a mandated, final judgment when the court approves the binding arbitrator’s written decision.
In sum, our judgment is that the best interests of a client involved in a divorce require representation from the very beginning by independent counsel who can guide and advise the person based on detailed discovery, full knowledge of the facts, and the willingness and skill to litigate as a last resort. PARRINO|SHATTUCK PC continually seeks resolution while preparing for litigation.
Contact Us To Discuss Any Family Law Matter
To schedule a meeting with a lawyer at our leading family law firm, please call 203-349-2012 or contact us by email.