Paul McConnell

McConnell Family Law Group

Darien, Connecticut 06820

860-266-1166

Child Custody, Collaborative Divorce, Co-Parenting, Divorce, Family, Marital Property, PreNuptials

Connecticut Divorce Mediator and Family Law Attorney Paul McConnell is a former Judge, Marine Corps infantry officer, and federal prosecutor with extensive grand jury, trial, and appellate experience. Paul was educated in mediation and jurisprudence by the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada and by the Connecticut Council for Non-adversarial Divorce (CCND).  He is a highly skilled mediator, trial lawyer, advocate, and negotiator. He has been the lead counsel or presiding judge in hundreds of matters including over 55 jury trials. Following 18 years of public service, Paul started his own firm in 2014 to focus on one thing: representing individuals with passion and purpose. Presently, Paul limits his practice to divorce and family law while occasionally accepting federal criminal defense matters and/or prospective claims under the Federal Tort Claim Act.  He is involved in strategically planning for nearly all cases in his firm and routinely represents clients in Fairfield and Hartford counties.

Throughout his career, Paul has developed a reputation as being a “go-to guy” for challenging, high profile cases. A few representation examples include two U.S. Army Abu Ghraib trials;

• a case involving parachute sabotage that formed the factual predicate for the second episode of “NCIS”; a $7.2 million armed robbery; several counter-terrorism matters
• an extortion case involving a billionaire philanthropist
• a high profile civil rights/public corruption case, among many others.

Additionally, Paul’s first assignment as a Marine Corps Judge Advocate included counseling Marines on divorce and custody law. During that assignment, he negotiated hundreds of marital separation agreements. Paul has litigated cases in nine different states and four nations.
Immediately before entering private practice, Paul served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Connecticut where he developed a particular focus and expertise in healthcare fraud, environmental crimes, civil rights, tax fraud, export compliance and national security litigation.
Before becoming a federal prosecutor, Paul served on active duty for 14 years as a United States Marine officer. He held a variety of assignments, including infantry officer, defense counsel, claims attorney, prosecutor, a trial judge, circuit judge, and deputy chief trial judge. Paul served combat tours as a rifle platoon commander during the first Gulf War and as an operations officer in Afghanistan from 2010-2011. In 2008, as a reserve officer, he led a delegation to Baghdad, Iraq to present a two-week ministerial level, anti-corruption program. His decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal (Fourth award), the Navy Commendation Medal, the Navy Achievement Medal (w/ Combat “V”), and the Combat Action Ribbon. In addition, Paul was awarded the District of Connecticut’s coveted “Standing Tall” award in 2012.
Paul is a member of the American Bar Association, Connecticut Bar Association (family and criminal justice sections), and the Judge Advocates Association. Paul is a Colonel in the United States Marine Corps Reserve where he presently serves as the senior reserve officer in the Navy-Marine Corps Trial Judiciary. He has previously held Top Secret clearances. Paul volunteers as the General Counsel for the MARSOC Foundation, which is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that supports families of Marine Special Forces members who are catastrophically injured or killed in the line of duty.

Paul was raised in New Canaan, Connecticut and remains a passionate supporter of the New Canaan football program. He presently resides in West Hartford, Connecticut with his wife and two kids where he is active in youth and high school athletics.

Mediation Lawyers Serving Hartford, New Haven and Fairfield Counties

Mediation is an effective tool for resolving conflicts, including divorce, outside of the standard litigation system. This approach can offer positive cost-effective alternatives to dispute resolution in a number of areas such as divorce, child custody, child support or other family law issues. The mediation lawyers at McConnell Family Law Group can help you reach an amicable settlement to your dispute.

Mediation For Divorce

Divorce mediation allows both parties to identify, negotiate and resolve the issues raised by the decision to divorce. The mediator establishes firm ground rules and a comfortable environment so that emotionally charged issues can be discussed. The mediator helps both spouses gather necessary information and review it systematically. A mediator often helps formulate a more creative solution than the court could offer. When parenting agreements and financial distribution plans are made by the spouses themselves, there is a better chance of meeting the needs of the entire family.

Mediated divorces in typically take less time and have a higher rate of long-range parental cooperation and fewer costly returns to court. The mediator remains neutral between the husband and the wife. Importantly, the mediator cannot give advice to either party, and also can not act as a lawyer for either party. The mediator can point out in open session to both spouses things that they both need to consider in the decision-making process. That exchange of information frees up both spouses to negotiate with each other in confidence.

Find Out If Mediation Is Right For You

If you are considering mediation as a means to resolving your dispute, contact McConnell Family Law Group today for a consultation. Our offices are located in Fairfield, New Haven and Hartford counties. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.

EDUCATION:

  • Temple University School of Law, Juris Doctor (JD)
  • The Army Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, Master of Laws (LL.M) degree in Military and International Law
  • The National Judicial College, Awarded Certificate in General Jurisdictional Studies
  • Connecticut Council for Non-Adversarial Divorce, Awarded Certificate for Mediation Training and Collaborative Law
  • Wittenberg University, Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Economics

BAR ADMISSIONS:

  • Connecticut
  • Pennsylvania

COURT ADMISSIONS:

  • US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
  • US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
  • US District Court (District of Connecticut)
  • US District Court (Eastern District of Pennsylvania)
638 Prospect
Hartfort, CT 06105

P: 860-266-1166
F: 860-967-3412

49-54 Locust Avenue
New Canaan, CT 06840

P: 203-344-7007
F: 203-344-7009

E: [email protected]
    [email protected]