Events & News

Executive Director Justine Rakich-Kelly Honored On April 11, 2019, The Children’s Law Center’s Executive Director, Justine Rakich-Kelly, received the 2019 Charles J. Parker Legal Services Award. The Charles J. Parker Legal Services Award is presented to a member of the Connecticut Bar who has a deep and abiding interest in and dedication to the delivery…

Bringing Families Back Together Every child deserves the opportunity to develop a healthy and secure relationship with both parents. When children can enjoy balanced interpersonal relationships with the people closest to them, they flourish. However, in some situations that is not possible for every child. With CLC’s intervention comes the assurance that each parent will…

Providing Legal Representation During Covid-19: It Isn’t All Bad! It goes without saying that this past year has been tough. Like most businesses, The Children’s LAW Center has had to change the way that we provide services to our clients in all of our programs, most prominently our Legal Representation program. Yet, while the pandemic…

Welcome Carolyn Fink and Margaret Boissoneau to the Board of Directors! Carolyn Fink is a public school teacher in Farmington. CT. A mother of two daughters, she has spent over 20 years serving the children and families of Farmington. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Education and advanced degrees in Curriculum and Instruction and…

Thank you to the Main Street Community Foundation The Children’s Law Center is especially grateful for the generous support of the Main Street Community Foundation. Pictured at the check presentation from the Men & Boys’ Fund are (l-r):  Kate Kerchaert – Director of Grants & Programs, Main Street Community Foundation; Deb Shulansky – Director of…

Victoria Hotham, Professional Assistant, is a graduate of the University of Connecticut where she received a BA in Sociology and a minor in Crime & Justice. She started her experience with the law center as an intern where her true aspiration to someday attend law school began. Prior to starting at CLC, Victoria worked as an…

Rashani Swaby is a Human Resources Leader at Pratt and Whitney, a Raytheon Technologies Company, where she is currently responsible for global organizational effectiveness, culture and change management. This includes developing and reinforcing strategies and processes that deliver solutions and experiences that drive people and business success. Regardless of her role, Rashani aims to provide…

The Children’s Law Center of Connecticut’s work is supported by a well-informed, experienced Board of Directors with an array of professions and skills.   LAURA POST, President PAMELA MAGNANO, Vice President JONATHAN FINK, Treasurer CARA HARDACKER, Secretary   Changes in the Board:   Welcome to RASHANI SWABY. Farewell and thanks to SCOTT ESPOSITO and JAMES…

Thank you to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Foundation (AAML Foundation) for making a grant award of $5,000 to The Children’s LAW Center of Connecticut (CLC). Pictured left-to-right are: David Griffin, AAML Foundation Board Member and Attorney with Rutkin Oldham Griffin; Nilda Negron, CLC Staff Attorney; and Justine Rakich-Kelly, CLC Executive Director. In presenting the…

Congratulations to CLC Board Member Rashani Swaby for her HBJ 40 Under Forty Award! Every year for the last 26 years, Hartford Business Journal, with the help of independent judges, has selected 40 of the top up-and-coming young professionals who are in leadership positions. For the 2022 awards, HBJ received over 130 nominations. Narrowing down…

We are proud of our Executive Director, Justine Rakich-Kelly, for representing CLC in the news. Watch her here:

Connecticut’s Bridge Over Troubled Waters The Children’s Law Center turns 25 this year! Still strong after a quarter-century, CLC reaches this milestone with friends like you who support our work to protect children and strengthen families. Founded by Judith Hyde and Debra Ruel, CLC was formed out of a coalition of concerned professionals and parents…

Goodbyes Earlier this year, we bid farewell to Marketing & Development Associate Abby Woodhouse, who took on a new role at The Village for Families & Children, and Professional Assistant Adelina Santiago, now with the Connecticut Legal Rights Project. We miss Abby and Addy and wish them the best. We are happy to welcome two…

CLC is pleased to announce that Scott Esposito has joined our Board of Directors. Scott is a Director in PricewaterhouseCooper’s Risk Assurance Practice based in Hartford, specializing in risk and control assessments. He has over fourteen years of experience providing business process and IT controls assessments to companies of all sizes, primarily within the financial…

CLC’s non-adversarial approach to family court matters fosters co-parenting skills and family stability where anxiety and tension were. The case history below demonstrates the many ways this approach benefits the lives of the children we represent and their families. Sisters Diana, 11, and Isabel, 9, are bright and vibrant. Parents Alex and Mariana have been…

We are celebrating our 25th Anniversary all year long! We’ve enjoyed seeing everyone at our recent events—such as our BK & Co. fundraiser and our Pottery Night—and we haven’t stopped planning fun new ways to get our friends, family, and supporters together. One celebratory highlight was a stunning cake provided by Little Man Sweets for…

CLC is thrilled to be an award recipient of a $2,250 grant from Main Street Community Foundation’s Women and Girls’ Fund! In 2018, CLC represented the best interests of 263 girls living in CT by providing high quality legal representation with the goal of reducing parental conflict and creating safe, stable environments that allow these…

In 2018, CLC celebrated the addition of two new members to our Board of Directors, welcomed back a returning member, and said a fond farewell to long-time board members. Mark Boxer (serving 6 years), Sandra Gersten (serving 12 years), Bob Madden (serving 23 years), and Gaurav Patel (serving 2 years) supported CLC with dedication. While…

CLC is thrilled to announce that Margaret Bozek has joined the CLC team as Staff Attorney and Program Liaison. A graduate of Albertus Magnus College and UConn School of Law, Margaret has experience in all aspects of family law, including litigation, collaborative divorce, mediation, and the representation of children. Margaret volunteers as a Special Master…

Children thrive when they have a relationship with both parents in homes with low conflict. They are more likely to succeed academically, enjoy balanced interpersonal relationships, and face fewer mental health and behavioral issues as adults. These benefits foster adults who can more fully engage with their community and have fewer barriers to success. Equipped…

For the entirety of 9-year-old Tyrone’s life, his mother has struggled with addiction. Although she has attended a number of treatment programs, her successes in recovery did not last. Many of her relationships were violent—Tyrone feared for his life, even running away from home to a police station to seek safety. Although he had previously…

Dr. Eric Frazer When you first meet Dr. Eric Frazer, one thing is clear: he is passionate about and dedicated to helping children, parents, and professionals involved in the family court process. The Children’s Law Center of Connecticut has been lucky enough to benefit from Dr. Frazer’s knowledge and support over the years through his…

The Children’s Law Center is excited to announce the addition of two new members to our Board of Directors: Laura Post and Dan Brody. Laura A. Post is Vice President of Global Insights for The LEGO Group, the Danish toy company. Ms. Post leads the company’s research and insights function, which gathers intelligence from consumers around…

Earlier this year, we said goodbye to Staff Attorney Kathryn Bissonnette and Professional Assistant Brooke Garcia. Both have taken on new roles at Brown, Paindiris, & Scott. We wish them all the best and know that they will do many amazing things at their new ventures! As sad as goodbyes can be, we couldn’t be…

Elizabeth Panico, CLC’s 2017-2018 Roisman Fellow Maya is a four-year-old who had been residing with both of her parents before her father began physically and emotionally abusing her mother, who turned to alcohol to cope. After one violent altercation, Child Protective Services became involved. They gave guardianship to Maya’s paternal grandmother in order to keep…

Elizabeth Panico, CLC’s 2017-2018 Roisman Fellow Behind the scenes at The Children’s Law Center of Connecticut, we have a dedicated team of interns who help keep things running smoothly while gaining valuable professional experience in the legal and nonprofit fields. One of these interns is Elizabeth Panico, a second-year law student who is working with CLC through…

Two of our volunteer FIT mediators, Nicole Silva and Robert Madden When Miranda and Leon began participating in our Families in Transition (FIT) program, their co-parenting relationship had been filled with anger and resentment for quite some time. They had their son Eli after a whirlwind relationship, and managed to successfully co-parent for the first few…