Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C.

Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C. is very proud to announce that Associate Olivia L. Benson was awarded the Connecticut Bar Association - Young Lawyers Section's Rookie of the Year Award!  Attorney Benson is very active with the CBA's Young Lawyers and serves as Chair of the Commercial Law and Bankruptcy Section. The Young Lawyers Section has as its primary goals the promotion of justice, the encouragement of public service, and the promotion of diversity and education of young lawyers and newly admitted practitioners. Attorney Benson practices in the areas of bankruptcy, creditors’ rights, and commercial litigation. She can be reached at 860.548.2679 or at obenson@uks.com. Congratulations Olivia!

Public Finance Partner Michael Botelho elected Fellow of American College of Bond Counsel (ACBC) Updike, Kelly & Spellacy shareholder Michael P. Botelho has been elected to become a Fellow of the American College of Bond Counsel (ACBC). Admission as a Fellow of the ACBC is a recognition of the lawyer’s accomplishments and legal expertise in the field of bond law. The American College of Bond Counsel was formed in 1995 for the purpose of recognizing lawyers who have established reputations among their peers for their skill, experience and high standards of professional and ethical conduct in the practice of bond law. The College seeks to admit to its membership only bond lawyers who have long experience and outstanding reputations in the field of municipal bond law.  Membership in the College is extremely limited and admission as a Fellow (i.e., member of the College) is a signal recognition of the lawyer’s accomplishments. As chair of the Firm’s Public Finance Practice Group, Attorney Botelho represents municipal issuers, underwriters, trustees, borrowers, letter of credit banks and purchasers in general obligation bond and revenue bond financing transactions. His bond counsel practice includes the representation of quasi-municipal development authorities, solid waste recycling authorities and companies, and various types of 501(c)(3) nonprofit entities. Attorney Botelho is a frequent speaker concerning various public finance matters of specific concern to municipal issuers, including primary and continuing disclosure requirements under the federal securities laws and SEC enforcement law developments. Attorney Botelho received his B.A., magna cum laude, from Bowdoin College, and his J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center. He is admitted in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Contact Attorney Botelho at (860) 548.2637 or mbotelho@uks.com.

Update on Connecticut Paid Sick Leave, Fair Labor Standards Act, and Pregnant Workers Fairness Act On April 16, 2024, the House of Representatives voted to pass House Bill 5005 modifying the current law on CT Paid Sick Leave to provide more expansive and inclusive protections for nearly all employees across the state. The new law will become effective on January 1, 2025. Over the next three years, the new law’s coverage will expand to virtually all private sector employers regardless of their size, industry, or non-profit status. Starting January 1, 2025, the new law will apply to employers with at least 25 employees. Starting January 1, 2026, the law will apply to employers with at least 11 employees. Finally, starting January 1, 2027, the law will apply to all employers, including tax-exempt 501(c)(3) institutions. The only recognized exemptions are for (1) employers that participate in a multiemployer health plan that is maintained pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement between a construction related union and employer, and (2) self-employed individuals. To read more... https://lnkd.in/eBYXCwKt Christopher L. Brigham is a Shareholder at Updike, Kelly & Spellacy’s Hartford office and Chairman of the Employment Practices Group. He focuses his practice on representing and counseling businesses and educational institutions with respect to workplace employment and school law issues. He can be reached at cbrigham@uks.com or (203) 786-8310. Valerie M. Ferdon is a Shareholder at the firm’s Hartford office and is a member of the Employment Practices Group and the Litigation Practice Group. She can be reached at vferdon@uks.com or (860) 548-2607.

UKS partners with the Max Hospitality Group -------------------------------------------------- Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C. was a leading sponsor of the first Max Hospitality’s Max on Monday event in Hartford on June 24th. Close to 150 local business leaders attended, and we were excited to partner with the Max Hospitality Group and support such a successful event! UKS’ Jennifer DiBella and AnnMarie Harding of Max Hospitality Massachusetts pictured in photo.

A shift in the separation of powers – the overruling of Chevron A few days ago, the United States Supreme Court overruled Chevron U.S.A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, 467 U.S. 837 (1984). Chevron was a longstanding precedent holding that the federal courts must defer to a federal administrative agency’s “permissible” interpretation of an ambiguous federal statute. Chevron required a reviewing court to decide initially whether the statute in question was ambiguous. If Congress had spoken clearly on the issue, then the court would interpret the statute. If the court concluded that Congress had left a gap in the statute, then it would defer to the agency’s “permissible” interpretation. In Loper Bright / Relentless (released on June 28, 2024), the majority opinion, authored by Chief Justice Roberts, explained that Chevron “defies” the Federal Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”), 5 U.S.C. § 701 et seq., which states that the courts determine all relevant questions of law and interpret statutory provisions. The majority opinion reasoned that Chevron skewed the separation of powers by delegating the judicial branch’s role interpreting ambiguous statutes to the executive branch. According to the majority opinion, Chevron  yielded unacceptably inconsistent results because a court’s assessment of whether an ambiguity exists is too subjective. The majority opinion held that courts must use the tools in their interpretative toolkit to construe an ambiguous statute. Thus, an agency’s position on an To read the full article ... https://lnkd.in/eBYXCwKt Jesse A. Langer is a Shareholder in UKS’ New Haven office, practicing in the areas of administrative proceedings, energy and utilities, real estate development and employment. He can be reached at jlanger@uks.com or 203.786.8317.

UKS Welcomes Summer Associate Class of 2024 Summer Associate Bios ** Kira Burnham ** Kira Burnham is a rising 3L at the University of Connecticut School of Law. At UConn, Kira is the Managing Editor of the Connecticut Insurance Law Journal. Prior to law school, Kira earned her bachelor’s degrees in economics and political science from George Washington University and worked as a political scheduler. This summer, she looks forward to gaining experience in Updike, Kelly & Spellacy’s different practice areas from the firm's experienced attorneys. ** Felicity Wang ** Felicity Wang is a rising 2L at the University of Connecticut School of Law, where she is the incoming Vice President of the UConn First Generation Students Association. Before starting law school, she earned her bachelor’s degree in history and economics at Brown University and worked in a Boston law firm doing corporate transactional work. As a summer associate, Felicity is excited to gain experience in different practice areas and work closely with the attorneys at Updike, Kelly & Spellacy. ** Sofia Rodriguez ** Sofia Rodriguez is a rising 2L at the University of Connecticut School of Law. Prior to law school, Sofia earned her bachelor’s degree in psychological sciences and worked as a teacher. She has conducted research for the Connecticut Hate Crimes Advisory Council and has served as an interpreter for immigration and asylum law. At UConn Law, she serves as an Admissions Student Ambassador, member of the Negotiation and Dispute Resolution Society, and executive board member of the Latinx Law Student Association. As a lover of all sports, she plays an active role on UConn Law’s soccer and softball teams. This summer, Sofia is looking forward to expanding her understanding of different practice areas and learning from top notch attorneys at Updike, Kelly & Spellacy. ** Stephen Pendergast ** Stephen Pendergast is a rising 3L at the University of Connecticut School of Law where he is a member of the Connecticut Moot Court Board and the Connecticut Law Review. Prior to law school, Stephen earned his bachelor’s degree from Siena College and worked as a reporter for a local newspaper and in customer experience at a library system. This summer, he is excited to learn from the talented attorneys at Updike, Kelly & Spellacy and gain experience in both litigation and transactional law.

Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C. Shareholders Patricia D. Anderson and Jennifer L. DiBella attended the Connecticut Community Bankers Association Annual Meeting at the Saybrook Point Resort & Marina in Old Saybrook, CT on May 30th through June 2nd. This event brought together the CEOs and CFOs, officers, and directors of most of the banks in Connecticut. Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C. was a sponsor of the Annual Meeting. Patricia D. Anderson is a Shareholder in UKS’ Hartford office, practicing in the areas of Financial Institutions and Transactions, Securities, Commercial Lending and Banking, Business and Corporate Services, Mergers and Acquisitions. She can be reached at panderson@uks.com or 860.548.2684. Jennifer L. DiBella is a Shareholder in UKS’ Hartford office, practicing in the areas of Financial Institutions and Transactions, Securities, Commercial Lending and Banking, Mergers and Acquisitions and General Corporate law. She can be reached at jdibella@uks.com or 860.548.2630.

Updike, Kelly & Spellacy Associate Attorneys Jeff Bausch, Stefan Sjoberg, Paige Owens, Elizabeth Fabbri, and Kaydeen Maitland welcomed summer associates Kira Burnham, Felicity Wang, Sofia Rodriguez, and Stephen Pendergast to UKS with a night out at the Clubhouse on Main in Glastonbury.

UKS sponsored the George W. Crawford Black Bar Association's 2024 Annual Dinner as a Gold Sponsor. The event took place on Wednesday, May 22nd, at 6:00 PM at the Connecticut Convention Center. At this year's dinner, the 2024 Trailblazer Award was presented to The Honorable Melanie L. Cradle, Judge on the Connecticut Appellate Court, and the 2024 Visionary Award was presented to former UKS attorney Attorney Natalie Braswell, Chief Legal Counsel to the Governor. Kaydeen Maitland, was named Treasurer of the association for the 2024-2025 cycle.

Connecticut Bankers Association – 2024 Director & Senior Officer Symposium Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C. was pleased to be a sponsor at the Connecticut Bankers Association 2024 Director & Senior Officer Symposium. UKS Shareholders, Patricia D. Anderson and Jennifer DiBella attended on behalf of UKS, along with Directors and Senior Officers of Financial Institutions throughout Connecticut.