Overview
Pat has many years of experience in municipal and land use law. Representing a wide variety of clients including towns, cities and quasi municipal agencies, commercial and residential developers and opposition groups in a broad range of matters.
Her municipal practice includes serving as Town counsel, land use counsel and special counsel. She provides advice on all aspects of municipal governance, assisting municipalities in the resolution of legal concerns of all types, from the review of routine matters, thorough areas of special concern, such as FOIA, to appellate litigation. Her experience includes service as Town Attorney for Weston (2009-2015), and as Associate Town Attorney (2000-2009 and 2015-2018), Associate Town Attorney for Wilton (1992-2016), and Assistant Town Attorney for Westport (1991-1993) and Interim Assistant Town Attorney (1997-1998).
Pat represents commercial and residential developers in all aspects of the local zoning and land use permitting process. She provides zoning analysis and gives advice as to potential developments and property acquisitions. She files applications including: zone changes, subdivisions, site plans, special permits, variances, inland wetland and coastal area permits.
She has successfully tried more than seventy land use cases to judgment and has appeared more than fifteen times before Connecticut's Appellate Courts. Pat served for several years in the leadership of the Greater Bridgeport Bar Association and currently serves on the Connecticut Bar Association's Executive Committee of the Section on Planning and Zoning. She is a member of the Connecticut Association of Municipal Attorneys (CAMA) and the International Municipal Lawyers Association (IMLA). Pat serves as an attorney trial referee, factfinder and arbitrator for the Connecticut State Judicial Department.
Credentials
Education
Fordham University School of Law, J.D., 1989
Fordham University, B.A., 1980
Admissions
- Connecticut
- New York
- District of Columbia
- U.S. Court of Appeals 2nd Circuit
- U.S. Supreme Court
Honors & Awards
Best Lawyers in America®, Land Use and Zoning Law, 2023-2025
Best Lawyers in America®, Litigation - Land Use and Zoning, 2025
Best Lawyers in America®, Municipal Law, 2023-2025
Connecticut Super Lawyers®, Land Use/Zoning, 2013-2020, 2023-2024
Martindale-Hubbell, AV® Preeminent™ Peer Rating
Moffly Media's "Top Lawyers in Fairfield County", Land Use Environment, 2021, 2023-2024
Connecticut Law Tribune, Women in the Law, 2010
Newsroom
News
Professional Affiliations
American Bar Association
Connecticut Bar Association
• Planning and Zoning Section, Executive Committee
• Committee on Cannabis Law
• Appellate Advocacy Section
• Administrative Law Section
New York State Bar Association
Washington, D.C. Bar Association
Connecticut State Judicial Department, Attorney Trial Referee, Factfinder and Arbitrator
Greater Bridgeport Bar Association, former Treasurer and Director