Polito & Harrington Personal Injury Lawyer, Humbert J. Polito, Jr. was recently selected as 2024 “Lawyer of the Year” for Personal Injury Litigation-Plaintiffs in the New London, CT area. Only a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is honored as the “Lawyer of the Year,” making this accolade particularly significant. These lawyers are selected based on particularly impressive voting averages received during the peer-review assessments. Receiving this designation reflects the high level of respect a lawyer has earned among other leading lawyers in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, their professionalism, and their integrity. Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Bert has previously been named Best Lawyers’ New London Area Lawyer of the Year for Plaintiffs’ Personal Injury Litigation 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2024. Bert has also been designated as one of the top 50 attorneys in the State of Connecticut by Connecticut Super Lawyers®. In April of 2016, Bert was honored to be named a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, which limits membership to 500 Fellows from the United States. Bert has been admitted to practice law in Connecticut since 1986, and in Rhode Island since 1987. His practice has focused exclusively on plaintiff’s personal injury litigation. In his work, Bert seeks to promote consumer and patient safety, and is particularly proud of two of his cases, one by verdict and the other by settlement. The former involved a product liability verdict in favor of a burn victim, wherein the Court ordered that product safety data in the possession of a non-party foreign manufacturer be produced over the objection of a defendant seller here in America. Bert also being designated as one of the top 50 attorneys in the State of Connecticut by Connecticut Super Lawyers® is involved the settlement of a hospital malpractice case on behalf of a family which included the hospital’s implementation of patient safety procedures, as well as the designation of a family member to a working hospital committee seeking to improve patient safety. A number of the cases Bert has resolved have been in excess of one million dollars. Bert is listed in Best Lawyers in America, in Connecticut and New England Super Lawyers, and admitted to the United States Supreme Court.

Defending felony, misdemeanor & infraction criminal cases. Licensed in New York, New Jersey & Connecticut. Specializing in representing indigent defendants. Extensive jury trial experience.

Attorney Virginia Gillette is a member in good standing of the Connecticut State Bar and admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. Her practice includes matters related to criminal investigations, arrests, plea negotiations, trials, and post-conviction appeals for a variety of cases ranging from misdemeanor offenses, DWI, larcenies, and domestic violence to serious felony matters, assault, sexual assault, and homicide. Virginia joined Brown Paindiris & Scott in September 2024. Prior to BPS, she worked at two private firms, focusing on criminal defense and post-conviction proceedings.

Attorney Jenna R. DeMartino is an Associate at Needle | Cuda, concentrating on matrimonial and family law in Connecticut, with a focus on complex family dynamics, particularly custody-related issues. Before joining Needle | Cuda, Attorney DeMartino worked at a New Haven County law firm, where she managed high-conflict divorce and custody cases. Her experience extends to criminal law matters that intersect with family cases, allowing her to navigate challenging legal issues like Temporary Restraining Orders and Emergency Custody filings. She has represented clients in juvenile, Superior, and Probate Courts, building a well-rounded understanding of the legal system. Certified as a Guardian ad Litem (GAL) and Attorney for the Minor Child (AMC), Attorney DeMartino is listed on the court-approved AMC/GAL list in the Judicial Districts of Stamford, Bridgeport, Milford, and New Haven. She takes a strategic, solution-focused approach to help clients resolve disputes amicably, offering a clear path to a positive future. Additionally, she has served as a Special Master in court-appointed matrimonial mediation and is now expanding her practice into Fairfield County, specifically focusing on high-conflict family dynamics. Attorney DeMartino was recognized as one of Milford’s “40 under 40” and remains active in her community and with the Milford Bar Association. During law school, she held leadership roles, including serving on the board responsible for faculty hiring and organizing the annual Barrister’s Ball. After graduating, she mentored law graduates preparing for the bar exam. After law school, Attorney DeMartino clerked for a Family Judge in Milford, CT, worked for the Farmington Regional Probate Court and the Office of the Attorney General. Attorney DeMartino graduated from Western New England University Law School and joined the Connecticut Bar in 2020. Before attending law school, Attorney DeMartino earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Sacred Heart University.

Attorney Charles Needle has been a practicing lawyer since 1963. In 2018, he joined Needle Cuda as “Of Counsel”. Attorney Needle was a founder of the distinguished Connecticut Law firm of Zeldes, Needle & Cooper and has been a well-known force throughout the State of Connecticut for more than five decades in the areas of Commercial and Real Estate Law. Attorney Needle graduated from Yale School of Law with an L.L.B. in 1963 and from Harvard College with a B.A., Cum Laude, in 1959. He also holds a M.A.T. from Wesleyan University. Attorney Needle is a former President of the Harvard Club of Southern Connecticut, has been on its Board of Directors and has served as its Schools Committee Chairman for many years, and is Secretary of his Yale Law School Class. Attorney Needle, who at one time was a candidate for the State Senate of Connecticut and has served on numerous boards of committees in the commercial law area. At Needle Cuda, Attorney Needle devotes a substantial amount of his time to evaluating marital estates, developing a roadmap to settlement of cases — particularly those with complex business valuations, elaborate trusts, and extensive real estate holdings). He generally advises the firm on courses of action to pursue to provide clients with sensitive and quality representation during the divorce and post-divorce process.

Attorney Kevin C. Brown focuses his practice on the areas of matrimonial and family law throughout Connecticut, New York City and its northern suburbs. His practice includes many high net worth matters involving contested business valuations, forensic accounting and asset tracing, as well as complex child support and spousal support issues. Prior to joining the firm, Kevin practiced at a preeminent boutique matrimonial and family law firm in Westchester County and New York City. Earlier in his career, Kevin was a commercial litigator in the Stamford, Connecticut office of Day Pitney LLP, where he represented business clients and individuals in all phases of complex cases in federal and state courts. Kevin began his practice at the New York offices of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, where he represented clients in a wide variety of business disputes in financial services, insurance, and private equity, among other industries. He also conducted internal investigations and advised clients in connection with government investigations of insider trading and other securities law violations.

Amanda J. DiFrancesca is an associate attorney of Polito & Harrington. Amanda joined the firm after clerking for a criminal defense firm, where she helped to serve incarcerated clients. Amanda is the youngest of two children, born and raised in Preston, Connecticut. Amanda graduated from the University of Connecticut and went on to receive her master’s degree in social work from Southern Connecticut State University, where she studied client counseling and social justice. She graduated from Quinnipiac University School of Law, magna cum laude, in 2024. At Quinnipiac, Amanda received the Distinguished Academic Achievement in Constitutional Law, Best Appellee’s Brief: 2022 Dean Terence H. Benbow Intramural Competition, and Cornelius W. Wickersham Jr. awards. She served on the e-board of the Quinnipiac Health Law Journal and competed on the Moot Court Honor Society team. Throughout law school, Amanda served in the Quinnipiac University Civil Justice Clinic, where she helped to draft habeas corpus petitions and worked on compassionate release law reform. She also gained experience interning for a personal injury firm, where she drafted settlement breakdowns and worked with medical providers to obtain reductions for clients. In her spare time, Amanda enjoys reading and being outdoors.

Joseph T. Coppola II is Polito & Harrington’s newest associate, joining the firm after working at a Fortune 500 insurance company, where he handled employment matters all across the United States, including cases involving discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, and wrongful termination. Joe is the oldest of five children, born and raised in Madison, Connecticut. Joe is a graduate of Bryant University and Roger Williams University School of Law. At Roger Williams, Joe was awarded academic scholarships during each of his three years at the school based on academic merit. Joe also received recognition from the Feinstein Center for outstanding commitment to pro bono legal service, having performed over 100 pro-bono service hours within the community during his time in law school. In addition to his involvement within the school, Joe was fortunate enough to gain a great deal of experience through internships in his spare time. Joe served as a legal intern for the Rhode Island Department of Revenue, the Rhode Island Office of the General Treasurer, and as a law clerk for a firm focused on cases involving personal injury, products liability, and premises liability. During his third year in law school, Joe was accepted into two competitive programs which promote experiential education; The Roger Williams Business Start-up Clinic and the Corporate Counsel Externship Program. At the Business Start-up Clinic, Joe was one of only two students who worked at the clinic as an advanced student practitioner with a temporary license from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Joe not only gained valuable experience in advising and assisting clients with entity formation issues, contracts, articles of incorporation, trademark applications, as well as applications to form 501-(c)(3) corporations, but he also maintained a role as a supervisor and advisor to other clinic members and assisted them with their respective clients. In addition to his work with the Business Start-up Clinic, Joe simultaneously participated in Roger Williams’ Corporate Counsel Externship program, where he was offered a externship position in the legal department at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island under the company’s general counsel. Joe gained valuable exposure to the healthcare industry, medical claims, and general insurance knowledge that to this day allows him to better serve his clients who may be suffering from life changing injuries. Today, Joe proudly represents clients who have been injured in personal injury, wrongful death, products liability, and medical malpractices cases, both in Connecticut State Court and in the Tribal Courts for Connecticut’s two casinos, Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods. In his spare time, Joe enjoys hiking, camping, archery, and restoring musical instruments.

Matthew F. Dolan is a lifelong resident of Connecticut. Attorney Dolan handles the firm’s Family Law matters, with a particular focus on high asset divorce cases. Attorney Dolan has been named to the National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 for the State of Connecticut, he has been selected as a New England Super Lawyers Rising Star in the area of Family Law from 2015 through 2019 (each year, no more than 2.5% are named to the Rising Stars list), and he received the 2017 Connecticut Law Tribune New Leader in the Law Award. Attorney Dolan obtained both his Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctorate degrees from the University of Connecticut. While in law school, Attorney Dolan served as an intern for the Center for Children’s Advocacy, where he represented abused children in family law matters. Attorney Dolan held clerkships with the New Haven law firm Lynch, Traub, Keefe, & Errante, as well as the State of Connecticut Superior Court Family Division. Throughout his various clerkships, Attorney Dolan played an active role in dozens of Family Law trials. After graduating from law school, and prior to the founding of Dolan Divorce Lawyers, PLLC, Attorney Dolan worked as an associate attorney at the Bristol law firm of Furey, Donovan, Tracy & Daly, with a focus in Family Law. Attorney Dolan is on the Board of Directors of the Jeremy Saxe Foundation for Education and Development, a nonprofit organization aimed at educating underprivileged youth in Nepal. Attorney Dolan resides in Milford.