In celebration of its 90th year, the members of Hawthorne, Ackerly & Dorrance, LLC, the oldest law firm based in New Canaan, announce two major personnel changes.
David Hoyle, who has been practicing law with the firm for the past seven years as an associate attorney, has been made a member.
Hoyle has just been added to the 2015 Connecticut and New England Super Lawyers lists as a “Rising Star” in the area of probate and estates, a distinction awarded to no more than 2.5 percent of lawyers in Connecticut.
Attorney Hoyle earned his J.D. and LLM in Estate Planning and Elder Law from the Western New England School of Law in Springfield, Mass. and received his undergraduate degree from Trinity College. He currently serves as the Co-Chairman of the Elder Law Committee of the Fairfield County Bar Association.
Kaitlyn Pacelli, a lifelong resident of New Canaan, a Phi Beta Kappa recipient and summa cum laude graduate of Fairfield University and a recent graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Law, has joined the firm as an associate attorney.
Prior to joining the firm, she worked as a legal intern for Hawthorne, Ackerly & Dorrance, and as a student associate at the law school’s Intellectual Property Clinic where she counseled clients on copyright and trademark registration. During law school Pacelli earned a Certificate in Intellectual Property Law and received the Aspen Law & Business Award for her achievement in the study of Trusts and Estates and the CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Trusts and Estates. Attorney Pacelli is admitted to practice in both Connecticut and New York.
A senior member at the firm, Jeremiah S. Miller, who was recently honored as a Top Lawyer in Fairfield County for Estate Planning and Settlement by AVVO and published by Moffly Media, said: “We now have newer attorneys at 25 South Ave. that provide an additional depth and breadth of services to our clients. We are constantly interacting with each other to be absolutely sure that the best, most efficient results are achieved.”
In addition to Mr. Miller, the other attorneys in the firm are Michelle Hubbard, George Baker and Lawrence Mannix. A complete listing of the firm’s areas of practice and full biographical information for all the attorneys can be found on the firm’s website.