“Law is based on written communication. That is what makes up the judge’s mind.”

Thomas Plotkin practices in the areas of Appellate Law, Environmental and Land Use, and Municipal Law. His years of experience coupled with his writing skills allow him to truly use the English language to his clients’ advantage. Tom’s in-depth focus on the details, no matter how small, are what sets him apart in the legal world. For this reason, his researching skills ensure his clients that he will use all available information to achieve the best possible outcome.

He is attentive to client concerns and keeps his clients apprised about appellate issues, helping them anticipate and prepare for appeals. At the Hartford, Connecticut general litigation firm where he formerly practiced, owing to his research and writing skills, Tom was the go-to person for dispositive motions, and for several years was solely responsible for the firm’s appeals. Tom believes that strong persuasive legal writing requires a combination of scholarship and storytelling ability, where the attorney intertwines a compelling narrative of the relevant facts with a thoroughly researched exposition of the applicable law. Both the storyteller and the scholar were on display to the client’s advantage in Elvira Gonzalez v. O&G Industries, Inc. where Tom successfully won summary judgment on the issue of negligence for the owner of a power plant sued for a construction site explosion, and then prevailed again on appeal to the Connecticut Supreme Court.

Tom’s research and writing efforts have achieved wins for clients in diverse areas, including zoning, questions of statutory interpretation, defense of CUTPA violations, municipal seizure of neglected animals, and eminent domain.

While in law school, Tom was the Symposium Editor for the Connecticut Insurance Law Journal. He was also awarded the CALI Award for Class Performance in both Criminal Appellate Clinic and American Constitutional History.