News & Events

Connecticut has a multitude of new and updated employment laws going into effect on October 1, 2021. Two of the most significant, PA 21-30 and PA-21-69, target discrimination in the workplace. Specifically, PA 21-30 attempts to curb gender-based discrimination, while PA 21-69 focuses on age-based discrimination. PA 21-30: Disclosure of Wage Ranges Effective October 1, 2021, employers will be required to provide both job applicants and employees with a wage range for their desired or current po ...

UKS Hartford Principal, Thomas A. Gugliotti  co-authored an article titled “Enhancing Pro Bono Representation in Consumer Bankruptcy Cases”, featured in this month’s CT Lawyer magazine. The article is about the new Connecticut Bar Association Commercial Law & Bankruptcy Section pro bono bankruptcy program.  This pro bono program has two primary objectives: (1) to create an organized means to recruit and maintain a list of volunteer attorneys who are willing to take on representation of indiv ...

On Saturday, September 25, 2021, UKS Attorney Christopher L. Brigham will be a guest speaker at The Connecticut Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) 2021 Annual Conference of Governance. Attorney Brigham will provide an overview of some of the issues Heads of School and school counsel have confronted over the last year. Click here to learn more. Christopher L. Brigham, a Shareholder with Updike, Kelly & Spellacy and Chairman of the Employment Practices Group, focuses his practice on re ...

On July 9, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (“CDC”) released updated guidance for K-12 school administrators outlining strategies for reducing the spread of COVID-19 and maintaining safe operations. The update emphasized the importance of in-person learning and called for schools to implement layered prevention strategies to ensure that schools can safely continue providing in-person education.  The need for specific layered prevention strategies may vary. Administrators s ...

On June 22, 2021, Governor Ned Lamont signed into law Senate Bill 1201, “An Act Concerning Responsible and Equitable Regulation of Adult-Use Cannabis.” The bill covers age restrictions, limits on the amount and type of cannabis/cannabis products an adult may have in their possession; licensing requirements and regulations for cannabis establishments; and other applicable policies. The bill specifically addresses the effect on employers in sections 97 through 101. Section 101 went into effect on ...

On June 7, 2021, Governor Ned Lamont signed into law House Bill 6380, “An Act Concerning the Disclosure of Salary Range for a Vacant Position.” The bill requires employers of one or more employees to disclose the “wage range” of a position to both prospective and current employees. The bill also modifies the standard for wage discrimination on the basis of sex. The law goes into effect on October 1, 2021.  “Wage Range”  The bill defines “wage range” as:  [T]he range of wages an employer antic ...

At the Hartford County Bar Association’s 2021 Annual Meeting held on Tuesday, May 18, 2021, UKS Shareholder Kevin J. McEleney was designated as the President-Elect of the HCBA for the 2022-2023 term. Attorney McEleney practices in the areas of creditor’s rights, bankruptcy and commercial litigation. He couples his depth of technical knowledge in commercial law and bankruptcy with a passion for trial litigation. Combining these skillsets, Attorney McEleney endeavors to provide practical, busines ...

UKS Associate Valerie M. Ferdon was appointed as a member to the Meritas Women's Leadership Congress. The Meritas Women's Leadership Congress furthers Meritas' commitment to diversity and inclusion by creating a Congress that celebrates the path to leadership for women lawyers in its network. Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C. is a founding member of MERITAS™, a business alliance of more than 7,000 lawyers in 175 independent member firms in 80 countries around the globe that are dedicated to pro ...

UKS Attorney Richard D. Carella is this year’s winner of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce Robert Briggs Award, which is presented to an individual in recognition of their contributions made to the community and chamber’s annual golf tournament. Click here to read the full article. ...

Thomas A. Gugliotti, Esq. May 11, 2021  Substitute Bill No. 6356, “An Act Adopting the Uniform Commercial Real Estate Receivership Act” (the “Bill”), now pending in the Connecticut Legislature, if passed and signed into law, would provide an alternative (but not a replacement) to the present usual remedy of a judicial foreclosure upon default in a real estate mortgage.  Under current Connecticut law (and as has been the case for decades – even safe to say, centuries), upon a default in a real ...