Pullman & Comley Attorney Melinda Kaufmann Promoted to Partner and Jack Cigno Joins Firm as an Associate
HARTFORD, Conn., January 16, 2026: Attorney Melinda B. Kaufmann has been elected as a member of Pullman & Comley, LLC, the law firm announced today. Also, John (Jack) T. Cigno has joined the firm as an associate.
Melinda is a knowledgeable advisor who assists employers and educational institutions with understanding and applying the myriad of changing federal and state laws. She provides counsel to public and private employers across a variety of industries, including education, restaurants and hospitality, and health care, among others. Melinda focuses on minimizing or preventing employment disputes, but when necessary, she is a fierce advocate in court and before administrative agencies.
Prior to beginning her law career, Melinda earned a master’s degree in special education from The College of Saint Rose and taught special education and mathematics for five years. She received her J.D., Order of the Coif, from William and Mary School of Law and successfully defended a board of education in the first special education federal jury trial in the country. Melinda advises public schools, universities, colleges and independent schools on the full range of educational matters.
“Melinda has a depth of knowledge that, combined with her own lived experiences, really allows her to approach every issue with a clear understanding and comprehensive analysis,” says Megan Youngling Carannante, co-chair of the Labor, Employment Law and Employee Benefits practice at Pullman & Comley. “This promotion is well deserved because she’s such an integral part of so many practice areas at the firm, from labor and employment to school law and education law, and Melinda is one of the foremost authorities on Title IX.”
Melinda is certified as a Civil Rights Investigator through ATIXA and often conducts Title IX and other civil rights investigations. She also acts as a Title IX Decision-Maker. Additionally, she defends employers and their individual officers, agents and employees in federal and state courts and before federal and state agencies regarding various issues including, but not limited to: discrimination, retaliation and harassment claims under Title VI, Title VII, Title IX, Connecticut Fair Employment Practices Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, whistleblower claims, constitutional claims under Section 1983, First Amendment, Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act and various employment-related tort claims.
Melinda is the Vice Chairperson of the Steering Council of the University of Saint Joseph Women's Leadership Center, and is a past president of the Connecticut School Attorneys Council and former trustee of the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame.
A sought-after speaker and trainer, Melinda frequently provides employee training on topics such as Title IX, anti-harassment, special education, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, student discipline, discrimination, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family Medical Leave Act and the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act.
Melinda is admitted to practice in Connecticut and Pennsylvania; the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut; the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania; and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second and Third Circuits.
John (Jack) T. Cigno joins the firm as an associate in the Labor, Employment Law and Employee Benefits practice, with a focus on defending employers against a wide variety of employment litigation claims and providing preventative advice and counseling on diverse workplace matters. He is based in Pullman & Comley’s Bridgeport office.
A graduate of Lafayette College, Jack received his J.D. from University of Connecticut School of Law and served as a Notes and Comments Editor for the Connecticut Law Review. His student-note was awarded “Best Student Note” in 2018. During law school, Jack also gained valuable experience working as a judicial intern to Honorable Alfred V. Covello at the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut, and as an extern for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.
Jack’s extensive litigation experience includes defending against claims asserted under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and analogous state and local discrimination, harassment and wage laws. He also assists employers and management navigate all manner of workplace disputes and issues, including investigations, policy review, wage and hour law compliance, contract negotiations, and providing training.
Jack began his legal career as an associate at a national labor and employment law firm based in New York and was named a New York Super Lawyers “Rising Star” from 2020-2024. Prior to joining Pullman & Comley, he was with a regional firm based in Connecticut.
Jack is admitted to practice in New York; the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut; and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He is not yet admitted to the Connecticut State Bar (application pending).
About Pullman & Comley
Pullman & Comley is one of Connecticut’s largest law firms and, for more than 100 years, has provided a wide range of legal services to clients in the New England region, as well as throughout the United States and internationally. Pullman & Comley’s major practice areas include business organizations and finance; labor, employment law and employee benefits; litigation; public finance; property tax and valuation; real estate, energy, environmental and land use; and trusts and estates, with focused sections including alternative dispute resolution (ADR); bankruptcy and creditors’ rights; education law; family law; health care; and hospitality, among others. The firm has offices in Bridgeport, Hartford and Westport, Connecticut; White Plains, New York; Springfield, Massachusetts; and Wakefield, Rhode Island. The firm is an active member of the Law Firm Alliance (lawfirmalliance.org), an international affiliation of law firms. For more information, please visit www.pullcom.com.
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