Pullman & Comley Attorneys Win Big at 2025 New England Legal Awards
BOSTON — Multiple Pullman & Comley attorneys were honored at ALM’s 2025 New England Legal Awards at The Westin Copley Place in Boston on Oct. 23. The New England Legal Awards celebrate professional excellence within the legal community across Connecticut, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, honoring outstanding contributions and achievements of legal professionals within the region.
The following Pullman & Comley attorneys were recognized:
- Lifetime Achievement Award — D. Robert Morris
- Specialty Litigation Department of the Year — Alternative Dispute Resolution practice
- Outstanding Officiator — Judge Robert L. Holzberg (Ret.)
- Best Mentor — Megan Youngling Carannante
- Most Promising Newcomer — Danielle Erickson
- Most Promising Newcomer — Meagan A. Cauda (finalist)
“A lifetime achievement award signifies sustained excellence over a long period of time, and Rob exemplifies that standard,” says Lee D. Hoffman, chair of Pullman & Comley. “As chairman of the firm for two decades, Rob made a lasting impact not only on his fellow attorneys and colleagues here, but across the entire region as well.”
Pullman & Comley’s distinguished Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) practice group is once again the Specialty Litigation Department of the Year for its excellence in arbitration or mediation, earning this honor previously in 2023. The firm was also named the top ADR overall provider in ALM's Best of New England Survey in 2020. The practice group’s five retired judges collectively have almost 100 years of judicial experience, and the team also includes attorneys who are American Arbitration Association (AAA) panelists with significant litigation and transactional experience.
In addition to the winners that were announced prior to the awards ceremony, three other Pullman & Comley attorneys took home top honors in their respective categories.
Judge Robert L. Holzberg (Ret.), who leads the firm’s award-winning ADR practice, was the winner for Outstanding Officiator, which honors a judge, retired judge or ADR professional who has demonstrated exceptional fairness, effectiveness and dedication in their officiating roles.
Megan Youngling Carannante, co-chair of the firm’s Labor, Employment Law and Employee Benefits practice, was the winner for Best Mentor, which is awarded to a senior attorney who has shown exceptional dedication to guiding and developing the next generation of legal talent. Ms. Carannante is a seasoned litigator and counselor who represents clients ranging from small business owners to Fortune 500 companies. She also serves as co-chair of the firm’s Colleges, Universities and Independent Schools practice.
Danielle Erickson was named Most Promising Newcomer, an award that highlights attorneys with three or fewer years in practice who have shown remarkable potential, initiative and legal skill. Ms. Erickson is an associate in the Trusts and Estates and Tax practices where she assists with estate planning and estate and trust administration. Meagan A. Cauda, an associate in the firm’s Litigation and Appellate practices who focuses on civil appeals and general commercial litigation, was a finalist in this category.
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.
