Nine local attorneys remembered at Norwich service
Dec. 14—NORWICH — Prior to his long legal career, retired New London County Chief Public Defender Bruce Sturman worked for five years as a promoter for rock 'n' roll bands and used to walk into the courthouse snapping his fingers and humming a tune.
Before he was a successful Norwich attorney with a deep commitment to public service that included free legal service to those in need, Konstant "Konnie" W. Morrell grew up in poverty and shared shoes with his cousins.
They were just a few of the stories shared on Thursday as dozens of members of the local legal community paid tribute to their colleagues who died over the past year.
The annual New London County Bar Association Service of Remembrance, held in a packed courtroom at Norwich Superior Court, was a chance to honor friends and colleagues in what New London Superior Court Judge John Newson said is a tight-knit community. He added the lawyers and judges often attended school and worked together and in many cases spent their careers close to the areas where they grew up.
"Many of us have not only been colleagues but friends," Newson said.
The nine honored Thursday's were Sturman, Morrell, Matthew Auger, Narcy Z. Dubicki, Beth A. Hogan, P. Michael Lahan, Kenneth A. Leary, Michele Jones Delmhorst and John C. O'Brien.
An emotional Conrad Seifert recalled meeting his wife and former law partner Beth Hogan in "one of the most unromantic places on earth," a courtroom. Hogan was representing an indigent woman on behalf of the Connecticut Prison Association at the time and continued her work helping others for the rest of her career, Seifert said.
"Beth lived a life in service to others and at her core was a social activist, a community organizer and a political trailblazer," Seifert said.
Hogan, the former first selectwoman in East Lyme, died Jan. 28 at the age of 64 of pancreatic cancer.
Connecticut Superior Court Judge Matthew Auger, a former New London-based attorney known for his upbeat demeanor, died of cancer in April at the age of 65. Auger, a retired captain in the Judge Advocate General Corps of the U.S. Naval Reserve, was a longtime volunteer with the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center, an organization that provided free assistance to veterans.
Judge Edward O'Hanlan of Old Lyme, Auger's longtime friend and colleague, announced on Thursday that the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center was establishing a presence in New London at the offices of the law firm Suisman Shapiro, where Auger used to work.
He unveiled a proclamation from Gov. Ned Lamont naming it the Captain Matthew E. Auger USNR Office. O'Hanlan said the office would serve to commemorate the spirit and dedication Auger exemplified. The office will be overseen by Connecticut Veterans Legal Center. John Durham, a retired U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut, has agreed to work with the organization in a pro bono capacity in that space. Local attorneys are also being encouraged to volunteer their time.
Editor's note: The Connecticut Veterans Legal Center will oversee a new space in New London to provide legal assistance to veterans. This report was updated to clarify that information.
