Attorneys and Support Staff

Heather Bannister, Senior Legislative Attorney

       heather.bannister@cga.ct.gov
       (860) 240-8410

Committee Assignments

• Current: Appropriations Committee
• Previous: Supervisor of Statute Revision, Public Health and Human Services Committees

Education/Bar Memberships

• Admitted: Connecticut 2006
• Admitted: U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut 2007
• Quinnipiac University School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude
• University of Washington, B.A. in Communications, cum laude

Heather joined LCO in 2008. Prior to joining LCO, Heather worked in private practice focused on public and private sector labor and employment matters.

Christopher J. Cordima, Senior Legislative Attorney

       christopher.cordima@cga.ct.gov
       (860) 240-8410

Committee Assignments

• Current: Banking, Education, Regulation Review
• Previous: Children, Higher Education and Employment Advancement, Program Review & Investigations

Education/Bar Memberships

• Admitted: Connecticut 2006
• Roger Williams University School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2006
• Gettysburg College, B.A. Political Science, summa cum laude, 2003

Marie P. Grady, Senior Legislative Attorney

       marie.grady@cga.ct.gov
       (860) 240-8410

Committee Assignments

• Current: Human Services, Aging    

Education/Bar Memberships

• Admitted: Connecticut 2010
• Western new England School of Law, J.D., 2010

Prior to joining LCO, Marie was a daily newspaper journalist for more than two decades. She served as managing editor of The Republican newspaper in Springfield, MA., and the Connecticut Law Tribune. In addition to having her own private practice focused on appellate and federal immigration law, Marie also coordinated a literacy program in western Massachusetts before joining LCO in 2012.

Naurin Hashmi, Legislative Attorney

       naurin.hashmi@cga.ct.gov
       (860) 240-8410

Committee Assignments

• Current: Higher Education and Employment Advancement, Children

Education/Bar Memberships

• Admitted: Connecticut 2009, New York 2012
• University of Connecticut School of law, J.D., 2009
• Rutgers University, B.A. Political Science, 2005

Prior to joining LCO in December 2018, Naurin worked in private practice in the areas of real estate and corporate transactions and defense litigation.

Eileen Lawlor-Parker, Senior Legislative Attorney

       eileen.lawlor@cga.ct.gov
       (860) 240-8410

Committee Assignments

• Public Health
• Previous: Banks, Children

Education/Bar Memberships

• Admitted: Connecticut 2002, New York 2003
• Admitted: U.S. District Court 2003
• Quinnipiac University School of Law, J.D., cum laude
• Boston University, B.A. in French Language and Literature, cum laude

Eileen brought years of legal experience with her when she began working at LCO in 2008. She was a litigation associate at Nuzzo & Roberts, LLC, for several years; a temporary assistant clerk for the Waterbury Superior Court; and a legal research clerk for the judges of the Litchfield Superior Court.

Shannon McCarthy, Chief Legislative Attorney

       shannon.mccarthy@cga.ct.gov
       (860) 240-8496

Committee Assignments

• Current: GAE, Housing, Regulation Review and Executive and Legislative Nominations
• Previous: Environment, Public Safety, Veterans' Affairs

Education/Bar Memberships

• Admitted: Connecticut 2004
• University of Connecticut School of Law, J.D., 2004
• Saint Anselm College, B.A. History (minor in French), 1999

Prior to joining LCO in 2005, Shannon worked for multiple general practitioners in a variety of fields, including criminal law, family law, worker's compensation law and real estate law. She worked as a research assistant and assisted various firms in doing title searches and in writing motions and appellate briefs. Prior to obtaining her law degree, Shannon studied French at the Sorbonne in Paris and lived in France for two years.

Sarah O'Connor, Associate Legislative Attorney

       sarah.oconnor@cga.ct.gov
       (860) 240-8410

Committee Assignments

• Current: Children, Planning and Development

Education/Bar Memberships

• Admitted: Connecticut, Massachusetts
• Western New England College School of Law, J.D., 2013
• Smith College, B.A., Government, 2005

Before joining LCO, Sarah was a legal research clerk in Hartford Superior Court, where she specialized in complex litigation matters. During law school, she served on the executive board of the Western New England Law Review and completed internships in the Massachusetts Attorney General's office and United States District Court. Prior to law school, Sarah was legislative director to a Massachusetts state senator.

William F. O'Shea, Chief Legislative Attorney

william.oshea@cga.ct.gov
       (860) 240-8451

Committee Assignments

• Current: Judiciary and Regulation Review
• Previous: Public Health, Human Services, Aging

Education/Bar Memberships

• Admitted: Connecticut, U.S. District Court of Connecticut
• Western New England College School of Law
• Boston College, B.A., Political Science

Before joining the Legislative Commissioners' Office, Bill was in private practice and litigated family law cases. He routinely appeared in state court representing clients on dissolution of marriage, alimony property division, custody, visitation, support and relocation matters.

Nicholas Panzarella

       nicholas.panzarella@cga.ct.gov
      (860) 240-8339

Committee Assignments

• Current: Commerce, Public Health

Angela Rehm, Chief Legislative Attorney

       angela.rehm@cga.ct.gov
       (860) 240-8312

Committee Assignments

• Current: Judiciary
• Previous: General Law, Banks, Education, Higher Education, Appropriations, Program Review and Investigation, Government Administration and Elections, Regulation Review         

Education/Bar Memberships

• Admitted: Connecticut, New York
• Cornell Law School, J.D.
• University of Washington, B.A. History and Jackson School of International Studies

Christopher Reinhart, Senior Legislative Attorney

      christopher.reinhart@cga.ct.gov
      (860) 240-8410

Committee Assignments

• Current: Finance, Revenue and Bonding, Public Safety and Security
• Previous: Veterans' Affairs

Education/Bar Memberships

• Admitted: Connecticut 1997
• William and Mary School of Law, J.D., 1997
• Colby College, B.A., 1993

Before joining the Legislative Commissioners' Office, Chris worked in the Connecticut General Assembly's Office of Legislative Research for 18 years and led the Legislative Policy and Research Office at the Oregon Legislative Assembly. He joined LCO in 2018.

Kumi Sato, Senior Legislative Attorney

       kumi.sato@cga.ct.gov
       (860) 240-8415

Committee Assignments

• Current: Finance Revenue and Bonding, Regulation Review
• Previous: Insurance and Real Estate

Education/Bar Memberships

• Admitted: Connecticut 2007, New York 2007
• University of Connecticut School of Law, J.D., with Honors, 2006
• Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford, cum laude, B.Mus.Ed.

Before joining LCO, Kumi worked for the Connecticut Food Association for 13 years and spent her last year with the trade group serving as its interim executive director.

Catriona Stratton, Associate Legislative Attorney

catriona.stratton@cga.ct.gov

Committee Assignments

• Current:
• Previous: Public Safety, Transportation

Education/Bar Memberships

• Admitted: Illinois; Connecticut
• Saint Louis University School of Law, J.D.
• Benedictine College, B.A. Political Science and History

Michael L. Tellerico, Senior Legislative Attorney

       michael.tellerico@cga.ct.gov
       (860) 240-8410

Committee Assignments

• Current: GAE, Veterans' Affairs, Regulation Review
• Previous: Planning and Development

Education/Bar Memberships

• Admitted: Connecticut 2014
• University of Connecticut School of Law, J.D., 2014
• Fairfield University, B.A., Politics and Sociology & Anthropology (minor in Jazz/Popular Music), summa cum laude, 2005

Before joining LCO in 2014, Michael interned during law school throughout and around Connecticut state government, spending time with the Office of the Attorney General, the General Assembly and the Office of the Secretary of the State, as well as with Halloran & Sage Government Affairs. While at UConn Law, he served as Symposium Editor for the Connecticut Law Review, Vol. 46 and Litigation Director for the Connecticut Moot Court Board, earned a CALI Excellence Award in Election Law and received top marks in Justice David Borden's course on Statutory Interpretation.

Bradford M. Towson, Chief Legislative Attorney

       bradford.towson@cga.ct.gov
       (860) 240-8480

Committee Assignments

• Current: Environment, Regulation Review Committee
• Previous: Government Administration and Elections, General Law, Commerce, Aging

Education/Bar Memberships

• Admitted: Connecticut 1997
• Rutgers Law School, J.D., with Honors, 1997
• Wesleyan University, B.A. Government, 1994

Prior to joining the General Assembly in 2000, Bradford was an associate attorney with a boutique defense litigation firm specializing in insurance and medical malpractice claims. From 1997 to 1998 he served as a judicial law clerk for the judges of the Connecticut Superior Court system. Bradford has drafted model legislation concerning air emissions standards for electric generating facilities and transmission line moratoriums for Long Island Sound, as well as noteworthy legislation to overhaul the state of Connecticut's procurement process, reconstitute the state's ethics agency and implement comprehensive campaign finance reform.

Brian F. Valko, Associate Legislative Attorney

       brian.valko@cga.ct.gov
       (860) 240-8391

Committee Assignments

• Current: Insurance & Real Estate

Education/Bar Memberships

• Admitted: Connecticut 2010
• Quinnipiac University School of Law, J.D., 2010
• University of South Carolina, B.A., Political Science, summa cum laude, 2007

Before joining the Legislative Commissioners' Office in 2017, Brian worked as a litigation associate at a boutique law firm in New Haven. From 2010 to 2011 he served as the judicial law clerk for Judges William J. Lavery and Francis X. Hennessy of the Connecticut Appellate Court.

Audrey Giorgio, Legislative Secretary

       audrey.giorgio@cga.ct.gov
       (860) 240-8497 

Audrey worked as a sessional employee during the 2010 legislative session and then joined LCO on a permanent basis in December of that year. Previously, she was the executive assistant to the president of the Connecticut Economic Resource Center and the executive assistant to the president of Bob's Stores. Audrey also volunteers for Manes and Motions, a therapeutic horse program for patients with disabilities.

Kristin Karr, Statute Revision Supervisor

kristin.karr@cga.ct.gov

(860) 240-8484

Education/Bar Memberships

• Admitted: Colorado
• University of Denver, Sturm College of Law, J.D., 2007
• The University of Iowa, School of Library and Information Science, M.A., 1999
• University of Nebraska-Lincoln, B.A., Psychology (minor in Computer Science), 1997

Prior to joining LCO, Kristin was the Publications Division Manager at the Office of the Secretary of the State, which included administration of the state-of-the-art Connecticut eRegulations System and annual production of the 130-year-old Connecticut State Register and Manual. She has worked as a research librarian and law librarian, including at the Yale Child Study Center, an environmental firm in Denver, and the Colorado and Wyoming Supreme Court libraries. Following law school, she also dedicated a few years to legal practice as an immigration attorney before returning to librarianship.

Richard Hunter

(860) 240-8490

Education

• Louisiana State University, Ph.D. Geography
• South Dakota State University, M.S. Geography
• South Dakota State University, B.S. Geography
• South Dakota State University, B.A. History

Prior to joining LCO in 2021, Richard served as an associate editor of the Journal of Latin American Geography, sat on journal editorial boards, and authored academic book reviews, encyclopedia entries and annotated bibliographies. His research into the colonial-era environmental degradation of central Mexico has appeared in geographic and interdisciplinary science journals.