Ex-DCF commissioner takes job at Hartford law firm

Joette Katz, the former commissioner of the Department of Children and Families and the former Connecticut Associate Supreme Court Justice, has taken a job with the prominent Hartford law firm, Shipman & Goodwin LLP.

Katz, who served 11 years as commissioner and almost two decades on the state Supreme Court, will work with the firm’s business litigation group.

“Joette has had an exemplary career of public service on behalf of the state of Connecticut. Her experience in the judicial and executive branches of state government over a lifetime, as well as her commitment to our state, are extraordinary,” Alan E. Lieberman, Managing Partner of Shipman & Goodwin said in a statement. “We are honored that she has chosen this firm as her new professional home.”

A statement from the firm said that Katz will work in several areas, including with the firm’s practitioners who handle federal, state and administrative appeals. Katz will also be a “significant contributor” to the law firm’s pro-bono efforts, the statement said, providing legal services on behalf of the underserved and underprivileged members of the community.

Katz said in a statement, “I gave a great deal of thought to the next and likely final stage of my career, and am delighted to join Shipman & Goodwin, which has a stellar reputation for excellence and integrity.’

“We are all working together and thinking outside of the box to create real value for our clients doing business in Connecticut and beyond,” Katz continued. “I am confident the firm will support the development of my practice and allow me to contribute in a variety of ways consistent with my more than four decades of legal experience.”