Lawrence C. Sgrignari has been engaged in civil litigation and municipal law for over 35 years. He has successfully tried, arbitrated and mediated numerous jury and court cases, involving serious personal injury, business and commercial disputes and contested probate matters, including will challenges and appeals to the superior court. Mr. Sgrignari has represented individuals in administrative agency hearings before the Workers’ Compensation Commission, the Compensation Review Board and many state licensing agencies. He has appeared and argued before the State Appellate and Supreme Courts.
In addition to his civil trial practice, Mr. Sgrignari has extensive municipal experience, having served as Assistant Town Attorney for the Town of East Haven from 1985 to 1987 and as Town Attorney from 1987 through 1991 and again from 1997 through 2007. In connection with his municipal law practice, Mr. Sgrignari has represented East Haven and other municipalities in administrative proceedings, including matters before the State Board of Labor Relations, the Board of Mediation and Arbitration, the Freedom of Information Commission and other state agencies. He has negotiated and arbitrated collective bargaining agreements and grievances and has handled disciplinary hearings before local agencies and state mediators and arbitrators. Mr. Sgrignari has successfully litigated and resolved many high profile disputes on behalf of his municipal clients; most recently, he was instrumental in negotiating a settlement agreement between the Town of East Haven and the United States Department of Justice relating to effective and constitutional policing.
Mr. Sgrignari received his undergraduate degree from the University of New Haven, magna cum laude, in 1981 and his law degree, cum laude, from Temple University School of Law in 1984. After graduating law school, Mr. Sgrignari served as a judicial clerk for the State of Connecticut Superior Court, conducting legal research on a variety of matters. After concluding the judicial clerkship in 1985, Mr. Sgrignari began employment with the firm of Gesmonde, Pietrosimone and Sgrignari, L.L.C. where he currently serves as the managing member. In addition to his private and municipal law practice, Mr. Sgrignari also served as a member of the State of Connecticut Judicial Selection Commission from 2003 through 2006, a Hearing Officer for the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles from 2008 through 2011, and as a Special Master for Tax Appeals at the New Haven Superior Court.
Mr. Sgrignari is listed as a Top 100 Trial Lawyer by The National Trial Lawyers and recognized as a Connecticut Super Lawyer. He was admitted to the Connecticut Bar in 1984, and to the U. S. District Court, District of Connecticut in 1985. He is a member of the New Haven County Bar Association, Connecticut Bar Association, American Bar Association, American Association for Justice, a Fellow of the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation and a member of the Board of Governors of the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association.
