UConn law school honors alums’ successes

The UConn School of Law honored four distinguished members of the Connecticut legal community. The revered alumni come from many different lines of work, including politics, finance, teaching and jurisprudence, and will receive their awards at the UConn School of Law annual meeting this week.

The recipient of the Distinguished Graduate Award went to the Chair of the Financial Restructuring Group at Bracewell & Giuliani, Evan D. Flaschen (’82). An adjunct professor at UConn Law, his main practice revolves around private investment funds, distressed merger and acquisition transactions and out-of-court company restructurings. He has traveled the world to represent his clients, having appeared in courts in over four continents. Flaschen has lectured over 150 times in restructuring and distressed debt making him accomplished in the field of research. He has been cited in more than 100 scholarly journals and courts all around the U.S.

Former Dean of UConn Law Jeremy Paul received the Distinguished Service Award after his 23-year tenure at the school. He dedicated his time enriching the law school, establishing many programs during his term as dean, including a Center for Energy and Environmental Law, a Doctor of Juridical Science program for foreign students and an initiative to spend a semester in Washington, D.C. As a highly lauded academic and educator, Paul has also taught at Boston College and University of Miami, primarily in constitutional law, property and jurisprudence.

The Medal of Excellence was awarded to Former Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, Ellen Ash Peters. In 1984, she was named chief justice and became the first woman to hold this position. She is now a judge trial referee in the appellate court. A professor at Yale Law School for 22 years, she was a visiting professor at UConn, teaching a contracts class and a seminar looking at how federal and state laws interact.

Current Hartford Mayor Pedro E. Segarra (’85) received the Public Service Award. He was formerly a managing partner of the Law Office of Segarra and Lopez, before being the second openly gay mayor of an American state capital city. In 1991, Segarra was the youngest person to be appointed as corporation counsel for the City of Hartford. He has established a myriad of initiatives for his community – the Hogar Crea Hartford branch (a Puerto Rican institution that helps drug addicts break their habit), the Hispanic Health Council and the Connecticut Latino Achieving Rights and Opportunities (CLARO). He is currently a member of the Connecticut state and federal bars, as well as the Florida bar.

The award winners will receive their awards at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville on Oct. 10.