David W. Griffin (Partner)

David W. Griffin is licensed in the State of Connecticut, having been admitted to the Bar in 1983. For the past 15 years, Attorney Griffin has focused his practice on matrimonial law, including negotiation and litigation throughout Connecticut on behalf of parents in the areas of divorce, custody, visitation, relocation, alimony and support. He has served as the court-appointed guardian ad litem for minor children and as the attorney for minor children, and is skilled in the preparation and negotiation of prenuptial agreements. He serves as a Family Special Master at the Connecticut Regional Family Trial Docket, a statewide trial court maintained for high-conflict divorce and custody cases, where he has been selected to act as Special Master in some of the most complicated and contentious cases pending at that docket. He also previously served as a Special Master in the Waterbury Judicial District, where he served for several years as the Chairman of the Family Law Section of the Waterbury Bar Association. He is a member of the Family Law of the Connecticut and American Bar Associations and a member of the Fairfield County Bar Association. He is also admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut.

Attorney Griffin's early years of practice prepared him uniquely to assist family law clients. He began his practice in a commercial law firm in New Haven, Connecticut and thereafter served as General Counsel of a large regional real estate development firm with projects throughout New England and Florida. These experiences gave him a broad understanding of land use, residential and commercial real estate development and valuation, financing vehicles and insights into the various ways in which income or value can be generated by real estate: zoning, leasing, lending, construction and sales, all of which mirror the types of issues which must be managed on behalf of clients in high net worth matrimonial cases. Similarly, his past legal experience in business structuring, internet and ecommerce law give him an excellent understanding of the ways in which a high net worth individual might structure his or her assets and the ways in which computer systems and networks might be accessed for discovery and other purposes.

Attorney Griffin is the former Chairman of the Boards of Directors and Trustees of The Waterbury Hospital and at various times, chaired or served on the Executive Committee, Finance Committee, Audit Committee, Governance and Nominating Committee, Executive Compensation Committee and CEO Search Committee. He formerly served as a Board liaison to the Medical Staff Executive Committee. He also previously served as a member of the Waterbury Hospital Network Affiliation/Merger Task Force and as Secretary of the Network and Hospital corporations. His extensive work in these settings creates advantage for clients of the firm, in that he has knowledge and experience dealing with budgets and financial reporting in the hundreds of millions of dollars, the ability to review and understand balance sheets and income statements in both cash and accrual accounting formats, familiarity with depreciation and cash flows, capital expenses and budgets, various reimbursement and compensation arrangements, an understanding of merger considerations and a fluency with medical practice affiliations and the complexities of large organizations.

Attorney Griffin is the author of "It's Nearly Always About the House", an article covering real estate issues and considerations published in the Spring 2010 issue of the Family Advocate, the national publication of the American Bar Association Section of Family Law. He was recently selected to be a presenter and trainer for the State of Connecticut Judicial Branch Guardian ad Litem training course, presenting on "What to expect at the Regional Family Trial Docket" and "How to Encourage and Assist Parents in Reaching Agreement in the Best Interests of the Minor Children." He has previously lectured in the Continuing Legal Education setting on the Hague Convention and the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act.

Attorney Griffin received his B.A. degree in politics from Ithaca College and his J.D. from the University of Houston. As with Attorney Oldham, he has been a licensed private pilot since 1985 and comes from a family of lawyers – his father was an attorney for over 60 years and both of his brothers are attorneys. He is the father of two children and two step-children.