A small law firm of professionals helping Southington families and businesses
General Info
At Jackson O'Keefe, we are not a mass production law firm. We don't look at you as number, and assign you to a secretary or paralegal for primary "handling". Your calls get through. We are a small firm of professionals, helping businesses and families. Every client's case is handled by a partner-attorney throughout the process. Personal. Professional. Best practices. We carefully review developments in the law on a continual basis, to put your best case forward. Personal injury, real estate, estate planning and wills, family law and divorce, commercial law, DUI and criminal law. The firm is pleased to have received the highest Martindale-Hubbell rating of “AV.” It is also recognized in the Bar Register of Preeminent Attorneys. Additionally, several of our partners have been peer-reviewed by Thomson Reuters as “Super Lawyers,” qualifying as among the top five percent of practicing attorneys in Connecticut. We are also active participants in the Claims and Litigation Management (CLM) Alliance, and employ best practices in our representation. We look forward to assisting you. Call us now at 860.276.8100 to discuss your matter or issues.
Matthew J. O’Keefe is a partner in the Southington office of Jackson O’Keefe. Since joining the firm Mr. O’Keefe’s practice has concentrated in real estate transactions of a wide variety including the representation of lenders, developers, buyers and sellers, all aspects of probate and estate work, and has an extensive family law practice including divorce, child custody and pre-nuptial agreements. He also counsels many businesses and corporations and works with his clients to select and form the best business organization for his clients’ needs.
Our Injury Practice Areas include Auto & Car Accident Cases, Connecticut Car Accident Cases, Connecticut Motorcycle Accident Cases, Connecticut Truck Accident Cases, Defective Products (including seat belts, air bags, child car seats, and tires), Insurance Cases (including low-ball offers), SUV Rollover Cases, Wrongful Death Cases, Other Accidents, Connecticut Bicycle Accident Cases, Connecticut Pedestrian Accident Cases, Connecticut Boating Accident Cases, Connecticut Plane Crashes, Connecticut Bus Accident Cases, Connecticut Train Accidents, Connecticut Construction Accidents, and Connecticut Texting and Distracted Driving Accidents cases, Serious Injury Cases, Catastrophic Injuries (including Amputation Cases, Paralysis & Quadriplegia, and Cases Involving Brain Damage), Severe Back Injuries, Blindness Cases, Birth Injury Cases, Broken Bones, Burns, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) and CRPS, as well as drug class action litigation such as with regard to Mirena IUDs.
Philip R. Dunn, Jr. Since joining the firm in 1988, Attorney Dunn has concentrated in the litigation of tort and contract claims, as well as employment litigation involving wrongful discharge, Title VII discrimination actions and age discrimination cases. He has wide experience litigating premises liability claims, including lead paint litigation, and is one of the few attorneys in Connecticut to try a lead paint poisoning case to a defendant’s verdict. Attorney Dunn obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from Fairfield University in 1985 and obtained his Doctorate of Jurisprudence from the University of Connecticut in 1988. He was admitted to the Connecticut bar in 1988, to the U.S. District Court, District of the Connecticut in 1989, and to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 1995. He is a member of the Hartford County and Connecticut Bar Associations, as well as the Connecticut Defense Lawyers Association. Attorney Dunn is frequently asked to act as an arbitrator and fact finder by the Judges of the Hartford and New Britain Superior Courts.
Employment Discrimination
In September 2021, Attorney Cunningham obtained a defendant’s verdict in an employment discrimination case in which the plaintiff claimed to have been sexually harassed by a supervisor. The plaintiff sought to hold the employer liable for the supervisor’s harassment. The jury rejected the plaintiff’s claim and found for the defendant employer.
Kathryn M. Cunningham Attorney Cunningham has been a member of the Connecticut bar for 19 years. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brigham Young University in 1986 and a Masters degree from Trinity College in 1991, before graduating from the University Of Connecticut School Of Law with her Doctorate of Jurisprudence in 1995, where she also received the American Jurisprudence Award for Excellence in Administrative Law. Since joining the firm in 1995, Attorney Cunningham’s practice has concentrated in the litigation of tort claims involving construction accidents, motor vehicle accidents, premises liability and medical malpractice. She has successfully defended numerous employment discrimination claims brought in both the Superior Court and before the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. A member of the Appellate Practice Group, Attorney Cunningham has also researched and drafted numerous appellate motions and briefs. Attorney Cunningham has received a BV rating from Martindale-Hubbell (High to Very High legal ability rating and Very High general ethical standards rating). She is a member of the Hartford County and Connecticut Bar Associations.
Construction Litigation
Real Estate Transactions
The lawyers at Jackson O’Keefe provide comprehensive legal advice regarding residential real estate transactions to individuals throughout Connecticut. The firm will protect your interests, from the negotiation of the sale or purchase through the closing of the transaction. Contact the firm to schedule a confidential consultation. The law offices of Jackson O’Keefe are approved attorneys for many lenders including: Bank of America, New England Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Rockville Bank, Webster Bank and People’s United Bank. We are also approved attorneys for Connecticut Attorneys Title Insurance Co. (CATIC).
Attorney O’Keefe grew up In Wethersfield and currently resides there with his family. Attorney O’Keefe handles personal injury and litigation matters throughout the State of Connecticut, including clients in Wethersfield, Rocky Hill, Middletown, Old Lyme, Hartford County, New Haven County, Middlesex County, New London County, and Litchfield County.
Medical Malpractice
Peter K. O’Keefe Attorney O’Keefe is the firm’s managing partner. He has been a member of the Connecticut bar for 30 years. He was admitted to the Connecticut bar and the U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut in 1985, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 1987, and to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1989. Attorney O’Keefe is a 1982 graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and obtained his Doctorate of Jurisprudence from Suffolk University, with honors, in 1985. Since joining the firm in 1985, Attorney O’Keefe’s practice has concentrated in all areas of litigation, including construction litigation, products liability, medical malpractice, municipal law and insurance defense. He has extensive experience as a mediator and arbitrator. Attorney O’Keefe has also presented seminars to insurance claims representatives as part of their continuing education. Attorney O’Keefe is a member of the Hartford County and Connecticut Bar Associations, the Connecticut Defense Lawyers Association, and the Defense Research Institute.
The estate planning lawyers at Jackson O’Keefe, in Wethersfield and Southington, provide sophisticated legal counsel in all matters related to estate planning and probate administration. The firm’s attorneys have a thorough understanding of the tools available to plan for the distribution of your estate, as well as the tax and probate implications of the different strategies. Jackson O’Keefe will work with you to ensure that your estate incurs the minimal tax burden and that your heirs receive the full benefit of your estate.
Wills
Trusts
A living trust can be either revocable or irrevocable. A revocable trust can be changed or revoked after its creation.A person signing an irrevocable trust gives up the right to change or revoke the trust. A revocable trust is devised to supplement a will or to name someone to handle the grantor’s affairs should the grantor become incapacitated. A trust usually must be made irrevocable if the grantor wants to avoid income or estate taxes. Tax authorities consider the grantor of a revocable trust to be the owner of the property because he or she still controls the property. Thus, income from assets held in a revocable trust must be reported as income to the grantor for income tax purposes. At the death of the grantor, property in a revocable trust is included in the estate for calculating estate taxes. An irrevocable trust can be designed to be the beneficiary of a life insurance policy. A “life insurance trust” also may spell out how the policy’s money is distributed to survivors. Irrevocable trusts often are set up to manage money given to minors and to charities. An irrevocable trust can be used to transfer assets to another person in the event that the grantor requires expensive medical care. A trust may protect the grantor’s family by ensuring that the cost of medical care does not wipe out the family fortune; it may also render the grantor ineligible to receive federal and/or state assistance.
Power of Attorney
Once you have decided how to proceed, the firm will prepare any documents required to implement your estate plan, including wills, trusts, powers of attorney and health care directives. Jackson O’Keefe will also serve as conservator if your loved one lacks capacity or advise you if you have been appointed as a conservator.
The estate plan should be reviewed periodically to ensure that the testator’s estate planning goals continue to be met. As a rule of thumb, an estate plan should be reviewed upon the happening of a significant life occurrence (such as the birth of a child, marriage, divorce, change of state or country of residence, or significant change of financial position), or every three to five years regardless of significant life occurrences. Periodic review is critical to determine when an estate plan without Connecticut estate tax planning should be replaced with a plan with estate tax planning.