Day Pitney LLP is pleased to announce the confirmation of partner Michael P. Shea as federal judge to the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. He was nominated by President Barack Obama on February 2, 2012, to fill the seat vacated by Judge Christopher Droney, who was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 2011.

A seasoned litigator, Shea heads Day Pitney's full-service 20-lawyer?Appellate Practice Group and has represented individuals, nonprofits and corporations in a broad range of civil and criminal cases. He has argued more than 20 civil and criminal appeals, including in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the Connecticut Supreme and Appellate courts.

"We are proud to have one of our own fellow partners join the ranks of Connecticut's highly respected federal bench," said Day Pitney Managing Partner Stanley A. Twardy. "Mike has made great contributions to the firm and the community and we congratulate him on this great honor."

Born in Hartford, Shea received his Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, in 1989 from Amherst College and his J.D. from Yale Law School in 1993. He served as a law clerk to the United States Circuit Judge James L. Buckley of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit from 1993 to 1994. Prior to joining Day Pitney, Shea practiced U.S. and EC antitrust law in Washington, D.C., and Brussels, Belgium.

Shea joins an elite group of former Day Pitney partners who have been appointed to the federal bench, including U.S. Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill for the District of Connecticut and, most recently, U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos, whose appointment to the Southern District of New York was confirmed by the Senate in December 2011.

About Day Pitney
Day Pitney LLP is a full-service law firm with more than 300 attorneys in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Boston, and Washington, DC. The firm offers clients strong corporate and litigation practices, with experience on behalf of large national and international corporations as well as emerging- and middle-market companies and individuals.