Day Pitney LLP assisted with the successful merger of three organizations comprising Connecticut's statewide association of volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). As part of the national CASA network, the surviving entity, Connecticut CASA, will continue the crucial work of advocating for the best interests of children who have experienced abuse or neglect so that every child can find a safe, permanent home to thrive.  

Day Pitney, a law firm with close to 300 attorneys spread across six states and the District of Columbia, has a long tradition of providing pro bono services to individuals of limited means and community-based nonprofit organizations that might not otherwise have access to legal services. In the middle of what many corporate lawyers have described as the busiest year-end in recent memory, a team led by Erin Magennis Healy and John Kaschak and supported by Rick Harris and Peter Chadwick, provided counsel to the three organizations and guided the merger across the finish line just in time to ring in the New Year at 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2022. The Day Pitney team worked to analyze the myriad of documents required to complete the merger, and provided critical advice on corporate governance and regulation of tax-exempt entities.

Notwithstanding the push of other year-end work, the lawyers on this team all committed to devoting the time to completing this merger in hopes of helping Connecticut CASA and its volunteers more effectively to boost the trajectories of vulnerable children and change a child's story for the better.

Connecticut CASA's executive director, Josiah Brown, commented: "We thank Day Pitney and its attorneys for their professional expertise, provided efficiently and graciously on a pro bono basis. The team's commitment to getting the merger done thoughtfully and on time made this accomplishment possible. Now, Connecticut CASA is positioned to continue growing and serving additional children—in partnership with families and professionals—in 2022 and beyond."

Giving back to the communities in which the firm is located is core to the culture of Day Pitney. That tradition is introduced to Day Pitney attorneys from the day they first arrive at the firm, and emphasized throughout their careers with the active participation in pro bono work by the firm's attorneys, from the most junior to the most senior.