James T. Shearin

James T. (Tim) Shearin served as chairman of Pullman & Comley for nine years (2013 to 2022) and prior to that role chaired the firm's Litigation Department for fifteen years. He has wide-ranging experience in federal and state courts at both the trial and appellate levels, and before arbitration and mediation panels. He uses that experience to resolve client problems as effectively and efficiently as possible, always with the client's end goal in sight. Clients turn to Tim when the stakes are critical and when their business is on the line. For this reason, Best Lawyers recognizes him as a "Bet-the Company" litigator. He represents clients in a wide variety of business litigation: commercial contracts, intellectual property, banking, Internet piracy and computer crimes, banking, securities, antitrust, products liability and general civil litigation. 

Tim has lectured and written on the following: the constitutionality of Connecticut’s Prejudgment Remedy Statute, “ins and outs” of civil forfeitures, lender-liability law, federal discovery rules, implications of expert disclosure in federal court, limitations of technical advancements in the practice of law, rules and practices governing the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, the means by which to secure federal judgments, medical malpractice liability for HMOs, defense of covenant-not-to-compete cases, Markman hearings, the federal jurisdiction of national banks, federal court practice and procedure, uses of expert witnesses, settlement conferences and mediation in the federal courts, case management, the art of written and oral advocacy, Connecticut jurisprudence on e-commerce contracts of adhesion, litigation affecting the banking industry, settlement of shareholder derivative actions, the antitrust implications of "no poach" agreements between competitors, the effect of limitations in incorporation documents, on litigation, LIBOR transition in the banking industry, and mediation principles.

Tim is also an American Arbitration Association-qualified arbitrator and frequently acts as a privately-retained mediator. He is profiled in Financier Worldwide's 2016 Litigation & Alternative Dispute Resolution Handbook.

Office

Professional Affiliations

American College of Trial Lawyers - Fellow (chair, State Committee)

International Academy of Trial Lawyers - Fellow

Appointed by the Governor of Connecticut to the Judicial Compensation Commission (2012)

Appointed by the Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court to the Judicial Performance Evaluation Program Advisory Panel (2009 - 2013)

Appointed co-counsel to the Federal Grievance Committee by the Judges of the U.S. District Court (1997 - 2003), and a member of the Magistrate Judge Reappointment Committee (2011-2013) 

American Bar Association

Connecticut Bar Association - current president-elect; past chairman, Legislative Review and Policy Committee; chairman, Council of Bar Presidents; co-chairman, Pro Bono Committee; co-chairman, Strategic Planning Committee; Professionalism Committee; Executive Committee, Federal Practice Section (former co-chairman); Executive Committee, Intellectual Property Section; Executive Committee, Antitrust Section; former chairman, Federal Judiciary Committee (2007-2020); former chairman, Fair and Impartial Courts Committee (2011-2021); former chairman, Nominating Committee (2013-2014); former chairman, Audit Committee (2009-2013); Connecticut Bar Association House of Delegates (2006 - 2022)

Connecticut Bar Foundation, Inc. - past-president and Fellow

Raymond Baldwin Inn of Court - bencher, former secretary and vice president

Law Firm Alliance - former Executive Committee member

Federal Bar Council

Greater Bridgeport Bar Association - past president

Special Master in Federal Court 

Community Involvement

Connecticut Business and Industry Association - director emeritus

American Red Cross - past director

Connecticut Legal Services Corp. - past chairman

Graduate, Bridgeport Regional Business Council's Leadership Program and a past member of its board of directors

University of Connecticut Law School Alumni Association, Inc. - past president

University of Connecticut Law School Foundation, Inc. - past chairman

Weston Democratic Town Committee - past chairperson

Honors & Recognitions

Named a Moffly Media Top Lawyer in Fairfield County, 2021 and 2023 - Commercial Litigation

Honored with Career Service Award by The Greater Bridgeport Bar Association, 2018

Inducted as a Fellow into the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, 2016

Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award by Connecticut Law Tribune, 2015

Inducted as a Fellow into the American College of Trial Lawyers, 2014

Listed in Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers to Businesses since 2004 in the area of Litigation: General Commercial Connecticut.  Listed in Band 1 for individually ranked attorneys 

Listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the areas of litigation - securities, antitrust, banking and finance, intellectual property and commercial litigation since 2006; Listed in the area of "Bet-the-Company Litigation" since 2017

Named Stamford "Lawyer of the Year" in the Litigation - Intellectual Property category in 2019 and 2023 by The Best Lawyers in America.

Selected to the Connecticut Super Lawyers  list in the areas of business litigation, antitrust litigation and securities litigation since 2006; listed among the Top 10 Connecticut Super Lawyers 2011-2023; listed among the Top 50 Connecticut Super Lawyers 2010 -2023, selected to New England Super Lawyers Top 100 Lawyers, 2012 - 2023.

Recognized among the top Connecticut litigation attorneys since 2011 in Benchmark Litigation - The Guide to America's Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys; listed as a "Local Litigation Star."

Recipient of John Eldred Shields Professional Service Award from the Connecticut Bar Association, 2009, for outstanding service to the legal profession, the members of the CBA and the greater community.

Recipient of the Raymond B. Green award from the District Court Judges, 2008, for outstanding contributions to the work of the Federal Grievance Committee.

2014 recipient of Distinguished Graduate Award for the University of Connecticut School of Law.

Received the highest peer review rating by Martindale-Hubbell (AV). 

• Defended law firm in $50 million malpractice case
• Defense of multiple financial institutions in overdraft fees class action cases
• Obtained a $23 million verdict in an unfair competition and tortious interference case
• Defended large life insurance company in three ERISA cases securing the dismissal of two and denial of class certification in the third case
• Represented and secured the dismissal of two financial institutions in multi-billion interchange fee cases
• Defended company and individual in $38 million veil piercing and fraudulent transfer case
• Defended company against multi-million dollar claim of theft of software code
• Defended client in $30 million RICO case
• Successfully defended national law firm in $55 million malpractice fraud arbitration
• Defended company accused of $9 million worth of fraudulent Medicaid billing
• Arrested, attached and seized major shipping vessels and cargo pursuant to the prosecution of admiralty and maritime suits
• Prosecuted and defended patent infringement, copyright, trademark and misappropriation of trade secrets cases
• Defended claims alleging unfair trade practices, Lanham Act violations and licensing abuses

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