Congratulations to three of our partners who received Professional Excellence Awards from the Connecticut Law Tribune. Joette Katz received the Distinguished Leader Award and Kimberly S. Cohen and Julia R. Camarco were named as New Leaders in the Law. A virtual awards ceremony took place to honor all of the 2020 award recipients.

The Distinguished Leaders award recognizes lawyers who achieved impressive results in 2019 and demonstrated clear leadership skills. New Leaders in the Law spotlights lawyers under the age of 40 who have excelled in the courtroom, in client service and cultivation, in service to bar associations and in performing pro bono work or community service in a volunteer capacity.

Katz, a partner in the firm's Business Litigation Practice Group, is a former Connecticut Supreme Court Associate Justice and served as Commissioner of the Connecticut State Department of Children and Families. Katz's practice focuses on appellate work, mediation and investigations. She advises clients on the appellate process, positioning, and strategy at both the trial and appellate stages of a matter.

Cohen has a national practice in corporate trust and business and finance, handling complex financial transactions and default and workout situations. She represents clients in restructuring and bankruptcy matters and secured and unsecured financing transactions from deal inception through ongoing administration.

Camarco, a partner in the firm's Business and Finance Practice Group, represents private equity funds, venture capital funds, and emerging growth and mature companies in commercial transactions, acquisitions and dispositions, joint ventures, equity investments and other strategic investments. She also represents clients in an "outside general counsel" capacity, advising on formation, governance, operations and commercial contracting.

"It is very gratifying to have three female partners recognized for their legal capabilities and dedication to their clients and the people of Connecticut," said Alan E. Lieberman, managing partner, Shipman & Goodwin. "Joette has had such an extraordinary career of public service on behalf of the state of Connecticut and now at Shipman & Goodwin we benefit from the value of her four decades of legal experience on a daily basis. Kim and Julia have a special ability to solve difficult issues and they represent the bright future of our firm."