James T. "Tim" Shearin

James T. (Tim) Shearin is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and chair of the Litigation Department. He has wide-ranging experience in state and federal courts, at both the trial and appellate levels, and before arbitration and mediation boards. He represents clients in the areas of commercial, intellectual property, Internet piracy and computer crimes, banking, securities, antitrust, civil rights, 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, and settlement conferences and mediation in the federal court.Representative ExperienceDefended companies in class action and shareholder derivative plaintiff cases with antitrust, securities, corporate finance and fiduciary duty claimsDefended company accused of $9,000,000 worth of fraudulent Medicaid billingAssisted with the defense of a company indicted for price fixingDefended company in $22,000,000 veil piercing and fraudulent transfer caseProsecuted and defended patent infringement, copyright, trademark and misappropriation of trade secrets casesDefended claims alleging unfair trade practice, Lanham Act and licensing claimsFrequently chosen as a private arbitrator or mediator in complex commercial casesRepresented both individuals and businesses in litigation brought to recover severance and pension benefits under the Employee Retirement Income Security ActArrested, attached and seized major shipping vessels and cargo pursuant to the prosecution of admiralty and maritime suitsProfessional AffiliationsAppointed Co-counsel to the Federal Grievance Committee by the Judges of the U.S. District Court, 1997 - 2003American Bar AssociationConnecticut Bar Association - Executive Committee, Federal Practice Section (former co-chairman); Executive Committee, Intellectual Property Section; Audit, Nominating, Legal Services for the Poor, and Federal Judiciary standing and ad hoc committeesConnecticut Bar Association House of DelegatesRaymond Baldwin Inn of Court - bencher, former secretary and vice presidentConnecticut Bar Foundation - directorAmerican Intellectual Property Law AssociationFederal Circuit Bar AssociationFederal Bar CouncilGreater Bridgeport Bar Association - past presidentLitigation Counsel of America - FellowSuperior Court attorney trial referee and arbitratorSpecial master in Federal CourtCommunity InvolvementAmerican Red Cross - past directorConnecticut Legal Services Corp. - past chairmanGraduate, Bridgeport Regional Business Council's Leadership Program and a past member of its board of directorsUniversity of Connecticut Law School Alumni Association, Inc. - past presidentUniversity of Connecticut Law School Foundation, Inc. - past chairmanWeston Democratic Town Committee - past chairpersonActive in state and local politicsHonors & AwardsListed in The Best Lawyers in AmericaListed in Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers to BusinessesSelected to the Connecticut Super Lawyers list in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 in the area of business litigationRecipient of John Eldred Shields Professional Service Award from the Connecticut Bar Association, 2009

James T. (Tim) Shearin is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and chair of the Litigation Department. He has wide-ranging experience in state and federal courts, at both the trial and appellate levels, and before arbitration and mediation boards. He represents clients in the areas of commercial, intellectual property, Internet piracy and computer crimes, banking, securities, antitrust, civil rights, 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, and settlement conferences and mediation in the federal court.Representative ExperienceDefended companies in class action and shareholder derivative plaintiff cases with antitrust, securities, corporate finance and fiduciary duty claimsDefended company accused of $9,000,000 worth of fraudulent Medicaid billingAssisted with the defense of a company indicted for price fixingDefended company in $22,000,000 veil piercing and fraudulent transfer caseProsecuted and defended patent infringement, copyright, trademark and misappropriation of trade secrets casesDefended claims alleging unfair trade practice, Lanham Act and licensing claimsFrequently chosen as a private arbitrator or mediator in complex commercial casesRepresented both individuals and businesses in litigation brought to recover severance and pension benefits under the Employee Retirement Income Security ActArrested, attached and seized major shipping vessels and cargo pursuant to the prosecution of admiralty and maritime suitsProfessional AffiliationsAppointed Co-counsel to the Federal Grievance Committee by the Judges of the U.S. District Court, 1997 - 2003American Bar AssociationConnecticut Bar Association - Executive Committee, Federal Practice Section (former co-chairman); Executive Committee, Intellectual Property Section; Audit, Nominating, Legal Services for the Poor, and Federal Judiciary standing and ad hoc committeesConnecticut Bar Association House of DelegatesRaymond Baldwin Inn of Court - bencher, former secretary and vice presidentConnecticut Bar Foundation - directorAmerican Intellectual Property Law AssociationFederal Circuit Bar AssociationFederal Bar CouncilGreater Bridgeport Bar Association - past presidentLitigation Counsel of America - FellowSuperior Court attorney trial referee and arbitratorSpecial master in Federal CourtCommunity InvolvementAmerican Red Cross - past directorConnecticut Legal Services Corp. - past chairmanGraduate, Bridgeport Regional Business Council's Leadership Program and a past member of its board of directorsUniversity of Connecticut Law School Alumni Association, Inc. - past presidentUniversity of Connecticut Law School Foundation, Inc. - past chairmanWeston Democratic Town Committee - past chairpersonActive in state and local politicsHonors & AwardsListed in The Best Lawyers in AmericaListed in Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers to BusinessesSelected to the Connecticut Super Lawyers list in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 in the area of business litigationRecipient of John Eldred Shields Professional Service Award from the Connecticut Bar Association, 2009

James T. (Tim) Shearin is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and chair of the Litigation Department. He has wide-ranging experience in state and federal courts, at both the trial and appellate levels, and before arbitration and mediation boards. He represents clients in the areas of commercial, intellectual property, Internet piracy and computer crimes, banking, securities, antitrust, civil rights, 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, and settlement conferences and mediation in the federal court.