[acidtone]

I was thinking about leaving the NJ area to move to CT. I am barred there. I was wondering what the legal community looks like in places like Stamford, Hartford, and Danbarry.

I was referring primarily to job prospects, housing, quality of schools.

[JayCT]

Of course there is a sizable legal profession here in Connecticut and most attorneys I know are doing well. You won't really know until you look for a job.

Stmaford has many major corporations and is really an extension of New York city. IT is considered to be a large city and does have some of the issues you commonly find in urban areas. The towns surrounding are among the most desirable and expensive in the country so unless you have a real high paying job, you will have to commute a good distance to find a reasonably price home in a good town. The problem is that the two main highways into Stamford (I-95 and the Merritt Parkway) are jammed with traffic every day. It is better to find a job that offers you easy access to the train line along Metro North's New Haven line.

Hartford is the home to many major insurance companies. The City of Hartford itself has a number of problem neighborhoods but the towns surrounding it are very nice and reasonably priced compared to NY. It is a small but livable metroplitan area and a great place to raise a family. Keep in mind though that it is not NY and it may to too quiet if you like a lively nightlife and access to a lot of entertainment options.

Danbury is an even smaller city. It is on the edge of NY's metropolitan area but is very fairly quiet. Danbury itself has some of the issues you would find in a city but the towns surrounding it are very nice but agsain very quiet. If you want nightlife nearby this may not be the place for you.

Another suggestion is to consider the New Haven area. It is a small city with a lot going on plus it is accessable to NY by train. There are a number of nice suburbs there but they are not necessarily the ones immediately adjacent to the city. I hope this helps. Jay

[Mike 75]

Of the 3, Hartford has the largest legal market (2nd in New England after Boston), followed by Stamford with Danbury a distant 3rd. As Jay mentioned, New Haven is another option to consider, as the legal market there is larger than Danbury.

[TobinJ]

I suppose it depends largely on your practice areas and level of experience. As a lateral you'll had a strong shot of finding something easily but as an associate you may have difficulty. Many firms in CT laid off associate level attorneys. The larger firms also tend to have offices in NYC so you may want to look at homes in between as they usually expect you can put in occasional presence for practice meetings and events. Especially if the practice leader is in the NYC office.