As the leader of Howd & Ludorf, LLC’s municipal practice group, Thomas R. Gerarde appears in state and federal courts throughout Connecticut, including both state and federal appellate courts, representing public officials, law enforcement officers, boards of education, land use commissions, firefighters, emergency response personnel, and all other municipal employees. Tom defends general and professional liability claims, including negligence, nuisance, highway defect, environmental, and all civil rights claims, including claims brought pursuant to 42 U.S.C 1983, Fair Housing Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 Rehabilitation Act, the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, RLUIPA, and others. Tom’s extensive experience representing public entities at trial to verdict in state and federal court, and on appeal before the Connecticut Appellate Court, the Connecticut Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is detailed below.

Steve Gerber has practiced management-side employment and labor law, focusing on litigation and arbitrations, for three decades. His trial practice also includes complex commercial litigation, complex tort defense litigation, internal investigations, and representing colleges, universities and independent schools in litigation and investigations. He began his career as a law clerk for the late Chief U.S. District Judge for the District of New Jersey, and from 1980 through 1984, he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. Mr. Gerber has been included on the New York Metro Area Super Lawyers® list several times and the New Jersey Super Lawyers® list, as well as the Top Attorneys, Best Lawyers in America and America’s Most Honored Lawyers . He is AV Preeminent rated by Martindale-Hubbell. Mr. Gerber is active in the leadership of the Defense Research Institute – The Voice of the Defense Bar (“DRI”) (http://www.dri.org), the 22,000+ member international association of attorneys devoted to the defense of civil litigation. He is a past Chair of DRI’s Employment & Labor Law Committee, and currently is a Member of the Committee’s Advisory Board and its Seminar Planning Committee. He also has served as a Member of DRI’s Board of Directors, its Law Institute, and DRI’s 21st Century Lawyer Task Force. In addition, Mr. Gerber serves on the American Arbitration Association’s National Roster of Employment Arbitrators and Mediators. He is also a Member of the select Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel (FDCC) and is a past Chair of the FDCC’s Employment and Workplace Law Section; and is a Member of the select Association of Defense Trial Attorneys, the New Jersey State Bar Association and the American Bar Association (Member, Litigation Section). Active in community affairs, Mr. Gerber is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the United Way of Passaic County, and serves as Secretary for New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program, Inc.

ichard L. Gershberg (Rick) is the founder and managing member of the law firm of Gershberg & Associates, LLC, established in 1985. He combines an extensive background in business and corporate law with a wide range of legal experience, including civil litigation and immigration, to provide his clients with a uniquely practical perspective. An attorney since 1980, he now devotes his practice primarily to estate planning, asset protection and helping his clients avoid probate and taxes. Although Mr. Gershberg’s practice concentrates in the areas of Estate Planning and Business and Corporate Transactions, he oversees all of the Firm’s practice areas, which include: Estate Planning, Business and Corporate, Litigation, Immigration, and Personal Injury. Mr. Gershberg has presented estate planning seminars for private and public audiences and immigration seminars for the Baltimore Bar Association and private corporations. Mr. Gershberg has represented clients before U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, U.S. District Court for the Northern and Southern Districts of Maryland, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Executive Office for Immigration Review (Immigration Court), the Board of Immigration Appeals and Circuit and District Courts throughout the State of Maryland. He has lectured before the Baltimore Bar Association and other professional associations as well as Sterling Educational Services. He has been consulted as a resource on legal matters by WBAL Channel 11 (NBC Affiliate in Baltimore) and for Fox 45 (Fox affiliate in Baltimore), as well as local practitioners. Mr. Richard L. Gershberg, an active member of his community, is well aware of the growing importance of estate planning and dedicates himself to informing the public of the need for careful attention to their specific situations.