Current Employment Position(s)

Partner

Year Joined Organization: 1986

Lawyer Overview

Irene has practiced law with Jacobs & Jacobs since graduating from law school in 1986. She represents plaintiffs in personal injury and medical malpractice actions. Prior to attending law school, Irene worked as a schoolteacher and received a Master of Arts degree in Psychology from Wesleyan University. Irene's academic training in psychology has provided her with a strong foundation for representing clients who have suffered psychological injuries as well as physical injuries. In addition, Irene's experience as a schoolteacher has given her a special awareness for the need for student safety policies and practices and for proper supervision in school settings. As a result, many of her cases have involved representation of children who have been injured at schools or day cares.

In 2002, Irene was appointed as a Factfinder/Arbitrator at all judicial districts in the Superior Courts of the State of Connecticut. She was reappointed in 2004 and again in 2007, and currently serves as an arbitrator for the Mandatory Arbitration Program in New Haven Superior Court.

Irene is the current secretary of the Executive Committee of the Haven County Bar Association. As a member of the NHCBA's Public Service Committee, Irene created and organized Adopt-A-School , a three-year partnership between the Bar Association and a New Haven public school, in which over 100 volunteer lawyers, legal professionals, law enforcement employees, and judges participated. Adopt-A-School received the Superintendent's Award for Public Service.

Irene also represents the district of New Haven as a delegate in the House of Delegates of the Connecticut Bar Association.

A former member of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Community Center of Greater New Haven, Irene organized their first Healthy Women, Healthy Lives, which offered a day of seminars by local medical professionals on issues of special interest to women. Healthy Women/Healthy Lives was the biggest single educational event in the JCC's history, and Irene received the JCC President's award in recognition of her work on it.

Over the years, Irene's other volunteer activities have involved Girl Scouts, the Anti-Defamation League, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Hopkins School, Foote School, and Ezra Academy.

Areas of Practice

• Personal Injury
• Medical Malpractice Actions

West Practice Categories

Personal Injury -- Plaintiff, Medical Malpractice

Bar Admissions

• Connecticut, 1986
• U.S. District Court District of Connecticut, 1989

Professional Associations and Memberships

• New Haven County Bar Association (Secretary, Executive Committee)
• Connecticut Bar Association House of Delegates District 9 (Delegate)
• Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association (Women's Caucus Member)
• New Haven Inn of Court, 2004 - 2006 (Member, Secretary)

Pro Bono Activities

• Committee Member, Jewish Community Center of Greater New Haven

Education

• University of Connecticut School of Law, Hartford, Connecticut, 1986
  J.D.
  Honors: Fall Semester, 1985: Yale University Law School, Visiting Student
• Wesleyan University, 1980
  M.A.
• State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, 1973
  B.A.
  Honors: magna cum laude
  Honors: Phi Beta Kappa
  Honors: Academic Year, 1971-72: University of Grenoble, France, Junior Year Abroad
  Major: French

Offers Free Initial Consultation

Address

700 State Street
New Haven, CT 06511

Phones

(203) 777-2300
(866) 668-7179

Emails

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Websites

http://www.jacobs-jacobs.com