The Alternative Dispute Resolution (“ADR”) practice group at Zeldes, Needle & Cooper, P.C. offers mediation and arbitration services for complex civil matters, including commercial, construction, employment, insurance, personal injury, family and probate disputes.
Leading ZNC’s ADR practice group is Retired Judge Alfred J. Jennings, Jr., who served as a Connecticut Superior Court judge for 17 years before retiring from the bench in March 2020. Judge Jennings was one of the original founding partners of Zeldes, Needle & Cooper, P.C. in 1971, where he focused his practice on litigation and general business matters for approximately 32 years. He now re-joins ZNC as a widely-respected jurist with a wealth of knowledge in dispute resolution, developed from both his 17 years as a Judge of the Connecticut Superior Court and his more than 60 years in the practice of law.
During his time on the bench, Judge Jennings presided over a wide variety of disputes in both civil and criminal court, including handling the complex civil litigation docket at Stamford, a division of the Connecticut Superior Court docket established to resolve some of the most challenging and intricate cases in the Connecticut court system. He completed his judicial career hearing civil matters and conducting judicial mediations at Bridgeport J.D.. Judge Jennings has earned a reputation for being fair, reasonable and skilled in navigating difficult situations presented in the courtroom and during mediation. It was widely recognized that a case assigned to Judge Jennings was likely to reach a judicious resolution.
Joining Judge Jennings in ZNC’s ADR practice group are Edward Scofield and Sabato Fiano, the co-chairpersons of ZNC’s litigation practice group. Attorneys Scofield and Fiano are seasoned trial lawyers who have been recognized as Connecticut Super Lawyers in the area of business litigation. They each have a wealth of experience in actively litigating and ultimately resolving a wide range of business disputes on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants, providing them effective perspective as mediators in assessing both sides of a contentious dispute and recommending practical and efficient resolutions. Attorney Fiano is also available to act as a private arbitrator for those parties who wish to have their dispute heard and decided through an arbitration process rather than incur the expense of court-related litigation.
