James T. Cowdery

Our dear friend and colleague, James T. Cowdery, retired from the practice of law in 2025. Jamie, as he was known to all, was central to building and growing this law firm and helping to make it the special place it is today. During his more than 40 years in practice, Jamie was at all times a true gentleman, a wonderful friend and adviser, and a consummate professional. 

Jamie’s success as an attorney was predictable. He was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Trinity College who received his juris doctorate degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law with high honors. There, Jamie served as Editor-in-Chief of the Connecticut Law Review and received the William F. Starr Prize Fellowship for Scholarship and Leadership. Following law school, Jamie had the honor to serve as a law clerk to the Honorable Thomas J. Meskill of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Following his clerkship, Jamie was associated with the venerable former law firm of Tyler, Cooper & Alcorn in New Haven until he left to serve as an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut. Jamie ended his time as a federal prosecutor having served as the Chief of the Criminal Division and the Chief of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force of that Office. In 1989, he received the Federal Bar Association’s Younger Lawyer Award for Distinguished Federal Service. Returning to private practice, Jamie was selected consistently for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America for his work in white collar criminal defense. 

Aside from providing wise advice to clients and colleagues alike, Jamie also shared his talents with the greater bar. He served as a member of the State of Connecticut Judicial Review Council, which investigates and conducts hearings on complaints of misconduct against members of the Connecticut judiciary. He also served as the Chairman of the Committee on Criminal Rules and Practice of the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, as well as on the District’s Standing Committee on the Criminal Justice Act Panel and the Connecticut Bar Association’s Fair and Impartial Courts Committee.

Those of us who had the pleasure to work with Jamie and to learn from him will greatly miss having him here on a daily basis, but we are glad to know that he and his wife Linda are enjoying a well deserved retirement, including in the Hartford area, where we can connect with them regularly. Thank you and best wishes, Jamie.