Hartford Business Journal

4 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | MAY 1, 2023 DEAL WATCH Kainen, Escalera & McHale is a full-service employer defense law firm committed to providing outstanding representation and personalized legal services to each of our clients. We welcome the opportunity to serve your business. 21 Oak Street, Suite 601, Hartford, CT 860-493-0870 | www.kemlaw.com | Attorney Patrick J. McHale is responsible for the content of this advertisement. Your workplace is our business. SM EXPANDING HORIZONS LEARN MORE ctstate.edu After decades of helping to expand student horizons, we're expanding ours. Connecticut's twelve community colleges are unifying into CT State Community College. One application opens the doors to more than 12 locations around the state. Discover a full landscape of opportunities with more offerings than ever before. An artist's rendering of the renovated Freitas Ice Forum. currently plays at Gampel Pavilion and will relocate to the renovated Freitas center in the fall of 2024, according to the university. Construction work at Freitas will begin later this spring and entail removing the ice system; demolishing the existing dasher boards; installing new flooring and bleachers; and renovating the locker room. CT universities could face 650 layoffs, big tuition hikes Connecticut's regional university and college system could eliminate more than 3,500 full- and part-time jobs — including 654 layoffs — while boosting student tuition and fees by as much as $1,000 by 2025, based on funding in the latest state budget proposal. And while higher education faces "devastation" — as one legislator described it — under the budget recommended by the Appropriations Committee, that's still the most favorable budget scenario on the table to date. Gov. Ned Lamont's plan for regional state universities, community colleges and the online Charter Oak State College for the next two fiscal years is $82.5 million leaner. The budget the Appropriations Committee endorsed for 2023-24 and 2024-25 falls $109 million short of the cost needed to maintain current services in the first fiscal year, and $225 million below in the second. In rough numbers, those represent gaps of 10% and 20%, respectively, officials said. "We are really at a crossroads, whether we have a quality public higher education system or not," said Rep. Greg Haddad (D-Man- sfield) co-chair of the legislature's Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee. Keith Phaneuf | CT Mirror Two CT law firms merge New Haven-based law firm Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey LLP is merging with Guilford litigation and trial firm Donahue, Durham & Noonan P.C. The merger goes into effect May 2, and the combined firm will have 83 lawyers and 70 staff. Donahue, Durham & Noonan's four partners, four associates and eight other staff members will become part of Carmody, along with the firm's Guilford office at Concept Park, 741 Boston Post Road. Carmody — which has existing offices in New Haven, Waterbury, Litchfield, Stamford and South- bury — said it pursued the merger because Donahue has complemen- tary practices areas in healthcare law, medical malpractice defense, pharmaceutical litigation, general commercial litigation, employ- ment litigation, education law and personal injury law. CT job growth slows in March Job growth in Connecticut slowed during the month of March, with most of the gains coming from the govern- ment and professional services industries, according to the state Department of Labor. Connecticut employers added 1,100 jobs in March, while the unem- ployment rate held steady at 4%, labor officials said. The U.S. unem- ployment rate is 3.5%. The March results follow high- er-than-expected job gains recorded in January and February, when employers in the state added nearly 14,000 jobs. The brisk hiring pace early in the year was a result of warm winter weather that had a particular impact on construction hiring, according to Patrick Flaherty, director of DOL's research office. "Projects that normally shut down during the cold weather remained active throughout the season, which distorted the usual employment patterns we see in the spring," Flaherty said. Overall, the state has now recov- ered 96.7% (279,700) of the 289,100 jobs lost during the 2020 COVID lockdown period. (From left) Donahue, Durham & Noonan Partners Brock T. Dubin, Michael G. Durham and Patrick M. Noonan, and Carmody Managing Partner Rick Street. Patrick Flaherty

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