New Haven Resident Honored for Professionalism

Attorney William F. Dow III was recently presented with the Edward F. Hennessey Professionalism Award at the Connecticut Bar Association’s annual awards celebration, “Celebrate with the Stars.” He was selected based on nominations submitted to the CBA Professionalism and CLE Committee.

Attorney Dow is an attorney at Jacobs & Dow LLC in New Haven, where his practice focuses on criminal and white collar defense in both state and federal courts. He has represented clients in cases ranging from homicide and crimes of violence, drug offenses and theft, to sophisticated white collar litigation. He has defended individuals and organizations in the trial courts and has argued appeals in the Connecticut Supreme and Appellate Courts and the Federal Courts of Appeals in the Second, Third, and District of Columbia Circuits.

Attorney Dow has been a lecturer in trial practice at Yale Law School for more than 30 years. For the last ten years, he has also co-taught a course on forensic science at Quinnipiac University School of Law with Drs. Henry Lee and Elaine Pagliaro.

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, he worked with legal services programs in Florida and Washington, DC. He then served with the Public Defender Service in the District of Columbia for four years, ultimately serving as Chief of the Juvenile Court Division. Attorney Dow returned to Connecticut as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut before entering private practice.

Attorney Dow has been chair of CBA Criminal Justice Section and is currently a member of the executive committees of the Criminal Justice and Federal Practice Sections. He also served two-terms as president of the Connecticut Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and has co-chaired the annual Criminal Litigation Seminar sponsored by the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association for the past 20 years. He is also a fellow of the America College of Trial Lawyers.

He has been appointed by Governor Malloy to the Judicial Selection Committee and serves a member of the Connecticut Judicial Branch Criminal Division Task Force. He has also served on the Drafting Committee of the Evidence Code adopted by the Judges of the Superior Court. He was appointed by the Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court to the Client Security Fund.

“Celebrate with the Stars” is dedicated to recognizing Connecticut’s top judges, lawyers, and professionals who make a difference through their work by demonstrating allegiance, dedication, conscientious service, commitment, and mentorship.

The objective of the Edward F. Hennessey Professionalism Award is to recognize and honor a member of the bar of this state whose career has manifested a dedication to the highest ideals and standards of the legal profession, so as to provide inspiration to other members of the bar and to honor the memory of Edward F. Hennessey, whose 41 years at the bar exemplified the criteria of this award. The recipient must be a lawyer who has demonstrated such integrity, character, competence, ethics, civility, and mentoring over the course of his or her career as to inspire greater professionalism among lawyers and pride in their profession and who has enhanced the public’s perception of the legal profession.

About the Connecticut Bar Association

The Connecticut Bar Association is a professional organization committed to the advancement of justice, the practice of law, the image of the profession, and public understanding of the law. For more information, please visit ctbar.org.