Our History

Robert L. Halloran and Henry Eno Sage founded this firm in 1935 upon two bedrock principles: vigorous representation of clients and superior responsiveness to clients' needs. Through the years, their two-lawyer partnership grew and diversified to become what it is today – one of Connecticut's leading law firms. Much has changed since 1935, but our commitment to our founders' principles remains as solid today as on the day Halloran and Sage first shook hands as partners.

Something else remains unchanged – our belief that meeting clients' needs should be the driving force in our growth. Four years after starting the firm, Halloran and Sage saw a need to better serve clients in the areas of estate and probate, real property, business associations and commercial transactions. So they brought in a third partner, Howard B. Phelon, former general counsel to City Bank of Hartford, who had the knowledge and experience to address that need. Over time, the firm continued to grow – modestly at first and then more significantly – but always with the goal of strengthening our ability to serve the full range of our clients' needs.

Our goal of superior client service also drove our geographic expansion. To bring us closer to our clients in Middlesex and New Haven counties and to Wesleyan University, for which we are general counsel, we opened our first branch office in 1963 in Middletown, Conn. With a growing practice in Fairfield County, we opened our Westport, Conn., branch in 1996. In 2001, seeing a need to enhance our services to clients in public contracting and federal regulatory matters, we opened our Washington, D.C. office. Meanwhile, internal growth led us to move our headquarters in 1989 to its present location at Goodwin Square in the center of downtown Hartford.

Long recognized for our litigation practice, Halloran & Sage has evolved into a sophisticated, full-service law firm representing businesses and individuals in a diverse array of essential legal matters. While much of our work is in the Northeast, our clients and cases come from throughout the United States and overseas. To better service clients worldwide, we are members of the ALFA International, a legal network. The ALFA network is comprised of more than 125 law firms (85 in the United States) with nearly 300 offices throughout the U.S. and around the world. More information about ALFA can be found at www.alfainternational.com. In 2000, we launched our affiliate, Halloran & Sage Government Affairs LLC, to provide legislative, regulatory and executive lobbying and consulting services.

Through more than seven decades of growth, our firm has adhered to its founders' principles of vigorous representation and superior responsiveness. It is a tradition of quality that will carry our firm well into the future.