Carmina Hirsch

Attorney and mediator Carmina K. Hirsch (formerly Carmina K. Tessitore) utilizes a multi-faceted approach to problem solving in order to achieve the best possible outcome for her clients.

Carmina is a Connecticut Bar Foundation James W. Cooper Fellow. Carmina has been rated by Super Lawyers year over year since 2014, has been recognized as a ’10 Best’ and ’10 Best Under 40′ for Client Satisfaction in Connecticut by the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys, recognized as a ‘Top 40 Under 40’ of Family Lawyers in the State of Connecticut by the American Society of Legal Advocates, received the Avvo ‘Client’s Choice’ Award for divorce attorney 2015-2016, was honored by the Connecticut Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section with the ‘Leadership Award’ in 2015, and honored by the National Association of Professional Women for Outstanding Excellence and Dedication to Her Profession and the Achievement of Women 2013-2014.

Carmina serves as Special Master in the Fairfield J.D. and Ansonia/Milford J.D. She also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Quinnipiac University School of Law in North Haven, and develops curriculum for and presents at CLE and seminars/workshops for state and regional bar associations and other organizations on the topics of divorce, custody, alimony, child support, mediation/alternative dispute resolution, legal business marketing, and law practice management.

Carmina contributes print and blog articles to legal and non-legal publications: her primer “Divorce Mediation: Mediating Financial Disputes” was published in Connecticut Lawyer magazine (get your copy by clicking the link on this page); she is a featured author in A Practical Guide to Divorce in Connecticut (get your copy by clicking the link on this page – 1st Ed. published 2014; 2nd Ed. published 2018).

Carmina is a member of the Milford Bar Association, the Greater Bridgeport Bar Association, and as a member of the Connecticut Bar Association she serves as Chair of the CBA’s Court Visitation Program for the Stamford/Norwalk J.D./G.A. and on the Presidential Fellows Task Force. Carmina also serves as an alternate on the City of Milford Zoning Board of Appeals.

As her calling in life is to aid the needs of others, Carmina keeps an active role in non-profit organizations and community service associations. She has volunteered at ACT Spooner House food bank and homeless shelter in Shelton, and the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen (D.E.S.K.) in New Haven. She has also volunteered with the New Haven Truancy Intervention Project, where she mentored and served as counsel for a minor child. Additionally, Carmina volunteers with the Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC) as a business mentor and speaker on business legal issues to aid budding entrepreneurs in creating and sustaining successful ventures, and also volunteers with Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund (CWEALF) as part of their ‘Cooperating Attorney Program.’ Carmina has volunteered at the Stamford Day Laborer Wage Clinic, a project of Connecticut Legal Services, Inc., served as a volunteer attorney for the court annexed Foreclosure Volunteer Attorney Program in the judicial districts of New Haven, Fairfield, and Norwalk/Stamford, and annually serves as Judge for Connecticut Mock Trial competitions.

Prior to law school, Carmina served as a certified mediator and program coordinator for Mediation Matters, a private, non-profit, alternative dispute resolution agency servicing five counties in upstate New York. Her issue areas included business to business contract disputes, consumer and merchant issues, construction claims, housing matters, small claims matters, family matters, divorce, property division, alimony, child custody, child support, juvenile truancy and probation matters, special education matters, victim-offender criminal issues, and lemon law arbitration. She also served as instructor for mediation certification courses at Mediation Matters and Albany Law School. After working in the civil and criminal fields, and sitting as clerk for a family court Judge, Carmina served as a Mediation Specialist and staff supervisor for the Connecticut Judicial Branch’s Foreclosure Mediation Program in Stamford. Thereafter, Carmina worked for the law firms of Hoffman & Hoffman, LLC, the Bauer Law Group, LLC, and McCabe, Weisberg, & Conway, P.C.

Carmina opened her own practice in 2013 and serves clients in family, divorce, litigation, and mediation matters throughout New Haven County and Fairfield County, Connecticut. Carmina lives in Milford with her husband Etan Hirsch, a partner at Adelman, Hirsch, And Connors, LLP, Connecticut Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice Trial Lawyers.

Our Unique Approach

• Every matter can be resolved in a way that minimizes the cost and stress of protracted litigation.

• We utilize negotiation, mediation, and litigation to reach your goals efficiently and cost effectively.

Certifications

• Fitness Instructor Training Academy (F.I.T.A.), Group Fitness Instructor 2019

• Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) & Attorney for the Minor Child (AMC) 2011

• Victim-Offender Mediation 2004

• Family, Parenting Plan, Custody & Visitation Mediation 2004

• Civil Mediation 2004

• Paralegal 2001

NEWS, PUBLICATIONS & ARTICLES

• 5 Ways to Launch Your Small Business Right

• 5 Tips to Prepare for Divorce Mediation

• A Practical Guide to Divorce in Connecticut (1st Ed. 2014, 2nd Ed. 2018)

• After Divorce – Co-Parenting to Balance Your Child’s Summer Schedule

• Featured ABA Mediation Week Event – The Law Offices of Carmina K. Tessitore, Esq., LLC Basic Mediation Training Seminar

• Foreclosure Avoidance Options in Connecticut

• Featured Author, MCLE New England’s “A Practical Guide to Divorce in Connecticut” 2014

• Foreclosure Volunteer Attorney Program Featured on NBC News Connecticut

• How to File for No-Fault Divorce in Connecticut

• How to Form a Connecticut LLC

• Is a Common Law Marriage Legal?

• Life After Death – Protecting Your Loved Ones With Proper Estate Planning

• National Italian American Bar Association (NIABA) News Welcomes New Members

• Requirements for a Valid Prenuptial (Premarital) Agreement in Connecticut

• The Chamber Report, Business and Community News for Mid-Fairfield County, Issue March 2014 “In the Spotlight” Feature – The Law Offices of Carmina K. Tessitore, Esq., LLC

• The Human Services Council of Mid-Fairfield Connecticut Honors Carmina Tessitore as Volunteer of the Year

• The Law Offices of Carmina K. Tessitore, Esq., LLC Sponsors “The Newtowner” Magazine Special Tribute Issue

• What if You Want a Divorce But Don’t Know Where Your Spouse Is?

• Divorce Mediation: Mediating Financial Disputes, Connecticut Lawyer Magazine Issue September 2014

• 12 News WBOY: Divorce Lawyer Carmina K. Tessitore

• PRWeb News Center: Divorce Attorney Carmina K. Tessitore

• Carmina Tessitore Interviewed By Hartford Business Journal

• Hartford Courant – CBA-YLS Honors Carmina Tessitore “Leadership Award”

• Valley Independent Sentinel – Tessitore Receives Leadership Award

• Interview With Our Champions – Campaign for Paid Family Leave

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS & TEACHING

• Adjunct Professor, Quinnipiac University School of Law, North Haven, CT 2015 – Present

• Speaker, Advanced Custody and Support Issues, NBI CLE North Haven, CT 2020

• Panelist, Family Law Breakout Session, GBBA and CBA Symposium on Professionalism 2019

• Panelist, Fairfield County Bar Association CLE Growing a Successful Law Practice, Solo/Small Firm Committee 2017

• Panelist, Fairfield County Bar Association CLE Selling Your Law Practice – Retirement 101, Solo/Small Firm Committee 2016

• Panelist, Remix: Marketing Your Law Practice in the Information Age, CBA Connecticut Legal Conference, Hartford, CT June 2015

• Panelist, Everything You Need to Know to Start and Run a Solo or Small Firm Law Practice, CBA Connecticut Legal Conference, Hartford, CT June 2015

• Speaker, Women’s Business Development Council (WBDC) “Passion to Profit – Legal Issues” Seminar, Norwalk, CT May 2015

• Panelist, The Legal Entrepreneur Seminar Series, Part II: How to Build Revenue for Your Solo/Small Firm, Connecticut Bar Association’s YLS Solo/Small Firm Committee Seminar North Haven, CT November 2014

• Speaker, The Importance of a Will for Children and Families Mutual of Omaha, Trumbull, CT July 2014

• Speaker, Law Day Luncheon Program – American Democracy and the Rule of Law: Why Every Vote Matters, Fairfield County Bar Association Stamford, CT May 2014

• Assistant Professor to Professor Robert J. Romano, Esq., Sports Law & Regulation, Quinnipiac University School of Law School, Hamden, CT Spring 2014

• Speaker, Financial Considerations for Clients Facing Divorce, Prudential Financial South Windsor, CT June 2013

• Speaker, How to Mediate Issues of Alimony & Child Support Conflict Resolution Training, Advanced Mediation Training, Avon, CT December 2012

• Speaker, Law Day Luncheon Program – No Courts, No Justice, No Freedom, Fairfield County Bar Association Stamford, CT May 2012

• Keynote Speaker, NCC Women of Promise and Distinction Annual Dinner, Norwalk, CT April 2012

• Speaker, Recent Developments in Residential Foreclosure Mediation Defense Fairfield County Bar Association CLE, Stamford, CT April 2012

• Mediation Coach, Albany Law School Mediation Certification Course, Albany, NY August 2007

• Mediation Coach, Albany Law School Mediation Certification Course, Albany, NY January 2007

• Mediation Coach, Albany Law School Mediation Certification Course, Albany, NY August 2006

• Mediation Trainer & Coach, Mediation Matters Mediation Certification Training, Albany, NY March 2005

• Mediation Trainer & Coach, Mediation Matters Mediation Certification Training, Troy, NY November 2004

• Co-Teacher, Albany County School District T.O.P.S. At-Risk Youth Conflict Resolution Weekly Workshop, Albany, NY September 2004 – May 2005

AFFILIATIONS, HONORS, & AWARDS

• 10 Best Connecticut Client Satisfaction 2016, by American Institute of Family Law Attorneys

• American Bar Association, Member 2008 – Present

• AVVO Client Choice Award 2015 & 2016

• Board Member, Albany Law School Board of Trustees 2008-2011 – Chair, Committee on Trustee-Student Relations

• Connecticut Bar Association House of Delegates, District Nine Delegate 2013

• Connecticut Bar Association: Co-Chair, Alternative Dispute Resolution Section 2014 – 2015

• Connecticut Bar Association: Legislative Liaison & Executive Committee – Women in the Law Section 2016 (Section Chair 2015)

• Connecticut Bar Association: Executive Committee, Young Lawyers Section, Co-Chair Solo/Small Firm Committee 2014 – 2015

• Connecticut Bar Foundation: Oral History of Women Project – Interview Committee 2016

• Connecticut Bar Foundation: James W. Cooper Fellow

• Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association 2012- Present

• Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund (CWEALF), Member Attorney 2014 – Present

• Connecticut Veterans Legal Center – Member Attorney, 2014 – Present

• Fairfield County Bar Association: Co-Chair, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee 2011- 2016

• Fairfield County Bar Association: Co-Chair, Young Lawyers Committee 2011- 2015

• Fairfield County Bar Association: Co-Chair, Law Practice Management & Solo/Small Firms Committee 2016 – 2017

• Leadership Award 2015, Presented by the Young Lawyers Section (YLS) of the Connecticut Bar Association

• National Association of Professional Women (NAPW) 2013- 2014

• New Haven County Bar Association: Member – Pro Bono, Family Law & Young Lawyers Sections 2012- Present

• Pro Bono Honor Roll, Connecticut Bar Association 2009, 2013, 2015, 2016

• Outstanding Excellence and Dedication to Her Profession and the Achievement of Women, National Association of Professional Women (NAPW) Award 2013-2014

• Outstanding Law Student Award, National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) 2008

• Student Service Award 2008

• Super Lawyers Connecticut Rising Stars 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017

• Top Attorneys New England’s Outstanding Young Lawyers 2014 | Family Law – “Recognized for excellence by peers in the legal community. These exceptional lawyers have impressive records of professional achievement and ethical standards”

• Top 40 Under 40 of Family Lawyers in the State of Connecticut 2014, 2015 & 2016, by The American Society of Legal Advocates

• Volunteer of the Year, Human Services Council of Mid-Fairfield County 2010