On August 2, 2024, the attorneys and staff of Garrison Law gathered at the New Haven Country Club to celebrate the retirement of our founder and partner Joe Garrison from his incredible legal career of more than 55 years.
Joe founded Garrison Law in 1977, and over the years, he became the leading employment lawyer in Connecticut and one of the most prominent employee rights advocates in the United States. As a standard-bearer for the plaintiff’s employment bar, Joe served for three years as President of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) and for 15 years on NELA’s Executive Board. He was a Charter Fellow in the Board of Governors of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, and later served as its national President. And as an elected member of the American Law Institute (ALI), Joe was substantially involved in drafting the highly-influential Restatement (Third) of Employment Law, which was published in 2014.
Over the course of his career, Joe received virtually every award and honor available to a trial lawyer, including induction into the American College of Trial Lawyers and the American Board of Trial Advocates. In addition to his litigation practice, he also was a nationally known speaker and a frequent author on the topics of employment law and alternative dispute resolution.
Joe was thrilled to celebrate with his family and friends, including his former clients and – in a particular testament to Joe – many opposing counsel.
We at Garrison Law are incredibly grateful for all that Joe has given us throughout the years. We will miss seeing his face in the office, but we’re certain he’ll stop in from time to time — when he’s not traveling the world, expanding his photography portfolio.
Congratulations on your retirement, Joe! We love you!