Dale Faulkner and Tom Boyce founded the firm in June of 1986. At the time they were experienced trial lawyers and had established high visibility in the area. Between them they had taken more than 100 cases to verdict. They established the firm with two key goals in mind: the trial of personal injury cases and paying close, professional attention to the needs of clients. This has continued to be the foundation of Faulkner and Boyce since its creation.

The firm's third partner is Shelley L. Graves, she joined the firm in 1994. In less than a decade, Graves emerged as an effective, agile trial lawyer obtaining, among other wins, a 2 million dollar judgment in one of her first jury trials.

Attorney Kara Burgarella began interning with Faulkner and Boyce while still in law school at Quinnipiac University. Displaying the important qualities of both legal ability and genuine care for the needs of clients, Burgarella was enthusiastically accepted into the firm’s ranks as an associate upon her admission to the bar in 2002.

Jennifer S. Mullen who also practiced under her maiden name, McSweeney joined the firm in 2007. For Mullen, a Waterford native, it marked a return the area in which she grew up to now practice law. Mullen concentrates on our medical malpractice defense cases for which she has a strong academic foundation in biology and biomedical ethics.

Bonde E. Johnson is our newest lawyer. But he's not lacking in experience. He became a lawyer in 1989 and had lengthy stints as a criminal prosecutor and then as a civil litigator. His work for us involves representing our injured clients. His wide trial experience enables him to take cases to trial and verdict with confidence and agility.

Since 1986, the firm has represented over 4,000 clients in a variety of civil matters. Each client is important without regard to the dollar value of that person’s claim. While the firm has obtained multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements, it prides itself in working successfully to obtain justice and fair compensation for those injured victims whose cases are of modest value as well.

In keeping with its focus and unrivaled trial capacity, the firm has represented members of the medical community in New London, Hartford, Middlesex and Windham Counties in defense of malpractice claims. The firm has also defended many national and international corporations in complex matters including claims for repetitive machinery injuries and industrial pollution.

A critical achievement is the naming of the firm’s three partners, Attorneys Faulkner, Boyce and Graves in the national publication, The Best Lawyers in America. Faulkner has appeared in that book since its initial publication, twenty-five years ago, and Boyce began appearing in the 1998 edition guide of Best Lawyer. Graves was recently honored by her peers for inclusion in the 2010 edition for her practice in personal injury litigation. Best Lawyer is regarded by lawyers and the public as the definitive guide to legal excellence in the United States. Inclusion is based upon an exhaustive and rigorous, confidential peer-review survey across the country.

The selection process for being listed in The Best Lawyers in America is detailed at the following web address: http://www.bestlawyers.com/aboutus/selectionprocess.aspx