James M. Ruel, Attorney

Attorney Jim Ruel is a member of the Family Law Practice of Rome McGuigan, P.C.  He represents clients throughout the State of Connecticut in their efforts to resolve family disputes concerning child custody, parenting schedules, the establishment of paternity, and with regard to the financial disputes associated with child support, alimony and the distribution of property upon the dissolution of a marriage or civil union.

Prior to returning to Hartford County in 2004, Mr. Ruel lived in New York City for several years and worked as an attorney in the Stamford, Connecticut and New York City offices of Robinson & Cole, LLP, in its Commercial Litigation Department. During that time, Mr. Ruel litigated and tried cases in the state and federal courts of Connecticut and New York involving commercial disputes, such as breach of contract, intellectual property and employer-employee disputes, and involving tort claims such as negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, and fraud.

Mr. Ruel brings the experience he gained in litigating complex commercial disputes to his family law practice, where business and asset valuations are often disputed, and where clients place a premium on the ability to negotiate financial settlements between spouses or parents.

Mr. Ruel also serves clients in the role of mediator, facilitating settlement negotiations between divorcing spouses or separating parents with the hope of avoiding prolonged and costly litigation in the court system.  He meets once per month with Hartford County area mental health professionals and family law practitioners to discuss the effects of divorce and custody disputes upon the mental health of spouses and their children, and the ways in which therapists and attorneys in this field can better serve the needs of their clients.

Mr. Ruel was born in White Plains, New York and raised in Connecticut's Hartford County.  He is a member of the bar in the States of Connecticut and New York.  He received his undergraduate degree in finance from Boston College in 1996, and his law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1999.  Together with his wife and son, he makes his home in West Hartford, Connecticut.