The Lyme Democratic Town Committee (DTC) has announced that it would be recommending Jeannine Lewis – an attorney at Hudson and Kilby – as the preferred Democratic candidate for the soon-to-be-vacant position of District 33 probate court judge. (The official Democratic candidate will be determined later this summer at a nomination convention attended by representatives from all the DTCs in District 33.)
Lewis, along with three other Democratic candidates, recently addressed the June meeting of the Lyme DTC, where each presented their qualifications for the position and responded to questions from the committee. Lyme DTC Chairman John Kiker said, “In our opinion, Lewis demonstrated she had extensive experience in probate law, a thorough understanding of the issues and responsibilities, and a personal commitment to helping protect some of the most vulnerable members of our community.”
In addition to running a law practice focused on probate matters, estate planning and elder law, Lewis serves on the Continuing Legal Education Committee of the Connecticut Bar Association’s (CBA’s) Elder Law Section, and on the Integrity of the Practice/Pro Bono Committee of the CBA’s Estates and Probate Section. She is a board member of the Shoreline Soup Kitchens and Pantries and provides pro bono legal counsel to Sister Cities Essex Haiti, a local charity that helps residents of the town of Deschapelles, Haiti.
Probate judges typically handle estates, trusts, adoptions, name changes, and the termination of parental rights and conservatorships, among other important matters. All candidates for the position must be members of the Connecticut bar. The probate court for our District is located in Old Saybrook and serves the towns of Chester, Clinton, Deep River, Essex, Haddam, Killingworth, Lyme, Old Saybrook and Westbrook. Terrance Lomme, the current probate judge for our District, is retiring on July 18, 2017.
The candidate selected at the nominating convention later this summer will go on to face Republican and other challengers in the Tuesday, Nov. 7, special election. Whoever wins the election will serve the remainder of Judge Lomme’s term, which ends Jan. 9, 2019.
The Lyme DTC’s mission is to support and strengthen the Democratic Party in the Town of Lyme and the State of Connecticut. The committee meets on the third Thursday of every month at 7:30 p.m. in the Lyme Town Hall. These meetings are open to the public and all registered Democrats are encouraged to attend.