Community: Connecticut Fellow James T. Shearin’s Red Cross Commitment

James T. “Tim” Shearin has been actively involved with the American Red Cross for many years. As director of the mid-Fairfield County Chapter from 2004-2008, he was responsible for board governance and fund raising, and he remains committed to the work of the organization. From Tim’s perspective, giving back to the community is an important part of his role as an attorney. “The American Red Cross, like so many other charitable organizations, is staffed by committed, warm-hearted individuals who reach out to society's less fortunate on a daily basis,” he says.  “Whether it is housing a family displaced by a local fire, collecting blood to save the lives of those in need,  or feeding tens of thousands of people left homeless because of Hurricane Katrina, the Red Cross is there.  Those who contribute their time, talent and money to such a worthy cause can't help but feel that they have in some small way improved the life of another.” 

Tim is chair of the Litigation Department and a member of the Executive Committee at Pullman & Comley, one of Connecticut’s largest law firms. Since its founding in 1919, the firm has had a tradition of attorneys and staff who are involved in the local community through charitable, civic, public service and professional organizations, and Tim provides a great example, balancing his legal career and leadership role in the firm with a strong record of community service.

Over the years, Tim has dedicated a great deal of his time to serving the legal profession. In 1997, he was appointed as co-counsel to the Federal Grievance Committee by the Judges of the U.S. District Court and served until 2003. In September 2008, Tim received the Raymond B. Green Award issued by Judges of the Connecticut District for Outstanding Service.

Tim is a member of the Executive Committees of the Federal Practice (former co-chairman) and Intellectual Property Sections of the Connecticut Bar Association (CBA). He also serves on the CBA’s Audit, Nominating, Legal Services for the Poor, and Federal Judiciary standing and ad hoc committees and is a member of the House of Delegates. Tim is a bencher and former secretary and vice president of the Raymond Baldwin Inn of Court and a director of the Connecticut Bar Foundation. He is also a member of the Greater Bridgeport Bar Association (past president), the American Bar Association, American Intellectual Property Law Association, the Federal Circuit Bar Association and the Federal Bar Council. Tim serves as a Superior Court attorney trial referee and arbitrator, a special master in Federal Court, and as a private arbitrator and mediator. This year, in recognition of his record of outstanding service to the legal profession, the members of the CBA and the greater community, Tim was awarded the John Eldred Shields Professional Service Award from the CBA at the Association’s annual meeting in June.

Tim’s record of service to the greater community is as distinguished as his professional career. In addition to his work for the Red Cross, since graduating from law school he has been actively involved in Connecticut Legal Services, an organization which provides legal representation to low income persons throughout the state. He served as a director of the organization for 15 years, as chairman for two years, and now sits on the organization’s Advisory Council. He served as a trustee chairman of the University of Connecticut Law School Foundation, overseeing the Foundation’s work in soliciting, receiving, investing and administering donations from private sources to benefit the law school, and as president of the University of Connecticut Law School Alumni Association.

Based in the Bridgeport, Connecticut, office of Pullman & Comley, Tim supports the local Bridgeport area community through the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, an organization dedicated to economic development that will lead to increased jobs and tax base growth in the region. He is a graduate of the Council’s Leadership Program and a past member of its board of directors. Tim joins other members of Pullman & Comley in his commitment to pro bono work serving individuals and nonprofit organizations that would otherwise not be able to afford legal representation, and in 2007 was acknowledged by the Connecticut Pro Bono Network for his pro bono services.

“I signed on to be part of a noble profession, a profession that by its nature shapes our society, a profession that allows us a platform from which to help others,” he says. “There is more to this job than a paycheck. Our success ought to be measured by something other than how many wins we tally or how many billable hours we collect; it ought to be measured, at least in part, by whether we have used our training and position in life to help others. I am no different than any of my colleagues who recognize that volunteerism comes with the title. The rewards are immeasurable.”