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Attorney Trent LaLima has more than a decade of experience in criminal law, as well as appeals, civil litigation, and juvenile matters. Attorney LaLima has served a number of leadership positions for Connecticut legal organizations, including Chair of the Criminal Justice Section of the Connecticut Bar Association and co-Chair of the Hartford County Bar Association’s Criminal Committee. In 2022, he was awarded the Hartford County Bar Association’s Judge Maxwell Heiman Award, awarded each year to one outstanding attorney in his or her first 10 years of practice. He is the Chair of the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association’s Hubert J. Santos Annual Criminal Litigation Seminar.
Attorney LaLima has extensive experience in criminal cases of all types. He has achieved acquittals in the most serious of criminal cases, such as murder and sexual assault felonies, negotiated plea deals. He has obtained appellate reversals in numerous cases, including high profile criminal cases. Attorney LaLima practices criminal law throughout Connecticut, and includes matters ranging from murder, home invasion, and sexual assault to DUI/DWI, domestic violence, and misdemeanor crimes. He frequently practices criminal law in Connecticut District Court, handling federal felonies. Attorney LaLima has handle juvenile matters ranging all of levels, including serious juvenile cases. He handles school disciplinary proceedings, including at the high school level or colleges such as the University of Connecticut and University of Hartford. He represents clients in pre-arrest investigations, helping clients who have not been charged avoid arrest. His cases often involve extensive media attention. Attorney LaLima has been featured on NBC’s Dateline and NBC Connecticut, and has been sought by local news for legal analysis on other cases. He has been a faculty member for numerous legal education seminars. Since 2017, he has been named a SuperLawyers Rising Star, and his peers have rated him as AV Preeminent since 2018.
Attorney LaLima graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2010, and Washington & Lee University School of Law in 2013. In 2013, he began working for the Law Offices of Hubert J. Santos under the legendary Attorney Hubert Santos. He rose from law clerk to associate attorney to, in 2019, partner at the re-named Santos & LaLima. In 2021, he became sole owner with Attorney Santos’ passing. In 2024, Santos & LaLima merged with Brown Paindiris & Scott LLP, and Attorney LaLima joined its criminal department as a partner.
Attorney LaLima works tirelessly to defend his clients’ rights, boldly and creatively fight to protect them, and provide them clarity and understanding during difficult times. A lifelong Connecticut resident, he lives in West Hartford with his wife and children. In his spare time, he serves as a coach and board member of West Hartford Youth Basketball League, and supports UConn Huskies basketball.
