(Rocky Hill, CT) - The Honorable Andrew J. McDonald, Chair of the Criminal Justice Commission, today announced that Deputy Chief State's Attorney Kevin D. Lawlor has informed the Commission of his intention to retire at the end of his term on June 30, 2025.
Deputy Chief State’s Attorney Lawlor was appointed by the Criminal Justice Commission on July 13, 2018. As the Deputy Chief State’s Attorney of Operations, he is responsible for oversight of the Division’s Appellate, Statewide Prosecution and Civil Litigation Bureaus, Housing Matters and the Medicaid Fraud Control, Cold Case, Conviction Integrity and Workers' Compensation Fraud Units and the LeRoy Brown Jr. and Karen Clarke Witness Protection Program. He currently is a member of the Division’s Legislative, Operations and Ethics Committees and serves as counselor to the Chief State’s Attorney and the state’s 13 State’s Attorneys.
“On behalf of the Criminal Justice Commission, I extend our gratitude and appreciation to Kevin for his 30 years of service to the State of Connecticut,” Justice McDonald said. “From his first days as a prosecutor in courtrooms throughout the state, to his recent years as one of the Division’s top administrators, he has proven himself to be a dedicated and distinguished public servant committed to seeking justice for the people of this state. The members of the commission extend our congratulations and best wishes on his retirement.”
Prior to his appointment as Deputy Chief State’s Attorney of Operations, Attorney Lawlor served as the Ansonia/Milford State’s Attorney for 12 years where he earned a reputation as an accomplished trial lawyer, prosecuting many serious felony cases. He joined the Division of Criminal Justice as a Deputy Assistant State's Attorney at Geographical Area No. 22 in Milford in 1995. He was advanced to Assistant State's Attorney in 1998 and transferred to Part A in the Judicial District of Ansonia/Milford in 2002. While in the Ansonia/Milford Judicial District, he also served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney from 2004 to 2007, assisting in all facets of prosecution in multi-jurisdictional matters. He was appointed State’s Attorney of the Ansonia/Milford Judicial District in 2006.
Deputy Chief State’s Attorney Lawlor has served as tri-chair of the Governor’s Task Force for Abused Children, a founding member of the Division of Criminal Justice Diversity Committee and Past President of the Division of Criminal Justice State’s Attorney’s Advisory Board. In addition, he also has volunteered to speak to area youth in coordination with the Milford Bar Association, the North Haven Board of Education and other community organizations about criminal justice issues and the legal profession. He was honored in 2006 with the Connecticut Children’s Alliance Certificate of Appreciation and the Greater Bridgeport NAACP Lifetime Achievement Award, in 2013 with the Arnold Markle District Attorney of the Year Award from the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science and the New Haven Knights of St. Patrick Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award, in 2014 with the Irish Echo Law and Order 50 Award and in 2017 with the International Association of Arson Investigators Outstanding Accomplishment Award.
Deputy Chief State’s Attorney Lawlor is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and Quinnipiac University School of Law. He teaches several criminal justice courses in the Legal Studies Department at Quinnipiac University and the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences at the University of New Haven. Following his retirement from the Division, he will be transitioning to private practice in civil trial litigation.
“Deputy Chief State’s Attorney Lawlor has served the people of Connecticut with distinction and honor for three decades,” Chief State’s Attorney Patrick J. Griffin said. “As a State’s Attorney, he served the Ansonia/Milford Judicial District with integrity, dedication and commitment to upholding the law, displaying exemplary leadership that continued during his tenure as Deputy Chief State’s Attorney. The Division is grateful for his many years of hard work and commitment to public service. We wish him all the best in retirement.”
Established under Article XXIII of the Connecticut Constitution, the Criminal Justice Commission is responsible for the appointment of all state prosecutors in Connecticut.
The Commission is currently seeking qualified applicants for the appointment of the state’s next Deputy Chief State’s Attorney of Operations. Click this link to the Division of Criminal Justice’s website to apply, and for further information.
In addition to Justice McDonald, Senior Associate Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, the commission's membership includes Chief Judge of the Appellate Court Judge Melanie L. Cradle, attorneys Robert M. Berke, Reginald Dwayne Betts, Scott J. Murphy and Moy N. Ogilvie and Chief State’s Attorney Patrick J. Griffin. By law, Chief State's Attorney Griffin does not participate in the consideration of Deputy Chief State's Attorney applicants.