Carole Topol Orland - Westport, CT

Overview

Carole Topol Orland is a founding member and partner at BRODER & ORLAND LLC. She has been practicing family and matrimonial law for more than thirty years and has extensive experience representing clients in Fairfield County and throughout Connecticut in matters involving all aspects of family and matrimonial law, including divorce, alimony, child support and custody and the division of assets. Carole has handled some of the most complex and high net-worth cases in Connecticut. Clients seek her counsel in developing pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements, negotiating fair divorce settlements, mediating divorces and, when necessary, vigorously advocating on their behalf in litigation. She endeavors to make family legal issues as “painless” as possible. Carole is adept at adjusting her personal style of practice to the situation at hand, from collaborating in negotiations to assertively advocating at trial.

Carole is well respected in the legal community for her skills as a family law attorney and the results she achieves for her clients. She has received an AV rating™, the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards, earned through a strenuous peer and judicial review process by Martindale-Hubbell ®, the most established peer review rating authority. In addition, she has been designated a Top Lawyer in three categories: Arbitration and Mediation, Family Law, and Matrimonial Law in Westport, Greenwich, Stamford, New Canaan/Darien and Fairfield Magazines. She has been selected to the Connecticut Super Lawyers® List in the area of Family Law, http://www.superlawyers.com/connecticut/selection_details.html. Additionally, Carole has been named among the Top 10 Attorneys in Family Law in Connecticut by The National Academy of Family Law Attorneys. NAFLA's Board of Governors awards this distinction annually to the Top 10 Family Attorneys within the state. Criteria include client and peer reviews, length of time practicing family law, trial experience and case outcomes, published articles and legal awards.

A native of Worcester, Massachusetts, Carole began her career there as an Assistant District Attorney, prosecuting several high profile felony cases. She subsequently established herself in private practice and concentrated on divorce, matrimonial, family, and criminal matters. She successfully handled the first surrogacy case to be decided by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, ultimately winning custody for the child’s father.

Carole is a member of the Fairfield County Bar Association, including its Family Law Section. She is also a member and former Executive Committee member of the Family Law Section of the Connecticut Bar. Carole is an active volunteer on behalf of families. She serves as a Special Master in both the Bridgeport and Stamford Superior Courts and serves as a volunteer lawyer in the Connecticut Judicial Branch/Stamford Volunteer Lawyer Program.

Carole is a sought after speaker on family and matrimonial law topics. She served as a panelist on the Bench-Bar Symposium on Professionalism sponsored by the Fairfield and Connecticut Bar Associations and the State of Connecticut Judicial Branch and has presented to various financial organizations and professional groups on topics relating to family and matrimonial law. She most recently authored an article entitled: “Who Gets the House in a Divorce” published by the Fairfield County Business Journal (August 17, 2015). Carole is admitted to practice in Connecticut, New York, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts and the U.S. District Court.

Carole is deeply involved in the Westport, Connecticut community, where she lives with her husband. She is a Trustee of the Westport Library and serves on its Governance/Nominating Committee. She has also served as a Committee Chair for Near and Far Aid. Additionally, she is a patron of the Beechwood Arts Organization.