Austin Wolf to Receive Connecticut Bar Association's Lifetime Achievement Award

Bridgeport, CT, May 1, 2007 - Austin K. Wolf, co-founder of Cohen and Wolf, P.C. is being honored with the first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award by the Connecticut Bar Association' s Planning & Zoning Section.

The award is given "in recognition of longstanding distinguished service as a planning and zoning lawyer, to clients, to the profession, to the community, to strong ethical practices, and to the advancement of knowledge, to writing, lecturing and similar pursuits." Mr. Wolf will be honored at a special dinner on May 23 at the Trumbull Marriott.

"Once Austin Wolf’s name was mentioned very early in the selection process, there were no other candidates," said Charles Andres, chairman of the CBA’s Planning and Zoning Section. "We are honored that Austin agreed to accept our first Lifetime Achievement Award. Austin has had a long and distinguished career as a land use lawyer, and has helped both lawyers and commission members through his many educational seminars, past chairmanship and high professional standards."

The award will be considered annually by the CBA but not necessarily awarded every year. The committee determining the award consisted of distinguished land use lawyers from different geographical areas of Connecticut, as well as a past chair of the section.  

"I am deeply pleased and honored to be the first recipient of this special award," said Mr. Wolf. "It is especially meaningful that it comes from a group of my professional peers and colleagues."

Austin Wolf co-founded Cohen and Wolf in 1951 along with Herbert L. Cohen. Cohen and Wolf has grown from its two founding partners into one of Connecticut's leading law firms with more than 45 attorneys and offices in Bridgeport, Danbury, and Westport.

Mr. Wolf is widely recognized as the "Dean of the Land Use Bar" in Connecticut. In more than a half-century as one of the state’s most prominent real estate and land use attorneys, he has successfully represented developers seeking approval for high profile projects. He has also, conversely, successfully represented individuals and neighborhood groups opposed to development plans.

He has played a significant role in the redevelopment of Bridgeport. Mr. Wolf successfully represented the Women’s Institute for Housing and Economic Development in its quest for approval from the Bridgeport land use boards to convert the former Park City Hospital to housing for the elderly and disabled, an important part of the city’s renewal. He also has been a key figure in the development of Southport Green, the largest mixed-use commercial project in Fairfield County.

Mr. Wolf chaired the committee that rewrote the town of Fairfield’s zoning and subdivision regulations in 1986-87. In 2000, he was vice chairman of a committee that rewrote Fairfield’s master plan of conservation and development.

Mr. Wolf’s practice covers the areas of land use planning, zoning, wetlands, real estate development, and industrial and commercial leasing. He is admitted to practice in Connecticut; the U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut; and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit.

He is a member of the American, Connecticut and Greater Bridgeport Bar Associations. He is a member and past chairman of the Planning and Zoning Executive Committee of the Connecticut Bar Association, and served on the Connecticut Bar Association House of Delegates. Mr. Wolf is also a member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, and past member and officer of the American Inns of Court, Bridgeport. He serves as an attorney trial referee (since 1983).

Austin Wolf has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America since 1986. He served on the Board of Editors of the Connecticut Bar Journal and as a Felllow of the Connecticut Bar Foundation. Mr. Wolf frequently speaks on real estate- and land use-related topics to both legal and business audiences.

He received his B.A. in 1948 from Yale University and LL.B., cum laude, in 1951 from Harvard Law School. He is a long-time resident of Fairfield, Ct.

Cohen and Wolf, P.C. provides a wide range of sophisticated legal services to leading businesses, organizations and individuals, both regionally and nationally. For more than half-a-century, Cohen and Wolf has successfully represented business and individual clients in matters involving litigation, corporate and securities law, real estate, land use, tax, employment and labor, municipal law, personal injury, family law, estate planning, elder law and asset protection planning. Our team of more than 45 experienced lawyers is based in our three Connecticut offices: Bridgeport, Danbury and Westport. For more information please visit: www.cohenandwolf.com.

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