David W. Griffin
Top rated Family Law attorney in Westport, Connecticut
Rutkin, Oldham & Griffin, LLC
Practice Areas: Family Law; view more
Licensed in Connecticut since: 1983
Education: University of Houston Law Center
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2011 - 2024 Call today:
800-591-6471
Rutkin, Oldham & Griffin, LLC
5 Imperial AvenueWestport, CT 06880 Visit website
Details
David W. Griffin is a partner at Rutkin, Oldham & Griffin, L.L.C., a Westport, Connecticut, law firm with a focus on matrimonial and family law, and extensive experience representing clients in high net worth, high income and custody cases. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and was named National Fellow of the Year by the AAML in 2016.
Although he has focused solely on matrimonial law for the past 18 years, attorney Griffin’s early years of practice in the areas of business and real estate law gave him a broad understanding of financing, valuation methods, income generation, asset structuring, e-discovery methods and other tools that have left him uniquely prepared to assist family law clients today. Attorney Griffin’s current practice primarily consists of negotiation and litigation related to divorce, custody, visitation, relocation, alimony, support and prenuptial agreements throughout Connecticut. In addition, he has served as a court-appointed guardian ad litem and as an attorney for minor children, and as a Special Master tackling many of the state's toughest family law cases in the Regional Trial Docket.
Attorney Griffin was admitted to the bar in 1983, has been a licensed private pilot since 1985 and comes from a family of Connecticut lawyers: a father who was a renowned general practitioner in Waterbury for more than 60 years and two older brothers.
Practice areas
Family LawFocus areas
Alimony & Spousal Support, Child Support, Custody & Visitation, Dissolution, Divorce, Domestic Violence, Marital Property, Paternity, Prenuptial Agreements, Same Sex Family Law
- 100% Family Law
First Admitted: 1983, Connecticut
Professional Webpage: https://www.rutkinoldham.com/about-our-team/david-w-griffin/
Bar/Professional Activity:
- Fellow, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
- Fellow, Connecticut Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
- Fellow, International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
- Member, American Bar Association, Family Law Section
- Connecticut Child Support Guidelines Commission, Co-Chair 2014-2015; Member 2011-2015
- Member, Connecticut Bar Association, Family Law Section and Executive Committee, Chair 2015-2016, Vice-Chair 2014-2015, CLE Chair 2013-2014, Secretary 2012-2013, Treasurer 2011-2012, Board of Editors Connecticut Family Lawyer 2011-present
- Member, Greenwich Bar Association
- Member, Fairfield County Bar Association
- United States District Court for the District of Connecticut
- Lifetime Member, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Foundation
Honors/Awards:
- www.aaml.org/, National Fellow of the Year, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, 2016
- Peer Recognition in Wall Street Journal - Best Lawyers in New York City Area, Best Lawyers in New York City Area, Wall Street Journal, 2017
- Top Attorneys in New England, November 2019, Top Attorneys in New England, SuperLawyers, 2019
- Recognized in Connecticut Magazine Top 50 Lawyers in Connecticut - November 2019, Top 50 Attorneys in Connecticut, Connecticut Magazine, 2019
- Recognized in Connecticut Magazine Top 50 Lawyers in Connecticut, Top 50 Attorneys in Connecticut, Connecticut Magazine, 2018
- Best Lawyers in America Recognition, The Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers, 2019
- Best Lawyers in New York Metro Area, The Wall Street Journal, 2017
- New England Best Lawyers, The Wall Street Journal, 2015
- Top Lawyers in Connecticut, Connecticut Magazine, 2011
- Best Lawyers, Best Lawyers Magazine, 2013
- 2011 to 2019 Ten Leaders Recognition, Ten Leaders of Matrimonial and Divorce Law, Ten Leaders, 2011
Educational Background:
- Ithaca College, B.A. in Politics 1979
- University of Houston Law Center, J.D. 1983
White Papers:
- Complex Organizational Structures are common in high net worth divorces. Understanding how to value the entity in the face of complexity is an essential element of representing a client., Valuing Complex Organizational and Capital Structures in Marital Dissolutions, 2019
- Analysis with co-author Barry Sziklay on the treatment of private equity and venture capital interests in matrimonial dissolutions in California and New York Metro/Connecticut, East Meets West - The Continental Divide - Venture Capital and Private Equity Interests From Silicon Valley to Silicon Alley, 2019
Scholarly Lectures/Writings:
- Hot Tips Session Covering the Use of Financial Affidavits in Complex Financial Divorce Cases, Author and Presenter, with Planning Committee Members, 25 Hot Tips in 75 Minutes, BVR-AAML National Divorce Financial Conference, 2019
- Co-Presenter At National Divorce Financial Conference on topic of Professional Valuation Experts' Exercise of Professional Judgement in Valuation Cases and Divorce, Author, Presenter, Co-Presenter with Ron Seigneur, Professional Judgment and Valuations of Start-Ups, BVR-AAML National Divorce Financial Conference, 2019
- Session Moderator and Co-Presenter with Mark Dietrich regarding how to value a medical practice in the marital dissolution setting, Presenter, Moderator, with Mark Dietrich, CPA, Healthcare Valuation in Divorce, BVR-AAML National Divorce Financial Conference, 2019
- Session on Tracing and Dealing with Offshore Assets, Planning Co-Chair, Program Moderator, Show Me the Money! Uncovering Fraud and Tracing Offshore Assets, AAML Midyear Meeting, Nassau, Bahamas, Divorce, Taxation, Valuation Experts, 2016
- Presentation At National Divorce Financial Conference Co-Sponsored by Business Valuation Resources and the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Author, Presenter, Co-Presenter with Neil Beaton, Valuing Complex Organizational and Capital Structures in Marital Dissolutions, BVR-AAML National Divorce Financial Conference, 2019
- Presenter, "Income Isn't Just What's in the Paycheck: Executive Compensation and Other Employee Benefits", December 2016, Presenter, Co-Presenter with Charles Meyer, Esq., Income Isn't Just What's in the Paycheck, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, 2016
- Co-Chair, "2016 National Conference on Divorce": American Institute of Certified Public Accountants/American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, May 2016, Planning Co-Chair and Topic Presenter, 2016 AICPA/AAML National Conference on Divorce, Divorce, Legal, Business Valuation, Forensic Accounting, 2016
- Presenter, “App Technology for Lawyers”, Connecticut Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Advanced Technology Seminar, April 2014, Author and Presenter, App Technology For Lawyers, 2014
- Discussion Leader, “Mediating a Custody Case”: Association of Family and Conciliation Courts/American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers 2015 Conference on Advanced Issues in Child Custody: Evaluation, Litigation and Settlement, October 2015
- Co-Presenter, “Business Valuation and Use of Online Valuation Calculators – Do They Survive a Daubert Challenge?”: Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, November 2014, Presenter, Co-Presenter with Ron Seigneur, CPA ABV ASA CVA, Business Valuation and the Use of Online Valuation Calculators, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, 2014
- “Earning Capacity and Imputing Income for Child Support Calculations: A Survey of Law and Outline of Practice Tips”: Published in the Summer of 2014 in the Journal of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers,
- Presenter, “Data Acquisition and Digital Forensics (What Every Lawyer Should Know)", USA-Canada Chapter Meeting of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, May 2014
- Presenter, “Valuation, Protection and Treatment of an Owner’s Dilutable Interest in a Rapidly Growing Business”: AICPA-AAML National Conference on Divorce, April 2014
- Presenter, “Earning Capacity and Imputing Income for Child Support Calculations”: American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, New England Family Law Symposium, April 2013
- State of Connecticut Judicial Branch: Faculty member of the official Judicial Branch guardian ad litem training course, on the topics of "What to Expect at the Regional Family Trial Docket" and "How to Encourage and Assist Parents in Reaching Agreement in the Best Interests of the Minor Children" – June, 2012
- Program Coordinator/Moderator/Producer, "Advanced Financial Issues": Connecticut Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Biennial Seminar, April 2016
- Co-Speaker, "Hot Topics in Health Care Valuation: Reasonable Compensation, HIPAA and a Surprise or Two": 2016 American Institute of Certified Public Accountants/American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers National Conference on Divorce, May 2016
- Program Co-Coordinator, "Show Me the Money! Uncovering Fraud and Tracing Offshore Assets", AAML Midyear Meeting, March 2016
- Program Coordinator, “How Lawyers Can Use Social Media to Make It Rain”: AAML Midyear Meeting, March 2016
- Program Coordinator, “Discovering Unreported Foreign Assets in a Divorce. What Do I Do Now?”: AAML Midyear Meeting, March 2016
- Program Coordinator, “A Question of Balance – Accidental Success”: AAML Midyear Meeting, March 2016
Selections
14 Years Super Lawyers
- Super Lawyers: 2011 - 2024
Top Lists
Top 50: Connecticut Super Lawyers: 2018 - 2024Certificates and credentials
Additional sources of information about David W. Griffin
See legal Q & A provided by David W. Griffin
Q: What are most important things to consider in a divorce in Connecticut?
A: There are three major issues to resolve in divorce: child custody, alimony and division of assets. Below we provide a brief overview of each issue, … See all answers by David Griffin
