Edward Nusbaum

EDWARD NUSBAUM, one of Connecticut’s most recognized family law attorneys, provides exceptional legal counsel and support to families throughout the State of Connecticut where he has been practicing family law exclusively for more than 35 years.  The Law Offices of Edward Nusbaum P.C., based in Westport, Conn., represents clients in sophisticated, high-asset and complex family law matters related to divorce, alimony, child support, property division and child custody.

Nusbaum is admitted to practice in Connecticut, the U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut, the U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, and the U.S. District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.  Nusbaum is a Fellow and past president of the Connecticut Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and is a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers, the leading organizations of family law practitioners.  He also is a member of the Connecticut Bar Association’s Resolution of Legal Fees Dispute Committee.

In March 2015, Nusbaum’s prior firm was recognized as the recipient of the Connecticut Law Tribune’s Litigation Department of the Year award for family law.  The panel of judges based its decision upon the overall litigation success and on the range of practice areas represented in top cases, and the overall impact of the results.

In 2013, Nusbaum co-authored a chapter in a book titled, “Family Law Jurisdictional Comparisons,” Second Edition 2013, published by European Lawyer/Thomson Reuters.  This book was the result of the growing importance of international family law and the need amongst family lawyers for a definitive guide to family law in core jurisdictions around the globe.  The jurisdictions consist of 37 countries and six states in the U.S.  Nusbaum wrote about Connecticut family law covering a myriad of subjects including pre- and postnuptial agreements, finances/capital, property, child maintenance, surrogacy and adoption, financial relief after foreign divorce proceedings and civil partnership/same-sex marriage, among others.

Nusbaum volunteers his time as a court-appointed special master in Stamford, Bridgeport, Ansonia/Milford, Danbury and Middletown Superior Courts for family law cases.  He was a past president of the Westport Bar Association.

Throughout his career, Nusbaum has lectured extensively on family law matters.  He was most recently a guest lecturer at UConn’s School of Business where he spoke on the topic of the interaction of business and law.

Community Involvement

A good attorney is more than his success as a lawyer alone.  Giving back to the community has played an important part of Nusbaum’s life since moving to Weston, Conn. in 1974.  He was on the board of CancerCare of Connecticut for six years and board president for two years.  He was instrumental in putting together corporate sponsorship events, Olympic-style competitions at area high schools and raised close to $500,000 for the organization during his term as president.

Nusbaum has coached more than 40 teams in multiple sports in Weston over a period of 15 years.  He coached more than 10 All-Star teams and served as president of the Weston Diamond Club for two years.  When Paul Newman founded the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in 1988, Nusbaum arranged for a major sporting goods manufacturer to fully outfit all the athletic equipment for the camp.

University of Connecticut, B.A., cum laude, 1970;

Rutgers University, J.D., 1973;

1973, Connecticut Bar;

1974, U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut and U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit;

1980, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York;

1980, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New YorkNusbaum earned a Juris Doctor degree

Nusbaum earned a Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers University and a bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from the University of Connecticut, where he was a member of Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society.

Widely regarded by peers and the legal community as a leading family law attorney in Connecticut, Nusbaum has earned the following awards/recognitions:

• Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent-rated attorney since 1994
• Best Lawyers in America since 1995
• U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers’ Best Law Firms in the category of family law, Metropolitan Tier 1, since its inception in 2011 through 2020
• Top Connecticut Super Lawyers, Connecticut Magazine, since 2001
• Top 50 Lawyers in the State by Connecticut Magazine in 2006
• Best Attorneys in Connecticut as published in Best Lawyers, since 2011
• Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers since 2006
• New York Area Best Lawyers, New York Magazine, 2006 through 2011
• New York City’s Best Lawyers, as published in Best Lawyers, since 2013
• New York’s Top Attorneys as published in Best Lawyers, since 2013
• Best Lawyers in New England for family law, since 2011
• New England Super Lawyers, Connecticut Magazine since 2007
• Best Lawyers in New England as published in The Wall Street Journal, since 2011
• Top Lawyers of New England 2018 as Published in Connecticut Magazine
• Top Rated Lawyer, Boston Legal Leaders, as published in the Boston Globe, 2014, 2015
• Top Rated Lawyers within the greater Boston area by LexisNexis, Martindale-Hubbell and ALM Media in the area of Family Law, since 2014
• Outstanding Lawyers of America and Top Lawyers in Connecticut, Connecticut Magazine since 2006
• America’s Top 100 Attorneys Lifetime Achievement member for Connecticut
• National Academy of Family Law Attorneys Top 10 Attorneys in Connecticut 2015, and National Board Member
• The National Advocates’ Top 100 Lawyers, 2016-2017
• Certified Member of Lawyers of Distinction
• National Association of Distinguished Counsel, Nations Top One Percent, 2017
• American Institute of Family Law Attorneys 10 Best in Connecticut
• Founding Member of the American Academy for Certified Financial Litigators’ Conn. Chapter
• Certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy
• America’s Most Honored Professionals 2018, as listed by the American Registry

Legal Organizations

Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers.

AAML National Chapter

Bench and Bar Committee, 1994: Chair, Bench and Bar Committee, 1998-1999; AAML CLE Committee, 1998; AAML, Professionalism in the Practice Committee, 1998-1999.

AAML Connecticut Chapter

Connecticut Chapter, President, 2006-2007; Board of Managers, 1999 to 2001; Board of Managers, 2016-2018; Treasurer, 2002-2003; Secretary, 2004; Vice President, 2005; President-Elect, 2005-2006.

Landmark Cases (Connecticut Appellate Court and Supreme Court Decisions)

Schorsch v. Schorsch – For alimony calculation purposes, where the husband’s asset was converted into a mortgage, the trial court could not include as income the principal on that asset which had been awarded to him as a property division.

Bucy v. Bucy – Psychological expenses included within definition of medical expenses.

Friezo v. Friezo – Seminal case on enforceability of prenuptial agreements under Connecticut’s Premarital Agreement Act.

Culver v. Culver – Court-ordered child support obligation not modified by oral agreement that was not made an order of the Court.

Hopfer v. Hopfer – Wife not entitled to share in stock options awarded to husband by his employer during pendency of divorce because stock options were awarded for husband’s future services to be rendered to employer.

Hornung v. Hornung – Successfully obtained the enforcement of a prenuptial agreement and an amendment to the prenuptial agreement after the parties were already married.