Biography

Attorney Robert (Bob) L. Berchem is the founding partner of the firm.  Bob serves as President of Berchem Moses PC and Chair of its Business Services Department. He graduated with honors from Fairfield University in 1962, and from Villanova Law School in 1965 where he was first in his class and the editor of the Villanova Law Review.  Following law school, Bob clerked for the Honorable William H. Timbers, Chief Judge of the United States District Court. After working for Judge Timbers in both the District Court and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York, Bob was awarded a William Cook Fellowship by the University of Michigan’s Law School from which received his Masters of Law in 1967. Bob then returned to Milford, Connecticut, and joined a local two-person general practice law firm.  During the next 55 years, he brought the firm to statewide prominence. Berchem Moses PC now has over thirty-five lawyers and has added an additional office in Westport, Connecticut.

Bob has been actively involved in the attraction, development, and construction of many of the retail, commercial and industrial projects which, over the last five decades, have enabled the region to maintain a strong tax base and enhance its economic stability. Bob has served as a Trustee of Fairfield University and as Chair of the University of Bridgeport Board of Trustees.

Consistent with Bob’s willingness to give back to the community, Berchem Moses PC has been a leading contributor to countless charitable organizations in greater Milford and beyond. Bob has given his time to many local organizations, including the Milford Historic District Commission which he chairs, the Milford Jaycees, the Milford Orange YMCA, Bridgeport Hospital and the Cardinal Shehan Center.  Bob has been a member of the Board of Directors of Boys and Girls Village and is a member and former President of Race Brook Country Club.

Attorney Robert L. Berchem has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Lawyers in America® since 2018 for Real Estate Law and Land Use & Zoning Law.

Practice Areas

• Commercial Law
• Real Estate
• Land Use Planning

Education

• The University of Michigan Law School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
  • LL.M. – 1967
  • Major: Labor Relations
• Villanova University School of Law, Villanova, Pennsylvania
  • J.D. – 1965
  • Honors: Order of the Coif
• Fairfield University
  • A.B. – 1962
  • Honors: cum laude
  • Honors: Alpha Sigma Nu

Past Positions

• Hon. William H. Timbers, Chief Judge, U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut, Law Clerk, 1965 to 1966
• State of Connecticut Assistant Prosecutor, 1967 to 1974

Published Works

• “Recent Development”, 9 Villanova Law Review 155, 1963
• “Comment”, 9 Villanova Law Review 306, 1964
• “Labor Democracy in America”, 13 Villanova Law Review 1, 1967

Professional Associations

• American Arbitration Association, Commercial Arbitrator
• American Bar Association, Member
• Connecticut Bar Association, Member
• New Haven County Bar Association, Member
• Greater Bridgeport Bar Association, Member
• Former Chair of the University of Bridgeport Board of Trustees
• Former Trustee of Fairfield University

Bar Admissions

• Connecticut, 1965
• U.S. District Court District of Connecticut, 1966
• U.S. Supreme Court, 1969
• U.S. Court of Appeals 2nd Circuit, 1977

Honors

• Recognized in U.S. News and World Report’s Best Lawyers in America® since 2018 for work in Real Estate Law and Land Use & Zoning Law
• Cook Fellow, University of Michigan Law School
• James W. Cooper Fellow, Connecticut Bar Foundation, Sustaining Life Fellow, Catherine Roraback Circle