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Biography

Floyd J. Dugas, Senior Partner with Berchem Moses PC, heads up the firm’s Municipal Labor & Employment practice. He represents towns, cities and boards of education throughout Connecticut, often as General Counsel. Mr. Dugas is a member of the firm’s Labor & Employment and Education Law departments. He represents both private and public sector employers.

Among his many accomplishments, Attorney Dugas successfully defended the West Haven Board of Education against the first ever claim in this state for education malpractice.  He also was among the first attorneys in recent years to secure wage freezes, step freezes and major insurance plan redesigns in interest arbitration on behalf of school districts we represent.  He has appeared before the State Supreme Court on other municipal labor matters.  He has represented employers in literally hundreds of arbitrations and in wrongful discharge and discrimination litigation. 

Attorney Dugas is an arbitrator on the State of Connecticut Department of Education Panel of Arbitrators, and is Chair of the Personnel and Benefits Committee of the Easter Seal Rehabilitation Center of Greater Waterbury, Inc.  He regularly lectures on labor, employment and education law topics and is a regular presenter at CABE’s annual negotiation seminar. He has presented at the National School Board Association Conference in San Francisco on the topic of School Reform, and in San Diego and San Antonio on the topic of school safety.  He is a member and past president of the Connecticut Counsel of School Attorneys and is a member of the National Council of School Board Attorneys.  Mr. Dugas is rated as AV Preeminent by his peers in Martindale-Hubbell, its highest designation, and has been recognized by Connecticut and New England Super Lawyers since 2014.  Since 2018, he has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Lawyers in America, and in 2022 he received the coveted “Lawyer of the Year ” designation for Labor Law – Management. Additionally, Attorney Dugas was the recipient of The Connecticut Law Tribune’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022 which recognizes lawyers who have “left a lasting imprint on the legal community of Connecticut.” He was also named a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation in 2022. The Fellows comprise a global honorary society of attorneys, judges, law faculty, and legal scholars whose public and private careers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the highest principles of the legal profession and to the welfare of their communities. Membership in the Fellows is limited to 1% of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction. Fellows are recommended by their peers and elected by the board of the American Bar Foundation.

Practice Areas

  • Labor and Employment
  • Education

Education

  • Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    • J.D. – 1986
    • Honors: Member, Moot Court Board
  • University of Connecticut
    • B.S. – 1981
    • Honors: cum laude

Published Works

  • Stimulus Related Whistleblowing: More Red Tape for Connecticut’s Municipalities or a Legitimate Protection of Public Funds?, Connecticut Lawyer, July 2009

Professional Associations

  • Connecticut Bar Association, Corporate, Commercial, Labor and Employment Law Sections, Member, 1986
  • Connecticut Bar Association, Executive Committee, 1989 to 1990
  • Connecticut Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division, Vice President, Secretary, 1991 to 1993
  • American Bar Association, Corporate, Commercial and Labor and Employment Law Sections, Member
  • National Council of School Board Attorneys, Member
  • Connecticut School Attorneys Council, Member (Past President)
  • Connecticut State Department of Education Arbitration Panel, Management Arbitrator

Bar Admissions

  • Connecticut, 1986
  • U.S. District Court District of Connecticut, 1987
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 2nd Circuit, 1993
  • U.S. Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit, 1993

Honors

  • Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory AV® Preeminent™
  • Connecticut and New England Super Lawyers –Employment & Labor, Since 2014
  • Best Lawyers in America® – Labor Law-Management, Since 2018
  • Best Lawyers in America® Lawyer of the Year, 2022
  • Connecticut Law Tribune Lifetime Achievement Award, 2022
  • Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, 2022