When a divorce involves a closely held business, substantial investments, complicated compensation arrangements, or difficult questions about custody and support, the legal issues can quickly become more complicated than the word “divorce” suggests.
When an individual needs to find a Greenwich divorce lawyer for a complicated marriage case, he/she may need to get some information on the attorney’s professional qualifications. Thomas P. Parrino is an experienced lawyer who specializes in complex family cases, including divorce, alimony, child custody, child support, and division of property. He is a partner at Parrino|Shattuck, PC in Westport, CT, and has a strong practice in complicated matrimonial litigation.
Moreover, his professional experience includes membership in a number of organizations specialized in marriage and family laws. He is a Diplomate of the American College of Family Trial Lawyers, Fellow and former President of the Connecticut Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers.
Taken together, those experiences allow one to get an image of the attorney behind this practice – an attorney who has spent his entire professional career dealing with the financial, personal, and procedural complexities associated with family law.
From Connecticut Roots to a Career in Family Law
Parrino’s professional path began in Connecticut. He received his undergraduate education at the University of Connecticut in 1983, and then he graduated from the University of Bridgeport School of Law, now called Quinnipiac University School of Law, in 1987. Parrino became admitted to the bar in Connecticut in 1987; in addition, he was admitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.
Rather than building a general practice across unrelated areas of law, Parrino developed his career around family law. Parrino’s expertise covers all major aspects of a matrimonial dispute, including divorce, division of assets, support, and child custody matters.
That focus has become particularly relevant in cases where the financial or family circumstances are unusually complicated. Professional profiles describe his work as including some of Connecticut’s more sophisticated and high-asset family law litigation.
A Practice Centered on Difficult Family Law Matters
Family law is often described in simple categories: divorce, custody, support, and property division. In practice, however, those categories can overlap.
A business owner going through a divorce may need to address the value of a company while also considering how a potential property settlement affects the future operation of the business. An executive’s compensation may involve more than a conventional salary. A family may have questions involving inherited wealth, trusts, investments, or property acquired over many years.
Parrino’s practice includes these kinds of complex financial and family issues. His work encompasses property division, alimony, child custody and child support, as well as other areas of family law.
This financial dimension is particularly important in high-asset divorce. Determining the legal consequences of a marital estate may require a close examination of how assets were acquired, how they are valued, and how different forms of wealth should be addressed during the divorce process.
His knowledge of such aspects is an integral part of his professional identity, especially when dealing with family law disputes involving substantial amounts of wealth or a number of legal issues at once.
Negotiation and Litigation as Complementary Skills
Parrino’s professional biographies consistently describe him as both a negotiator and a litigator.
That combination is important in family law because not every dispute should be approached as though a courtroom battle is inevitable.
Negotiation can provide an opportunity to resolve issues without taking every disagreement through trial. At the same time, meaningful negotiation often depends on thorough preparation and a willingness to litigate when an acceptable resolution cannot be reached.
For someone facing a complicated divorce, those two capabilities can work together. Understanding how a matter could unfold in court can influence negotiations before trial, while the possibility of settlement can sometimes prevent an already difficult family dispute from becoming even more protracted.
Parrino’s career reflects that dual emphasis. His professional background includes extensive involvement in matrimonial litigation as well as leadership positions within organizations dedicated to family law.
Experience With High-Asset Matrimonial Cases
One of the defining characteristics of Parrino’s practice is his work with high-asset family law matters.
These cases can involve questions that do not arise in more straightforward divorces. Business ownership, investment interests, property holdings, trusts, executive compensation, and other financial arrangements can make the process of identifying and evaluating marital assets considerably more involved.
The legal question is not simply how much something is worth. Lawyers may also need to examine ownership, timing, classification, documentation, income, and the relationship between an asset and the marriage.
Parrino’s professional profiles specifically identify sophisticated and high-asset family law litigation as an important part of his practice.
That experience is particularly relevant in Connecticut communities where family law disputes may involve significant business and financial interests.
Family Law Is About More Than Financial Assets
Although complex financial litigation is an important part of Parrino’s professional profile, his practice extends beyond property and money.
He represents clients in matters involving child custody, child support, and other family law concerns.
These cases require a different kind of legal attention. Financial questions may be measured in dollars and documents, but disputes involving children can involve parenting schedules, parental responsibilities, support obligations, and decisions that affect a family’s day-to-day life long after a case concludes.
A family law attorney therefore has to work across both dimensions of a case. Financial issues require careful analysis, while parenting disputes often require an understanding of the practical consequences that legal decisions can have on parents and children.
Professional Leadership Within Family Law
Parrino’s professional career extends beyond representing individual clients.
He has held several leadership roles within the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, including serving as president of its Connecticut Chapter. He has also served on the organization’s national board, chaired its National Admissions Committee, and participated in its National Test Subcommittee. Within the Connecticut chapter, his professional service has included work with committees dealing with amicus matters, rules, arbitration, and examinations.
He has also been involved with the American Bar Association, Connecticut Bar Association, Fairfield County Bar Association, and Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association, in addition to his fellowship in the International Academy of Family Lawyers.
Those roles add another dimension to his profile. His career has not been limited to individual cases; it has also included participation in professional organizations that shape and discuss the practice of family law.
A Connection to Legal Scholarship and Education
Parrino has also contributed to family law beyond courtroom representation.
He co-authored a chapter in Family Law Jurisdictional Comparisons, Second Edition, published by European Lawyer/Thomson Reuters in 2013. The publication examines family law across multiple jurisdictions, and Parrino’s contribution addressed subjects including finances and capital, property, premarital and postnuptial agreements, child maintenance, surrogacy and adoption, same-sex marriage and financial relief following foreign divorce proceedings.
He has also lectured extensively on family law matters during his career. More recently, Super Lawyers lists a 2024 presentation to the American Bar Association’s Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law concerning trust assets in divorce and the intersection between divorce law and estate planning.
These activities demonstrate an interest in the broader legal questions that surround matrimonial practice, particularly where family law intersects with financial and estate-planning issues.
Recognition From the Legal Profession
Parrino’s career has received recognition from several legal organizations and peer-based publications.
He has been recognized by Best Lawyers since 2006 and was named Lawyer of the Year in 2013. He has also received repeated Top 50 Connecticut Attorney selections from Super Lawyers.
His professional credentials include Diplomate status with the American College of Family Trial Lawyers, an organization described by professional sources as a select group of 100 leading family trial lawyers from across the United States. He is also a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers.
In 2026, Chambers High Net Worth lists Parrino in Band 2 for Family/Matrimonial: High Net Worth in Connecticut and describes him as a popular referral choice for high-value family law matters.
These recognitions do not tell the entire story of an attorney’s career, but they provide additional context for Parrino’s standing within the family law profession.
The Importance of Experience in a Complex Divorce
The most difficult family law cases rarely involve only one issue.
A divorce may involve property division, business interests, support, custody, and negotiations at the same time. Decisions in one area can affect another. A financial settlement may influence future support obligations. A parenting arrangement may need to account for professional responsibilities and travel. A dispute that initially appears straightforward can become considerably more complicated once the underlying financial and family circumstances are examined.
That is why experience matters in complex matrimonial work.
Parrino’s career has been concentrated in family law, with particular experience in sophisticated and high-asset litigation. His work as a negotiator and litigator, combined with professional leadership, teaching, writing, and involvement in family law organizations, has shaped the way his practice is positioned within Connecticut’s matrimonial law community.
For individuals researching a Greenwich divorce lawyer or considering representation elsewhere in Fairfield County, understanding an attorney’s professional background can be just as important as looking at a list of services.
Thomas P. Parrino Today
Today, Parrino continues to practice with Parrino|Shattuck, PC in Westport, where the firm focuses on family law. The firm’s current materials identify him as a Diplomate of the American College of Family Trial Lawyers, a past president and Fellow of the Connecticut Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers.
His career offers a profile of a lawyer who has remained focused on one particularly demanding area of law: helping clients navigate family disputes where financial, personal, and legal considerations can intersect.
For clients facing a straightforward family law question, that background may be more than they need. For those dealing with a sophisticated matrimonial dispute involving substantial assets, business interests, support questions, custody concerns, or complicated negotiations, it provides useful context when evaluating potential representation.
Thomas P. Parrino’s professional identity has been built around that intersection of family law, financial complexity, negotiation, and litigation — a focus that has defined his work in Connecticut for decades.
