2026 New England Legal Awards Spotlight Day Pitney's Talent and Leadership

Day Pitney LLP earned six honors at the 2026 Connecticut Law Tribune New England Legal Awards, highlighting the firm’s depth of talent across individual achievement and team excellence. Collectively, the recognitions reflect the accomplishments of its attorneys and the strength of the teams behind some of the firm’s most sophisticated work.

Intellectual Property Partners Elizabeth A. “Beth” Alquist and Alex P. Garens were named winners in the Distinguished Leaders and Massachusetts Rising Stars categories, respectively. Intellectual Property Partner Carrie Webb Olson was also selected as a finalist for Intellectual Property Attorney of the Year. The firm’s Intellectual Property Litigation team was named Litigation Department of the Year, and its Insurance Litigation and Probate Litigation teams were named finalists in the category.

“These honors reflect the strength of Day Pitney at every level, recognizing accomplished leaders who help shape the profession, rising stars making an impact in their practice, and collaborative teams trusted to handle complex, consequential matters,” commented Managing Partner Michael P. Byrne. “Beth, Alex, Carrie, and our recognized litigation teams exemplify the judgment, dedication, and commitment to client service that define our firm, and we are proud to celebrate their achievements.”

Elizabeth A. “Beth” Alquist — Distinguished Leaders Winner
Alquist was named a Distinguished Leaders winner in recognition of her leadership, professional achievements, and contributions to the legal profession. Based in Hartford, she is a nationally recognized trial lawyer who represents leading businesses in complex intellectual property and technology-related disputes. Her practice spans patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, noncompetition, and commercial matters litigated in federal and state courts and before the International Trade Commission, Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Alquist also serves on Day Pitney’s three-member Executive Committee, helping guide the firm’s strategic direction. She earned her J.D. with high honors from the University of Connecticut School of Law and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Mount Saint Mary’s College, where she played Division I basketball. She is admitted to practice in Connecticut.

Alex P. Garens — Rising Star Winner for Massachusetts
Garens was named a Massachusetts Rising Stars winner, an honor recognizing established leaders under age 40 who have demonstrated notable professional accomplishments and leadership. Based in Boston, he is the Leader of Day Pitney’s Trademark, Copyright and Advertising Practice and advises global corporations across industries on matters at the intersection of intellectual property and technology. Garens leads his team in guiding clients throughout the lifecycle of brand management, from identifying, clearing, and securing protection for intellectual property assets to developing global strategies for their continued management, expansion, and enforcement. He also handles complex intellectual property and commercial disputes and negotiates a range of technology, data, and commercial agreements. Garens earned his J.D., cum laude, from Boston University School of Law and his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is admitted to practice in Massachusetts.

Carrie Webb Olson — Intellectual Property Attorney of the Year Finalist
Olson was selected as a finalist for Intellectual Property Attorney of the Year, recognizing her achievements and leadership in the field. Based in Boston, she is Chair of Day Pitney’s Corporate, IP & Technology Business Unit and Co-Leader of the firm’s Sports, Media & Entertainment Practice. Olson serves as global trademark counsel to some of the world’s most recognizable brands across the financial services, technology, sports and entertainment, health and wellness, and consumer products sectors. She advises clients throughout the brand lifecycle and provides strategic counsel on all aspects of intellectual property management, protection, and enforcement. Olson earned her J.D. and Master of Intellectual Property from Franklin Pierce Law Center and her B.A. from Keene State College. She is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Litigation Department of the Year Honors
Day Pitney was recognized across three Litigation Department of the Year categories spanning insurance coverage, intellectual property, and probate disputes. The honors reflect the depth of the firm’s litigation capabilities and its ability to deliver strategic counsel in high-stakes and often sensitive matters:

• Insurance Litigation Finalist: Day Pitney’s Insurance and Reinsurance Practice represents leading domestic and international insurers, reinsurers, and Lloyd’s market participants in complex, high-stakes disputes involving substantial financial exposure. Its attorneys combine deep industry knowledge with strategic advocacy across coverage and reinsurance matters involving insurer insolvencies, directors and officers’ liability, cyber risks, construction defects, catastrophic injury claims, and other emerging exposures.
• Intellectual Property Litigation Winner: Day Pitney’s Intellectual Property and Technology Practice protects iconic brands and valuable intellectual property assets in complex, business-critical disputes involving trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, patents, counterfeiting, and emerging technologies. The practice develops creative, commercially focused strategies for matters involving novel legal issues, parallel proceedings, and significant consequences beyond the courtroom.
• Probate Litigation Finalist: Day Pitney’s Fiduciary and Probate Litigation Practice handles complex, sensitive, and high-value trust and estate disputes involving substantial family wealth, global assets, fiduciary duties, and evolving questions of law. Drawing on the firm’s nationally recognized Private Client Department, its attorneys combine sophisticated advocacy with discretion, empathy, and a nuanced understanding of multijurisdictional laws and family dynamics.

Presented annually by the Connecticut Law Tribune, the New England Legal Awards celebrate the region’s most accomplished law firms, attorneys, and legal departments across a range of practice areas. This year’s honorees were recognized at an awards ceremony on October 8 in Boston. For more information about the New England Legal Awards and its methodology, click here.

No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the highest court of any state. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.