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Carlton S Chen
About Carlton
Biography
Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Reviewed for Highest Level of Professional Excellence. Connecticut Law Tribune Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient. Juris Doctor degree from New York University School of Law. Licensed in Connecticut and New York. I primarily represent entrepreneurs, startups, established and early stage companies and provide strategic and practical legal solutions to help leverage their branding, products and technology. I also represent individuals with employment-related issues. My focus is handling employment and business dispute resolutions, buying and selling businesses, formation of joint ventures and strategic alliances, complying with regulations, and technology licensing. At my firm, we also represent clients in bringing and defending lawsuits in Federal and state court. We are ever mindful of providing the best representation and results possible at the most reasonable cost.
Practice Areas
Fees and Rates
Cost
Payment Methods
- Cash
- Check
- Credit Card
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Chat withLicenses
Licensed in Connecticut for 37 years
State: Connecticut
Acquired: 1988
No misconduct found
Licensed in New York for 42 years
State: New York
Acquired: 1983
No misconduct found
Location
Kurien Ouellette LLC
836 Farmington Avenue, Suite 137, West Hartford, CT, 06119
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Carlton S Chen's Reviews
Showing 1 - 5 of 58 client reviews from Avvo
Posted by anonymous | November 7, 2025 | Consulted Attorney
This review is from a potential client who consulted with this attorney.
Outstanding legal support
Definitely 5 out of 5! Mr. Chen was extremely helpful with my real estate issue, and his assistance was exceptional. He provided clear, practical legal advice from a different angle and always got straight to the point. He was incredibly responsive, and I truly appreciated his professionalism, empath...
Carlton Chen
Replied last November 7, 2025Thank you so much for your stellar review! Please drop me a line to let me know the results of your real estate issue.
Posted by Kenn | March 11, 2025 | Consulted Attorney
This review is from a potential client who consulted with this attorney.
What A Great Lawyer!
Mr. Chen is cogent clear, concise and most pleasant. His innate empathy is demonstrated in his demeanor. He spends the time to listen and offers advise with out expectation. Easy to communicate with and is quite sincere. He will clearly explain the upside and also the downside in various scenarios...
Carlton Chen
Replied last March 11, 2025Kenn, thanks for your very kind review. I feel for your dilemma and am glad we were able to walk through SWOT and decision tree analyses to help you determine your next steps.
Posted by anonymous | March 10, 2025 | Consulted Attorney
This review is from a potential client who consulted with this attorney.
Really appreciated
Lawyer Chen is highly knowledgeable, responsive, and patient. I truly appreciate his help, as he has provided invaluable assistance.
Carlton Chen
Replied last March 11, 2025Your 55th 5-star review caused the Avvo algorithm to change my 4.9 rating to 5.0. The only reviewer who gave me a 4-star review said he would have given me 5-stars if he could afford to hire me. Such is life. Thank you for your review! It’s much appreciated.
Posted by anonymous | January 19, 2025 | Consulted Attorney
This review is from a potential client who consulted with this attorney.
Approachable, knowledgeable and helpful.
I had the pleasure to meet with Carlton Chen for a consultation. He was professional, knowledgeable and provided me with great advice. I would recommend him to my family and friends. Hopefully, I won't need representation in the future, but if I do i will be calling Mr. Chen.
Carlton Chen
Replied last January 21, 2025I'm glad we had a chance to review the facts and law regarding your matter and discuss the next steps to be taken. Thank you very much for this excellent review.
Posted by anonymous | December 4, 2024 | Consulted Attorney
This review is from a potential client who consulted with this attorney.
Highly Recommended
I highly recommend attorney Chen for anyone dealing with employment or labor issues. Carlton recently helped me navigate a complicated situation with a former employer who had presented me with a misleading and unfavorable contract. Carlton was very responsive and went out of his way to answer all of...
Carlton Chen
Replied last December 5, 2024Glad to be of assistance. Thank you for your great review.
Carlton S Chen's Lawyer Endorsements
"I know Attorney Chen to be a knowledgeable and dedicated lawyer. I endorse him without reservation."
"I endorse this lawyer. I have been reading his answers and articles for years and have always enjoyed his ability to explain all the issues that a client should be concerned with. His insights have often helped shape the way I view a business or contract situation. I think his careful attention to detail is a rare and valuable quality in an attorney."
"Attorney Chen gives sound and reasonable advice on avvo. His answers lead me to conclude he is a very thought attorney. I endorse this lawyer."
"It is clear from Carlton's responses on AVVO that he is a knowledgeable and capable advocate who cares about his clients. I endorse this attorney."
"Even though he is new to Avvo, it is immediately obvious that the answers of Mr. Chen are accurate, analytic and customized to the needs of the Avvo askers. The answer of his I just reviewed was "above and beyond". These are exactly the qualities that every client would look for when hiring an attorney."
"I've worked with Carlton for years, and he always brings a unique and experienced perspective to the problems at hand. He has an unmatched breadth of knowledge and enthusiasm, and I'm proud to call him my colleague."
"I endorse this lawyer! I have been a colleague of Attorney Chen for more than 7 years. I have found him to be one of the best business attorneys I have been associated with in my more than 30 years of practice. Besides being most knowledgeable in his craft, Carlton is very hard-working, trustworthy and has high integrity-all of which are greatly appreciated by his clients and colleagues alike. Carlton is also a good mentor to both younger associates and experienced attorneys."
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Experience
Honors
2025
AV Preeminent Rated, Martindale-Hubbell
2024
Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell
2024
AV Preeminent Rated, Martindale-Hubbell
2015
Lifetime Achievement Award, Connecticut Law Tribune
2012
Impact Award, Connecticut Asian Pacific American Bar Association
2010
James W. Cooper Life Fellow, Connecticut Bar Foundation
2002
Excellence in Corporate Practice Award, Association of Corporate Counsel
2001
Silver Beaver Award, Connecticut Yankee Council BSA
Work Experience
2022 - Present
Senior Of Counsel, Jia Law Group, P.C., New York Financial District, New York, NY
2013 - Present
Attorney at Law, Kurien Ouellette LLC, West Hartford, CT
1996 - 2012
Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary, Colt's Manufacturing Company (Colt Firearms)
1989 - 1996
General Counsel, Olin Hunt Specialty Products, Inc., Olin Corporation
1987 - 1989
Senior Associate, Gager Henry & Narkis, Attorneys at Law
1982 - 1987
General Attorney, Sara Lee Corporation
1980 - 1982
Staff Attorney, US Federal Trade Commission
Associations
2017 - Present
Connecticut Asian Pacific American Bar AssociationMember of Advisory Board
2017 - Present
Connecticut China CouncilMember of Board of Directors
2016 - Present
Taiyuan Enterprise Union & Taiyuan Entrepreneur Association (Shanxi Province, China)International Counsel (Honorary)
2015 - Present
Willow Wood Country ClubChairman, Nominating Committee
2014 - Present
Keiretsu Forum Mid AtlanticFounding Member, New York Chapter
2014 - 2015
Connecticut Bar AssociationMember of House of Delegates
2008 - 2017
Connecticut Asian Pacific American Bar AssociationMember of Board of Directors
2007 - 2014
West Hartford Chamber of Commerce1st Vice Chairman & various positions
Sample of Legal Cases
False Claims Act Litigation
Case is pending.
Municipal Firearms Litigation (MFL)
All cases in this "bet-the-farm" MFL were eventually dismissed or withdrawn and, despite great costs to defend, including the payment of legal fees, Colt's Manufacturing Company paid zero damages to the plaintiffs.
Education
1980
New York University School of Law
JD - Juris Doctor
1977
Columbia University
BA - Bachelor of Arts
Speaking Engagements
2024
SCORE Simple Steps for Starting Your Business, Part 5
Funding Options/Entrepreneurial Panel Small Business Founders' Experience and Lessons Learned
2020
TechStars Hartford - Startup Week
The Care and Feeding of Startups: What Angel Investors Want
2019
Simple Steps for Starting Your Business, Part 6: Funding Sources/Entrepreneurial Panel
Small Business Founders' Experience and Lessons Learned
2019
Shandong Province, China SME (Small-Medium Enterprises) Delegation
Joint Ventures, Strategic Alliances and Partnerships
2017
Emerging Markets in Health Care: Public Ends Private Means
Chinese Pharmaceutical Industry Today
2016
Non-Profit and Tax-Exempt Organizations
How to Start a Non-Profit Organization
2016
International Hospital Federation
Study Tour: New York: The Gateway to Excellence in Health Care
2016
Emerging Markets in Health Care: Public Ends Private Means
China: Investing in Emerging Technologies
2013
Momentum - UConn Engineering
Leveraging Opportunities Through University-Industry Collaboration
2010
NDIA Industry Conference
Demystifying Intellectual Property and Data Rights: Government and Industry Perspectives
2010
International Law Symposium at NAPABA 2010 National Convention
Government Offsets and Countertrade in the Asia Pacific
2002
ACCA 2002 Annual Meeting
Avoiding & Dealing with Class Actions
Publications
2003
Association of Corporate Counsel Docket
Managing Discovery in Large-Scale and Pattern Litigation: Use Technology for Efficiency and Cost Effectiveness
Languages
English
Activity
Legal Answers
Legal Guides
Legal Answers
Q&A
Can I sue Dollar tree for false advertisement there’s nothing in the store for a dollar in New York City
19 Sep 2025
Q&A
What is the best way to recover money from fraudster?
16 Jul 2025
Q&A
How much should would it cost to hire a lawyer to create an operating agreement for a small bakery?
13 Jun 2025
Legal Guides
Legal Guide
SOURCES OF FUNDING FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
26 Jun 2024
Legal Guide
BLOGGERS AND PODCASTERS BEWARE
06 Oct 2023
Legal Guide
HIRING A LAWYER FOR A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER
21 May 2022