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10/15/2014 12:00 AMIncumbent Democrat Terry Lomme is the first individual elected to the new District 33 Saybrook Probate Court Judge slot. Lomme also is a former president of the Middlesex County Bar Association, a former judge of probate in the Town of East Haddam, and had practiced in all nine town probate courts before the merger.
As the first Saybrook Probate Court judge, he presided over the merger of probate courts covering nine towns into one regional court, the Saybrook Probate Court. That new court opened its doors to the public in the first week of January 2011. Shortly after his election, Lomme was also appointed to serve on the statewide Probate Assembly's 18-member executive committee.
"I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to my staff, who made sure the move was completed properly and the public was continuing to be served properly," said Lomme. "My clerks are professional, efficient, and very public-oriented. I think the court's working well."
One external measure of the new court's effectiveness is the grade that reviewers from the State Probate Court Administration have given the Saybrook Court.
According to Lomme, by this yardstick, the court's operations have been judged well, winning an Exemplary Commendation in three state Probate Court Administration reviews done since 2011. Each court review was conducted by a state attorney whose job is to audit samples of court files to ensure they comply with state rules and law.
Lomme said he also decided to have children's court matters like custody, visitation, and grandparents' care of a grandchild, handled at the Saybrook Probate Court instead of in the state's other children's courts.
"There are children's courts in New Haven, New London, and Meriden, but it would be inconvenient and inappropriate for kids and families [from this area] to travel that far. Their lives are difficult enough without having to travel to a distant city."
When Lomme four years ago sought the position of probate court judge, he committed to giving up his private law practice clients and devote his time fully to being a probate court judge.
"When I ran four years ago, no one knew what the consolidated court workload would be. I was prepared to commit to this full-time. The state's minimum requirement is for a probate court judge to spend 20 hours per week, balanced out over a quarter," said Lomme. "But I've done the job for four years now and I know I don't have to be at the court full-time."
As a result, some hours of each work week he spends serving private legal clients.
"I am very careful to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest with my private practice," said Lomme. "The few clients I have are real estate and zoning work, which mainly requires night meetings. There has been no client overlap since my election as judge."
He does not believe he is an exception, suggesting that every probate court judge between New Haven and New London and from Old Saybrook to Meriden keeps a part-time law practice, except for Guilford-Madison Judge Joel Helander, who is not an attorney.
Lomme said that he works more than the 20 hours per week and is present at the Saybrook Court offices every work day. During his first term as judge, the Saybrook Court conducted 3,500 hearings.
"I'm here every day and for as many hours as it takes to get the job done. Sometimes I'm here on weekends or evenings, as needed," said Lomme. "I really enjoy the position of probate court judge. No two days are the same. I find the cases to be fascinating, with some extraordinarily difficult."