Reuben Samuel Midler has long been acknowledged in Connecticut legal circles for his astute legal acumen and abiding sense of ethics. Reuben has an encyclopedic familiarity with the rules of practice, General Statutes and case law of this state. He is often asked by other lawyers for assistance in this regard. Reuben devotes hours each month to the study of law including the federal and Connecticut constitutions.

Reuben began practicing in the criminal courts as a public defender. In this position he represented clients with the same ingenuity and tenacity he demonstrates today. One notable example was his decision as a young lawyer to challenge the legal authority of the Bridgeport Housing Authority to create its own police force without adhering to state statutes. As a result of his advocacy Reuben brought about the legal vindication of several clients victimized by the Housing Authority police.  More importantly, his representation forced changes in the way the Housing Authority enforced the law within its precincts.

After leaving the Public Defender’s Office, Reuben practiced for many years with a well-established firm in Norwalk. There he initially concentrated on criminal defense, civil litigation and administrative appeals. In the trial and appellate litigation in which he engaged, his clients included not only individuals but also entities such as the Second Taxing District, South Norwalk Electrical Works Norwalk Hospital, the Honey Hill Care Center and Stew Leonard’s.  

In 1986 the matrimonial law partner in Reuben’s firm was appointed a judge. From that point Reuben became the sole family law attorney in his firm. Over the years, an increasing percentage of his practice became oriented to divorce and he represented clients in the rapidly-changing landscape of matrimonial law. Reuben settled and tried numerous divorce cases during this time. Several were appealed to the Appellate Court including Brown v. Brown, 69 Conn. App. 209 (2002); Louney v. Louney, 13 Conn. App. 270 (1988) and O’Neill v. O’Neill, 13 Conn. App. 300 (1988).

In 1993 Reuben obtained a protective order and the ultimate exoneration of a client falsely accused of sexually abusing his children. This family proceeding required months of evidence and established Reuben’s expertise in this area of the law. Today Reuben ably represents clients who have been accused of neglect or abuse of children by the Department of Children and Families.

Because of Reuben’s dedication to his client’s rights and his demonstrated proficiency in family cases, he was asked to join the law offices of Wayne D. Effron, P.C. in 2006. Since that time he has exclusively handled matrimonial matters and has distinguished himself in doing so.  He was lead trial counsel in one of the most complex and highly litigated dissolution of marriage actions in the nation.

While at Wayne D. Effron, P.C., Reuben has left his mark not only at the trial level but also in the Connecticut Supreme Court where many of his cases have established significant legal precedents and rules for the conduct of family cases and related matters. Reville v. Reville, 312 Conn. 428 (2014) and State v. Fernando, A. 294 Conn. 1 (2009) were two such cases tried by Reuben whose position was endorsed by the Supreme Court.