• Brian J. Mongelluzzo, Esq.
• Joseph Brown, Director
• Cristin Williams, Paralegal
• Shelly Roberts, Paralegal
• Ellen Hughes, Paralegal
• Alissa Piel, Paralegal
• Melissa Longo, Accounting Associate
• Elizabeth Mongelluzzo, Office Manager

Brian started the firm in January, 2004 on a vision and dream that by limiting the firm's caseload and providing personal attention and care to each client, a successful firm would not only be born, it would thrive. Years later, Brian has not deviated from the initial inspiration behind the firm and it has grown by leaps and bounds, one satisfied client at a time.

Brian was born and raised in Waterbury and was educated at Saints Peter and Paul Grammar School and Holy Cross High School. Brian graduated magnum cum laude from Saint Peter's College in Jersey City, New Jersey with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 1994, and was also inducted into the prestigious Psi Chi Honors Society. Thereafter, Brian attended and graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Law with honors in 1997.

Upon his graduation from UCONN Law, Brian and his wife, Beth, moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where Brian worked for two insurance defense firms, quickly cutting his teeth in the litigation arena. He spent nearly all of his time learning the ins and out of how to defend personal injury claims with the idea and understanding that one day, he would use that experience and information to become a plaintiff's attorney and help those people who were wronged and injured, as he has a deep sense of humanity and service to others. He currently holds licenses to practice law in both Connecticut and Georgia.

In 2000, Brian and Beth returned home to Waterbury, Connecticut to raise their two young daughters, as the pull of home and family was greater than the pull of staying in Atlanta, where Brian had built a very successful insurance defense practice and had quickly become one his firm's top rain makers.

Brian's interest and desire for public service intensified when he returned home to Waterbury, and in November, 2000, he was elected to the Board of Aldermen in Waterbury, the local legislative body, where he became a member of the Tax Committee, which is responsible for handling all contractual issues that City of Waterbury faces, the Sewer & Water Committee, and Waste Disposal Committee. Additionally, Brian was appointed as the Chairman of the Law Committee, which was responsible for adjudicating claims for the City in an administrative forum.

In 2004, Brian opened the firm and in addition to pouring himself into his business, also serves as Saints Peter & Paul Home & School Association's co-president since 2006. Additionally, Brian is both a coach and commissioner in the East Mountain Athletic Association's sports league, having coached soccer since 2006, where he is a commissioner for the five/six year old youth division. Additionally, Brian had also coached basketball, t-ball, and softball. Brian also currently serves on the Savings Bank of Danbury's Waterbury Advisory Board, where, he along with the other members, are charged with developing business in the greater Waterbury area. Brian is a member of the Connecticut Bar Association, the American Bar Association, as well as the Waterbury Bar.

In his leisure time, Brian is dedicated to physical fitness, mixing weight lifting with cardiovascular workouts and even Kenpo Karate and Yoga. Brian's other interests include being a avid New York Knicks, New York Yankees and New York football Giants fan, but it isn't all sports, as the firm is also a corporate sponsor of the Palace Theater in Waterbury, Connecticut. Brian has a deep love and appreciation of the arts. Finally, Brian aspires to someday be a professional bowler, as it has long been a hobby and love. In fact, while in college, Brian bowled for Saints Peter's College in the equivalent of March Madness and Brian's SPC teams were on the cusp, each year, of being ranked nationally.

Joe graduated from Briarwood College in 1995 with high honors, receiving an Associate in Applied Science degree, and has been employed as a paralegal since that time specializing in various areas of law.

Joe was hired at BJM Law Offices in 2005 and was the firm's first pick for a personal injury specialist. Joe blends the discipline he learned in the Air Force, from which he was honorably discharged, with the compassion and wisdom he has acquired in raising a family to be both a friend to the client, and an asset to the firm.

Joe is responsible for all personal injury files, including motor vehicle accidents, slip and falls, products liability, premises liability, and medical malpractice claims, remaining in close contact with the client, medical providers, and insurance carrier throughout the pendency of the claim. Joe's nearly 14 years of experience allows him to evaluate claims for both settlement purposes and how to maximize value for a client by consistently outlining the weaknesses in the insurance companies' case.

Joe has consistently earned high remarks from clients and insurance companies alike for his pragmatic demeanor, professionalism and ability to get the job done, no matter what it takes.

Joe resides in Wolcott with his wife and three children, who are active in recreational sports including football, baseball, and cheerleading. Joe and his family also enjoy camping during the summer months with family and friends.

Cristin was initially hired to be receptionist. Her warm and friendly demeanor is only surpassed by her quick wit and strong work ethic. As a result, and even though she has only been with the firm since November, 2008, Cristin is now a paralegal in the firm's personal injury department, where she has three years prior experience.

Cristin is married with one son, and enjoys spending her free time with them. Her passions include coaching her son's sports teams, and playing poker, any style. Although she is an accomplished player of all variations, Cristin is extremely accomplished when it comes to Texas Hold 'Em, routinely beating friends and foes alike. She also enjoys singing, and has wowed crowds as far as Atlantic City, New Jersey with her sultry, full voice.

Shelly brings over 6 years of experience to the personal injury arena with a specialty in worker's compensation claims. Since joining BJM law Offices in 2006, Shelly has concentrated her practice on workers' compensation claims.

The firm is extremely fortunate to have landed Shelly. Her dedication to her clients and ability to persuade insurance companies to do the right thing is unparalleled in the industry. An off-the-cuff remark by an industry insider of "What Shelly wants, Shelly gets" has spawned the acronym of WSWSG and, more times than not, this holds true.

Shelly blends a deep sense of commitment to the client with incredible knowledge to position each workers' compensation file in a positive light to best benefit the client to obtain the medical treatment necessary to return that client to work. She consistently receives compliments from all our clients and is held in high esteem by them for dealing with emergency situations everyday with compassion and intelligence.

Originally from Ohio, Shelly resides in Milford with her husband and stays busy with her son who is on the track team and a wrestler for Platt Technical High School. She also has a daughter in the Marine Corps.

Shelly also enjoys spending time with family and friends as well as scrapbooking the pictures that she has taken throughout the year. She enjoys following her son's wrestling team and touring New England along side of her husband on her own Harley Davidson, Dyna Low Rider. She is also a member of the New Haven, Bridgeport, and Hartford HOG (Harley Owners Group) chapters.

Ellen joined the firm in 2005 as its bookkeeper and has grown with the needs of the firm and in step with the firm. When the firms' real estate practice took off, Ellen volunteered to learn real estate from the ground up, and over the last four years has become an invaluable asset to the firm's real estate division.

"Hughesy" as she is affectionately know to clients and friends alike, attended Watertown High School, which is in the town that she grew up in. Ellen has the best education of all—from the school of experience and is as skillful at closing real estate loans as she is at reading a title search.

Ellen is and always will be the life of every file and the immense pride that she operates with is an excellent role model for anyone looking to better themselves. She consistently earns high marks from clients, banks, and real estate agents. In fact, Ellen has been awarded the elusive "10" from Webster Bank for her professional handling of their files from start to finish.

Though Ellen is very dedicated to her work and takes pride in everything she does, she also has a very humorous side. She enjoys making people laugh and if she ever quit her day job, she would have no problem making it as a comedienne. She has the unique ability to mix seriousness with laughter and make everyone feel at ease.

Ellen now lives in Waterbury with her fiancé and they are happy to announce the birth of their beautiful baby boy, Daniel Patrick, born on July 30, 2009.

Alissa is the newest employee of BJM Law Offices, having been with the firm since June 2009. She is employed as a paralegal in the firm's Worker's Compensation and Real Estate departments.

Alissa is a lifelong Connecticut resident. She graduated from Watertown High School in 2003, an esteemed member of the Honor Society. After graduation, she attended the University of New Haven, majoring in Forensic Science. During her years there she came to realize that science didn't spark her interest as she originally thought it would, although she truly enjoyed the law behind the forensics. Shortly thereafter she transferred colleges and began attending Western Connecticut State University, with a major in Justice and Law Administration. Making the switch and changing majors was one of the best decisions she has ever made, and now truly enjoys what she does every day.

Alissa currently resides in Watertown and enjoys spending time with friends and family. She studied a Korean style of karate, specifically the art of Tang Soo Do, for a period of ten years and was an instructor in the town of Plymouth for four years. She currently holds the rank of first degree black belt. Alissa is an avid NASCAR fan and frequents the races on weekends. She also enjoys watching the New York Yankees and New England Patriots do what they do best.

Melissa attended Watertown High School and has been employed with BJM Law Offices since its inception in 2004, filling a variety of roles as the need arose. Whether it was filling in for someone on vacation, taking care of the finances or the offices' needs, Melissa was always there.

Due to her dedication and resilience, the firm finally realized that it needed to employ Melissa in a close to full time capacity and as of 2008, she has been employed in the financial division of the firm as an accounting associate. Her job responsibilities involve overseeing the firm's budgets and reporting directly to its office manager and Attorney Mongelluzzo.

Additionally, Melissa is responsible for both accounts payable and receivable, but her biggest contribution to the firm has been her marketing and advertising acumen. She, in addition to managing the advertising and marketing budget, is also responsible for, and has a hand in the creating of all print and media advertising for the firm. Finally, Melissa also is responsible for the firm's charitable donations.

Melissa was born and raised in Watertown, where she currently resides. She is married with three children ages 5, 7, & 13 and enjoys watching all of them play seasonal sports, and loves playing board games and Nintendo Wii with them in her free time.

Elizabeth L.Mongelluzzo is the wife of the firm's principal and the inspiration behind the firm. Although not working at the time, and with two daughters at home, Beth supported her husband in his dream of opening his own office so that he could give each client the personal attention and care that they knew would result in a successful firm.

When the firm opened in January, 2004, Beth played every role from legal secretary to accountant to receptionist. As the firm grew and added its key members, Beth settled comfortably in the role of the Chief Financial Officer and Human Resources Supervisor, where she is responsible for the day to day administrative management of the firm.

As Chief Financial Officer, Beth oversees the accounting department, sets the budget and performs all accounting functions with respect to the business's financial statements. As Human Resources Supervisor, she works closely with Melissa Longo in ensuring integrity of the firms' financial and human resource systems.

Beth graduated from Holy Cross High School and Teikyo Post University with a BS in Accounting.

Beth was born in Springfield, Massachusetts and raised in Watertown, Connecticut and currently resides with her husband in the Bunker Hill section of Waterbury with their two daughters. Beth is extremely involved in her daughters' home and school association and in her spare time, she loves to cook and entertain friends and family.

Consider it Done.