About Debbie Hagan

Debbie Hagan Articles written 4

Articles written by Debbie Hagan

The Rough Rider

Hubert Santos thrives on the most difficult of challenges, just like a certain former president

In 1998, 23-year-old Chasity West used a carpet-cutter to slash her boyfriend's 7-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter. The boy died; the girl survived. West was convicted of capital murder. And Hubert Santos, her defense attorney, was the only person standing in the way of her becoming the first Connecticut woman since 1786 to be sentenced to death. "Imagine the emotional pressure you have with someone's life in your hands," says Louis Pepe of Pepe & Hazard, who has known Santos for 25 …

Beautiful Days in The Neighborhoods

Lee Harrington looks back on his life as a rock god

It was a moment every kid with a guitar dreams about. In 1987 Lee Harrington took the stage at Sullivan Stadium with his band The Neighborhoods, and 60,000 fans screamed their heads off. Known for their high-energy performances, the ’Hoods were opening for David Bowie, who watched from the wings and later declared them his favorite live band. As far as rock moments go, it doesn’t get much better than that.   “It was an amazing part of my life,” Harrington says from his …

Santa's Causes

Santa Mendoza is a crusader for the disadvantaged, the oppressed and the idea that one day a Hispanic woman could be attorney general

In 1998, Santa Mendoza turned to the Yale Women’s Campaign School for help in unseating the two-term attorney general, Richard Blumenthal. The advice she was given hit hard: Change your name.   “Get rid of it,” she was told. “Your husband’s name is Shelburne? Use that. Get rid of that Mendoza — get it out of here.”   Mendoza laughs as she tells this story. Sitting in her West Hartford home, she flashes her brown eyes as if to say, “Can you believe it?” The tall, …

Chart Topper

Maggie Lange knows her tunes from her torts

Maggie Lange sits at her Yamaha grand piano holding a 45 rpm that her band Dish cut in the 1980s. She points to herself in a photograph on the record sleeve: big hair, dark eye makeup and a fierce stare. Old fans might not recognize the 50-something Lange today: fresh-scrubbed face, sporty hair and cotton golf shirt. She’s not only a music lawyer but also one of the best entertainment and media lawyers in the city. “I think I’m a good music lawyer because I know both sides of the …

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