The Legal Unit of the Office of the Treasurer has been named as In-House Legal Department of the Year by the Connecticut Law Tribune, State Treasurer Denise L. Nappier announced earlier this week.

“This a great honor for the Legal Unit and the Treasury. Led by Catherine E. LaMarr, general counsel, the unit has done an outstanding job managing risk and protecting the interests of the state and its citizens,” Nappier said in a statement. “It has negotiated contracts that have saved millions in fees paid investment managers. In addition, it has implemented an asset recovery program; one small element of that program – filing class action suits – has hit a $50 million milestone in funds recovered since the start of my administration.”

“The supportive environment we work in, encouraging innovation, forward thinking and commitment to best practices, has enabled us to produce our very best,” LaMarr said in a statement. “While we are thrilled to be recognized in this manner, we are equally delighted to have the opportunity to be involved in solving very interesting problems, working on sophisticated matters with extraordinarily talented professionals at the Treasury.”

The unit has three attorneys: LaMarr and Assistant General Counsels Karen M. Grenon and Robert C. Scott. It oversees the work of roughly 30 outside law firms on behalf of the office.

Hartford law firm Shipman & Goodwin nominated the Legal Unit, writing, “The unit provides varied and sophisticated advice to the treasurer and manages all legal matters for what is essentially a multibillion-dollar governmental financial institution. The unit’s lawyers rise to the continuous challenge of fulfilling their duties with far fewer resources than private company counterparts. They consistently go above and beyond to find creative solutions to challenging problems, including the skillful management of outside resources. They lead by example and are committed to creating opportunities for women, minorities and emerging firms.”