Mike Donnelly, a Hartford lawyer who has handled such litigation for towns, predicted these kinds of cases will become more common.

At about that time, however, the Hartford lawyers joined forces with the Legal Defense Fund, which was looking for new strategies to attack urban poverty.

A Hartford lawyer is helping unhappy spouses negotiate the legal complexities of what he calls the "most powerful judicial institution in America," divorce court.

"There's no question we'd rather have the stadium on campus," Rome, a Hartford lawyer, said.

But that flexibility also opens the door for potential improprieties, said a Hartford lawyer who specializes in construction practices.

"My feeling is it's better to err on the side of caution when you're dealing with kids under 5," said Jonathan Rhue, a Hartford lawyer.

Timothy Hollister, the Hartford lawyer who represented the truck driver, said he had not seen much change since then.

"You can see how they got those rules," said Mr. Buck, the Hartford lawyer.

Donald Rome, a Hartford lawyer whose hair he has been cutting for 55 years.

Enron and the Hartford lawyers it used to negotiate the deal have declined to comment on it.