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| (From L to R) CBA YLS Chair Paige M. Vaillancourt, CBA President Emily A. Gianquinto, Keynote Speaker Judge Anne C. Dranginis (Ret.), 2026 Ladder Award Recipient Nancy Kennedy, YLS Women in the Law Committee Co-Chairs Audrey E. Trace and Claire Pariano, and Women In the Law Section Chair Michelle M. Napoli |
The CBA Women in the Law Section and the CBA Young Lawyers Section (YLS) Women in the Law Committee presented the 2026 Ladder Award to Attorney Nancy Kennedy at this year’s Pathways to Leadership for Women Lawyers event on March 5 at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville. The Ladder Award was created by the YLS Women in the Law Committee in 2007 to honor a woman attorney who has “left the ladder down” for women to follow in her footsteps and values the importance of leadership development, mentoring, and supporting junior lawyers in their journeys to success.
Women in the Law Section Chair Michelle M. Napoli began this year’s event with welcome remarks and an introduction for the evening’s keynote speaker, Judge Anne C. Dranginis (Ret.), who was the first recipient of the Ladder Award in 2007. Judge Dranginis spoke about her career, emphasizing the unique challenges women face in the legal profession. “I remember how difficult it was to try to adopt a female paradigm in a profession which historically has been predominantly male,” stated Judge Dranginis. She closed her remarks by encouraging women to continue to support one another in the fight for equity, noting, “Women throughout history have banded together and supported one another and we have the ability to do the same.”
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| The event's keynote speaker, Judge Anne C. Dranginis (Ret.), addresses attendees. |
After the evening’s keynote speech, Young Lawyers Section Women in the Law Committee Co-Chairs Claire Pariano and Audrey E. Trace introduced and presented the Ladder Award to Attorney Kennedy. “Nancy Kennedy’s career reflects not only professional excellence in the field of intellectual property law, but also a deep and sustained commitment to mentoring and supporting the next generation of attorneys, particularly women entering the profession,” noted Attorney Trace.
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| (From L to R) YLS Women in the Law Committee Co-Chair Claire Pariano, 2026 Ladder Award Recipient Nancy Kennedy, and YLS Women in the Law Committee Co-Chair Audrey E. Trace |
After accepting her award, Attorney Kennedy provided remarks, speaking about her personal journey. She discussed how she entered UConn School of Law in her thirties after spending a decade as an outdoor guide teaching rock climbing, kayaking, and camping. She explained how she stayed involved with the university after graduating and entering practice, eventually attaining an adjunct professor role through which she continues to teach and mentor law students today. “I think of mentorship as sort of a catchall. We get coffee together or we talk about advice and planning on what we should do,” stated Attorney Kennedy. “But really, being a mentor also calls upon you to be kind of a sponsor or a gatekeeper. A mentor can give you advice, but a gatekeeper gives you a docket, something to do. A mentor can talk to you, but a sponsor talks about you, even when you’re not in the room.”
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| 2026 Ladder Award Recipient Nancy Kennedy addresses attendees with remarks after receiving her award. |
Thank you to everyone who supported and attended this year’s event. Learn more about the Ladder Award and past recipients.
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