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About Our Section

The Young Lawyers Section (YLS) has as its primary goals the promotion of justice, the encouragement of public service, and the promotion of diversity and education of young lawyers and newly admitted practitioners. These goals are achieved through the educational, public service, and community programs produced by the section’s twenty-plus statewide committees and the nine regional young lawyer organizations in the state. The section also serves a valuable social and networking role in introducing young lawyers to each other and assisting them in their transition into the Connecticut legal practice. The section includes all members of the CBA who are 37 years old or younger or who have been admitted to the Bar for less than six full bar years.

Section Executive Committee

Chair

Paige M. Vaillancourt

Rescia Vaillancourt PC
5104 A Bigelow Commons
Enfield, CT 06082
(860) 452-0052
paige@ctmalaw.com

Chair-elect

Sara Bonaiuto
Shipman & Goodwin LLP
265 Church St, Ste 1207
New Haven, CT 06510
(203) 836-2803
sbonaiuto@goodwin.com

Secretary

Olivia Benson
Saxe Doernberger & Vita PC
35 Nutmeg Drive, Ste 140
Trumbull, CT  06611
(475)302-5743
obenson@sdvlaw.com

Treasurer

Jermaine A. Brookshire Jr.
Herrick Feinstein LLP
2 Park Ave
New York, NY 10016
(212 ) 592-1597
jbrookshirejr@herrick.com

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The CBA wishes to further encourage and increase the active involvement of young lawyers, lawyers who no longer qualify for membership in the Young Lawyers Section, and diverse lawyers in the leadership and activities of CBA sections. The goal of the CBA Presidential Fellows Program is to provide such lawyers with an opportunity to become more involved in the substantive work of CBA sections, further develop their leadership abilities, and promote the section to other members of the YLS and the bar.

Learn More

Upcoming Events

EC Calendar

  • Feb 24
    Cultivate Resilience, Reduce stress, and Bolster Wellbeing with Emrys Tetu (ELW260224)
    Zoom Meeting - CLE Pass Eligible
    12:00 PM to 1:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time)

    Is stress affecting how you feel (physically, mentally, or emotionally) and your interactions (with clients, colleagues, or loved ones)? Improve your wellness, quality of life, and services to your clients with techniques you’ll learn and practice to reduce stress and skill-build for resilience, as well as a 20-minute meditation to support mental space, regulation, and equanimity. This will be a weekly series with different well-being tips and techniques presented at each session, including 1-3 minute exercises for quick resets.

  • Feb 26
    Processing Personal Data with AI: Risks, Practices, and Strategies (EDU260226)
    Webinar- CLE Pass Eligible
    12:00 PM to 1:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time)

    AI is quickly becoming as ubiquitous as search in our working lives. Just as search changes how we interact with the information at our disposal, AI tools give us new ways to process and manipulate information. Despite these tools being new, existing privacy and security laws apply to the use of these tools and contain detailed requirements for the types of assessments that organizations are expected to perform when using these tools to process personal data. We will walk through some of the more common assessments and how to approach assessing the risks, practices, and strategies for using AI tools in compliance with law and effectively.

  • Mar 04
    Advanced RRE: Contracts, Closings, and Issues- Part 1 (ERP260304)
    CBA Law Center and Virtual
    538 Preston Ave., 3rd. Fl.
    Meriden

    2:00 PM to 5:15 PM (Eastern Standard Time)

    Go beyond the basics and explore real estate closings at an advanced level. This seminar will assist residential real estate practitioners to fully understand the steps and details involved in closing a complex residential real estate transaction. We will provide an overview of the entire real estate closing process, with a focus on advanced real estate issues. In this program, seasoned faculty will explore a variety of real estate issues with concrete tips for successfully navigating past major difficulties, avoiding claims and other pitfalls. This program will teach you the basic principles of real property transactions starting with a review of contract matters, and pre-closing, closing and post-closing issues you may face, including emerging issues such as new federal laws on realtors, AI, and fraud. Attorneys involved in all aspects of residential real estate transactions will benefit from a better understanding of what is involved in closing a complex residential real estate transaction and will acquire a more thorough understanding of the documents which may be necessary in connection therewith.

  • Mar 04
    Litigation Improv Night (SYL260304)
    Haven Beer Company
    2323 Whitney Avenue
    Hamden, Connecticut
    United States
    6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time)
  • Mar 05
    Student Loan Changes: What Died, What Survived & What was Created (EDU260305)
    Webinar- CLE Pass Eligible
    12:00 PM to 1:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time)

    The One Big Beautiful Bill changed the landscape of student loans. Come see the new view.

Latest Related News

  • 2026 Diversity Dinner Website Thumbnail CBA Young Lawyers Section Hosts 2026 Diversity Dinner

    Tuesday, February 17, 2026

    Over 150 attendees gathered at the Pond House Café in West Hartford on February 10 for the Connecticut Bar Association (CBA) Young Lawyers Section’s (YLS) 2026 Diversity Dinner. The event’s primary presentations included a keynote address from Representative Matt Ritter, who currently serves as the speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives and a discussion with a four-person panel.
  • YLS Day of Giving Website Thumbnail CBA Young Lawyers Section and CTCPAs Host Holiday Season Day of Giving

    Monday, December 22, 2025

    On December 2, The Connecticut Bar Association’s (CBA) Young Lawyers Section (YLS) joined together with the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants (CTCPA) to host a new collaborative Day of Giving benefiting Connecticut Foodshare and the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.
  • 2025 Pro Bono Fair Website Thumbnail Young Lawyers Section Hosts 2025 Pro Bono Fair and Golf Event

    Tuesday, October 21, 2025

    On the evening of October 14, over 80 members of the Connecticut Bar Association Young Lawyers Section (YLS) gathered at the Hartford Golf Club for the section’s 2025 Pro Bono Fair and Golf Event.

Section Annual Reports