Meriden – The Connecticut Bar Association (CBA) will host the 2026 Connecticut Legal Conference (CLC), the state’s largest annual gathering of legal professionals, on Tuesday, June 2, at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.
The conference will bring together legal professionals and law students from across the state for a full day of continuing legal education, networking, and discussion on the legal issues shaping Connecticut and the nation.
More than 35 educational seminars and programs will be offered, with programming focused on topics ranging from artificial intelligence to ethics, access to justice, and emerging legal trends as well as annual reviews of developments in state supreme and appellate court cases, commercial law & bankruptcy, elder law, ethics, family law, construction law, real property, and workers’ compensation.
This year’s conference will include two seminars that cover critical national issues and feature the scholars and jurists shaping the dialogue on these topics:
with Featured National Presenter Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, who will present on how the interpretation of the U.S. government’s separation of powers has changed over the course of the history of our country.
with Featured Panelists Connecticut Supreme Court Justice Steven D. Ecker, Brennan Center Voting Rights and Elections Program Director Sean Morales-Doyle, and Yale Law School Professor Michael J. Wishnie and Moderator Retired Supreme Court Justice Joette Katz, who will focus their discussion on SCOTUS decisions, separation of powers, elections, and the rule of law.
In addition to educational programming, the conference will include an exhibitor showcase; alumni networking breakfasts for graduates of Seton Hall, Quinnipiac, and UConn Schools of Law; and a post-conference President’s Reception.
The CBA Annual Meeting and Luncheon will include a special performance by comedian Juston McKinney and the installation of the 2026-2027 CBA Executive Committee officers:
Following his installation, incoming CBA President J. Paul Vance, Jr. will outline his vision and theme for the upcoming bar year.
“Built on Justice is my theme,” stated Attorney Vance, reflecting on the values he intends to focus on during his presidency. “I grew up around people who believed in that kind of work. People who understood that anything worth having had to be built with discipline, with accountability, and with a sense of responsibility to something larger than themselves. That perspective has stayed with me, and it has shaped how I see this profession.”
Information about the 2026 Connecticut Legal Conference, including a complete list of seminars and speakers, is available at CTLegalConference.com.