Meriden – On July 1, the Connecticut Bar Association’s (CBA) slate of officers for the 2026-2027 bar year began their terms of office, which will run until June 30, 2027.
J. Paul Vance, Jr. now serves as the 103rd president of the CBA. Attorney Vance is a partner at Logan Vance Sullivan & Kores LLP in Torrington, where he focuses his practice on plaintiff’s personal injury, workers’ compensation, and medical malpractice. He formerly served as the State of Connecticut claims commissioner and has served in both elected and appointed positions in local government.
Rowena A. Moffett took office as president-elect. Attorney Moffett is co-managing partner of Brenner Saltzman & Wallman LLP in New Haven. Attorney Moffett graduated with high honors from the University of Connecticut Law School and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After her clerkships with U.S. District Judge Dominic Squatrito and U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Smith, she joined Brenner Saltzman & Wallman LLP in 2000 and became a principal in 2005.
Sharad A. Samy took office as vice president. Attorney Samy is the General Counsel of The Common Fund for Nonprofit Organizations and is also a solo practitioner at The Law Offices of Sharad A. Samy LLC in Fairfield. He has over 28 years of transactional and litigation experience, has served as a partner of an international law firm and has been a military attorney in the US Army Reserve and the Connecticut Army National Guard.
Cindy M. Cieslak took office as secretary. Attorney Cieslak is a partner at Rose Kallor LLP in Hartford. She counsels both private and public sector clients on all aspects of labor and employment law, including labor disputes and litigation in courts and administrative agencies. She is an Association of Workplace Investigators Certificate Holder (AWI-CH) and regularly conducts workplace and Title IX investigations. Her experience also includes public sector counseling for municipalities and public agencies.
Kyle J. LaBuff took office as treasurer. Attorney LaBuff is an assistant state’s attorney for the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice in Rocky Hill. He has previously practiced real estate law and criminal defense work. He received his B.S. from Rochester Institute of Technology. He is also Treasurer of the Greater Bridgeport Bar Association.
Paige M. Vaillancourt took office as assistant secretary-treasurer. Attorney Vaillancourt is a partner at Rescia Vaillancourt P.C. with offices in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Her practice involves a variety of bankruptcy matters, including debtor and creditor representation, workouts, and trustee litigation, as well as small business representation.
Emily A. Gianquinto took office as immediate past president. Attorney Gianquinto is special counsel at McCarter & English LLP in Hartford, where she counsels employers on day-to-day employment matters and represents them before federal and state courts, administrative agencies, and mediation and arbitration panels. Her experience includes litigating all manner of business disputes.
“I have chosen Built on Justice as the theme for my bar year because it reflects both who we are and what is expected of us,” stated President Vance. “We inherit a proud tradition. But our responsibility is not simply to preserve it. Our responsibility is to build upon it. To leave this profession stronger than we found it. To ensure that what comes next is every bit as durable and worthy as what we inherited. And to continue building a legal system that earns and deserves the public's trust.”