CBA News

The Ralph J. Monaco Memorial Civics Education Award is bestowed each year on one or more current Connecticut high school student(s), in their junior or senior year of study, who have demonstrated a significant commitment to advancing civic engagement. The 2023 Award will be presented during the CBA’s annual Law Day celebrations on May 5. The deadline to submit a nomination for the Ralph J. Monaco Memorial Civic Education Award is April 14, 2023.

If you are interested in remaining in your committee, joining another or taking a leadership position within a committee, please fill out a Committee Selection Request Form by Friday, May 19, 2023.

On May 3, the first CBA Well-Being Summit was held at the University of Connecticut School of Law. The summit was focused on physical and mental wellness practices and featured a diverse assortment of presentations and activities led by professionals in their areas.

On February 15, the Young Lawyers Section (YLS) held a student outreach event at the University of Connecticut (UConn) School of Law with current UConn law students. At the event, YLS members and other attorneys discussed the benefits of networking and membership with the CBA.

On February 9 the Connecticut Bar Association (CBA), CBA Young Lawyers Section, Connecticut Hispanic Bar Association, Connecticut Italian American Bar Association, Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association, Fairfield County Bar Association, George W. Crawford Black Bar Association, Hartford County Bar Association, New Haven County Bar Association, South Asian Bar Association of Connecticut, and Tolland County Bar Association hosted a New Admittee’s Reception at Anthony’s Ocean View in New Haven Connecticut for all attorneys newly admitted to practice in Connecticut since 2020.

On January 25 and 26, the Connecticut Bar Association (CBA) Pro Bono Committee and Statewide Legal Services of Connecticut held a Free Legal Advice Clinic where 29 volunteer attorneys met with 57 clients over Zoom meetings.

We are seeking leaders to represent their colleagues in the House of Delegates for a three (3) year term. The districts that have at least one (1) expiring seat beginning July 1st are 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 17.

On December 8, the Connecticut Bar Association hosted this year’s Presidential Fellows Dinner at Grassy Hill Country Club in Orange. The 2021-2023 and 2022-2024 Presidential Fellows were joined by past presidential fellows and leaders of the CBA for dinner and a panel presentation.

We are currently looking to fill the positions of vice president, secretary, treasurer, and assistant secretary-treasurer for the 2023-2024 bar year.

The Connecticut Bar Association (CBA) and UConn School of Law jointly hosted a CT Free Legal Answers Comes to Campus Event, held at the UConn School of Law campus, on November 4. CBA volunteers and law students worked as a team to provide free legal assistance to 13 Connecticut residents with low or no income.

On October 26-27, the Connecticut Bar Association (CBA) Pro Bono Committee and Statewide Legal Services of Connecticut held a virtual Free Legal Advice Clinic where 18 volunteer attorneys met with 38 clients over Zoom meetings.

The Connecticut Bar Association (CBA) hosted the 2022 New England Bar Association (NEBA) Annual Meeting at Water’s Edge Resort and Spa in Westbrook October 27 to October 29. Leaders from the state bar associations throughout New England were invited to participate in the meeting, which consisted of educational programs covering contemporary legal topics and opportunities for socializing.

On October 20, the Connecticut Bar Association Young Lawyers Section hosted its annual Pro Bono Fair and Golf Event at the Hartford Golf Club. Over 60 people attended the event, which consisted of a nine-hole round of golf followed by a reception. Attendees were able to choose whether to participate in the round of golf or only attend for the reception. Booths were set up to provide information on nine different organizations providing pro bono services in Connecticut.

On October 26, 127 new attorneys were sworn in to the Connecticut Bar at the Connecticut Supreme Court building. Chief Justice Richard A. Robinson and Associate Justices Joan K. Alexander, Gregory T. D’Auria, Steven D. Ecker, and Andrew J. McDonald presided over the two ceremonies held during the day in the morning and the afternoon. CBA President Daniel J. Horgan provided welcoming remarks to the newly inducted attorneys at both ceremonies recognizing their great achievement.

On October 19, more than 150 people attended the CBA’s seventh annual Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Summit: The Collaborative Blueprint. The interactive and engaging virtual summit explored strategies for increasing retention in legal organizations and creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive legal community within Connecticut.

We are pleased to announce that the CBA has retained the firm DePino, Nuñez, & Biggs, LLC (DNB) to oversee its lobbying activities. DNB is a trusted Connecticut bipartisan government relations firm with insider knowledge to deliver effective change. Melissa Biggs, a partner at DNB, will serve as our senior lobbyist. Attorney Biggs has worked with several sections over the past few years and is well versed with the CBA.

On Thursday, October 6, the Connecticut Bar Association (CBA) hosted its inaugural Pro Bono Volunteer Recognition Reception. The reception was held at the CBA building in New Britain and was attended by volunteers who participate in the CBA’s various pro bono programs throughout the year.

This year CBA members continued to provide pro bono legal services to veterans at the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs’ annual Stand Down event, which the CBA has assisted with since 1998.

Volunteer to respond to polling place complications on Election Day through the Secretary Legal Assistance Program.

The Connecticut Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section (YLS) hosted its annual leadership retreat on August 12-13 at Foxwoods Casino in Ledyard. The YLS Executive committee holds this event each summer to familiarize new members of the committee with the duties of their leadership roles and to present awards to members of the committee for their service during the previous bar year.