John Rose, Jr. will receive the John Eldred Shields Distinguished Professional Service Award at the CBA’s annual awards celebration, Celebrate with the Stars, on Wednesday, July 22. The John Eldred Shields Distinguished Professional Service Award is presented each year to a CBA member who has performed outstanding service through or on behalf of the CBA, for the benefit of the legal community and the community at large. Attorney Rose is now retired, and most recently served as the City of New Haven's corporation counsel.
He began his career in legal services at the New Haven Legal Assistance Association. He went on to achieve many professional accomplishments, including becoming the first Black lawyer to join a major law firm in Connecticut at Ribicoff & Kotkin, where he went on to become a partner. Additionally, he was Hartford’s first Black full-time corporation counsel and was the first Black lawyer representative on the state’s Judicial Selection Commission.
Attorney Rose has been involved with legal, social, and civic organizations throughout his career, including the National Bar Association, IMLA (International Municipal Lawyers Association), Hartford County Bar Association, and Connecticut Bar Association. He has belonged to many CBA sections and committees over the years, including serving on the Lawyer to Lawyer Dispute Resolution Committee from 1991 to 2009. Additionally, he is a founder and past president of the George W. Crawford Black Bar Association and a founder and past vice president of the Connecticut Law Firm Group, which became the Lawyers Collaborative for Diversity.
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