Kathy Flaherty will receive the Charles J. Parker Legal Services Award at the CBA’s annual awards celebration, Celebrate with the Stars, on Thursday, April 8. Attorney Flaherty is the executive director of Connecticut Legal Rights Project, Inc. (CLRP) and represents low-income individuals with mental health conditions on matters related to their treatment, recovery, and civil rights. She is a member of the CBA’s Lawyer Well-Being Committee and on the board of directors for Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers-CT.
Attorney Flaherty has dedicated her entire career to providing legal services to low-income residents or people with psychiatric disabilities in varying capacities, including working as a staff attorney at Statewide Legal Services of CT, Inc., and Connecticut Legal Services. She first interned with CLRP after her first year at Harvard Law School and served two terms on the CLRP Board of Directors, including one term as the chair. She combines her personal experience as a recipient of mental health services and her legal background to speak on issues affecting those living with mental health conditions. Attorney Flaherty serves on numerous statewide committees that work on issues faced by people with disabilities and is an outspoken advocate for people and lawyers living with disabilities. In 2019, she received the Constance Baker Motley Award for Excellence in Law from the Connecticut Commission of Human Rights and Opportunities for her work promoting equality and fairness for people with disabilities.
The Charles J. Parker Legal Services Award is presented to members of the Connecticut Bar who have a deep and abiding interest in and dedication to the delivery of legal services to the disadvantaged in Connecticut.
View the complete list of awardees. Registration is now open, and sponsorship and advertising opportunities are available.