CBA News

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.

On July 26 and 27, the Connecticut Bar Association (CBA) Pro Bono Committee and Statewide Legal Services of Connecticut held a virtual Free Legal Advice Clinic where 22 volunteer attorneys met with 41 clients over zoom meetings.

Frank H. Finch, Jr. served as president of the CBA during the 1998-1999 bar year. Through his career and many professional achievements, Attorney Finch proved himself to be a successful and conscientious leader of the Connecticut legal community.

The CBA hosted the 2022 LAW Camp virtually over the week of July 11-15. LAW Camp exposes high school students to the legal profession and gives them instruction on critical and analytical thinking to help them succeed in their educational and professional careers.

Over 240 CBA members, officers, and past presidents and their family and friends enjoyed a summer outing at Holiday Hill in Prospect on June 26.

After two years of being held virtually, the Connecticut Legal Conference returned in person on June 13. More than 700 attorneys, judges, paralegals, and other legal professionals throughout the state gathered at the Connecticut Convention Center. This year’s conference featured 39 CLE Seminars in 11 tracks. Topics covered at the conference were widely diverse in their focus.

Attorneys Patrick W. Boatman and Thomas J. Welsh received CLABBY awards from the Connecticut Bar Association’s Commercial Law and Bankruptcy Section on Thursday, May 31. The CLABBY awards, established in 2016, are presented by the section each year to honor the professional achievements of section members.

Sixteen CBA members were confirmed and sworn in as superior court judges earlier this spring by the Connecticut legislature after being nominated by Governor Ned Lamont.

The Connecticut Bar Association denounces the three hate motivated mass shootings that took place last week targeting Black and Asian communities.

The CBA Civics Education Committee held its annual Law Day celebration at the Connecticut Appellate Court in Hartford on May 6. This year’s Law Day Celebration was the first held in-person since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s event also included the inaugural presentation of the Ralph J. Monaco Memorial Civics Education Award.

Daniel J. Horgan has assumed the office of president of the Connecticut Bar Association (CBA). Hon. Cecil J. Thomas resigned from the position as a formal requirement of the association’s bylaws due to the finalization of his confirmation as a Connecticut Superior Court judge.

During the first week of May, to celebrate Lawyer Well-Being Week, the CBA Lawyer Well-Being Committee hosted a series of free events for CBA members that took place on each weekday between noon and 1:00 p.m.

Over 260 legal professionals, community members, families, and friends attended the ninth annual “Celebrate with the Stars” event on April 20 at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville to honor 12 individuals and 16 attorneys observing 50 years of practice. This year's amazing stars included The Honorable Bernadette Conway, Bruce E. Bergman, Sara Bronin, Logan A. Carducci, Sarah E. Dlugoszewski, Mary Christy-Fisher, Shawn M. Lang (posthumously, Ernest J. Mattei, J.L. Pottenger Jr., Charles D. Ray, Dale C. Roberson, and Daniel A. Schwartz.