CBA News

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.

As part of the 25th Annual ABA Days during the week of April 4-8, 2022, a delegation from the Connecticut Bar Association (CBA) and American Bar Association (ABA) met with Connecticut’s federal legislators to advocate for issues important to members and encourage efforts to narrow the access to justice gap in Connecticut.

On Friday, April 1, the Connecticut Bar Association and UConn School of Law jointly held a Free Legal Answers Comes to Campus event. At the event a team of eight volunteer attorneys from the CBA mentored a group of 20 UConn law students through the process of providing free legal advice to individuals with low or no income.

CBA Members Alyce Alfano, Eric Daniels, Robert G. Golger, Wendy Grispin, Jassette Ann-Marie Henry, Tara L. Knight, Cherie Phoenix-Sharpe, Christine P. Rapillo, Charles P. Reed, Kevin M. Shay, Neeta Vatti, and Matthew A. Weiner were among those nominated.

On January 25 and 26, the CBA Pro Bono Committee, in coordination with Statewide Legal Services of CT, hosted a two-day Free Legal Advice Clinic virtually. Clinics are now planned to take place on a quarterly basis, in order to increase the public's access to justice.

The CBA will be hosting a new hotline for individuals affected by Hurricane Ida who require legal assistance. We are currently seeking volunteer attorneys to provide disaster-related legal assistance to those affected by the hurricane. Training will be provided.

During October and November, CBA members Hon. Sarah A. L. Merriam and Hon. Omar A. Williams as well as Hon. Sarala Vidya Nagala, a non-member ex-officio of the CBA's Committee on Human Trafficking, were confirmed by the United States Senate and sworn in as United States District Judges for the District of Connecticut.

This fall, the CBA continued hosting its seasonal shred truck events, where members can bring their files to be confidentially shredded for free. Young Lawyers Section members and several past and present board officers assisted with the events. Participants were encouraged to bring food items and household supplies for donation to Connecticut Foodshare.

On November 18, the Connecticut Bar Association hosted this year’s Presidential Fellows Dinner, which featured the theme of “Together for a Stronger Profession,” as a hybrid (virtual/in-person) event at Grassy Hill Country Club in Orange.

We are currently looking to fill the positions of vice president, secretary, treasurer, and assistant secretary-treasurer for the 2022-2023 bar year.

On October 26-28, the CBA Pro Bono Committee, in coordination with Statewide Legal Services of CT, hosted a series of Pro Bono Clinics virtually. The clinics took place as part of the National Celebration of Pro Bono, an initiative that shines a spotlight on the amazing pro bono work by lawyers, paralegals, and law students across the country, which occurred from October 24-30.

The Connecticut Bar Association (CBA) Policing Task Force has released its public report and 23 recommendations, which were unanimously approved by the CBA. The report was released ahead of the latest Constance Baker Motley Speaker Series on Racial Inequality Event, “The CBA Task Force’s Recommendations on Policing in Connecticut,” taking place on November 4, 2021, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

On Wednesday, October 20, more than 170 people attended the CBA’s sixth 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.