The Connecticut Bar Foundation is a non-profit organization which works to ensure that the state’s legal system is available to all, regardless of power or resources. The Foundation seeks to assure a reliable and sufficient flow of funds to support legal services that protect the interests of those who cannot afford private counsel.

To achieve this goal, the Foundation administers several programs. The Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts (IOLTA) and the Interest on Trust Accounts (IOTA) programs provide funds for delivery of legal services for the poor. In addition, the Foundation administers the Judicial Branch Grants-in-Aid and the Court Fees Grants-in-Aid programs for legal services.

In 1994, the Foundation established the James W. Cooper Fellows program as the result of a generous bequest from Attorney James W. Cooper. The Fellows sponsor symposia and projects that enhance understanding of the role of law in society and promote the highest ideals of the legal system.

The Connecticut Bar Foundation sponsors the John A. Speziale Alternative Dispute Resolution program in honor of former Chief Justice John A. Speziale, the first chair of the James W. Cooper Fellows Program. Periodic symposia explore issues in alternative dispute resolution.

Michael Wilder, Judge Janet Bond Arterton and keynote speaker Kenneth Feinberg at the 2008 ADR Symposium		Speakers Jennifer Brown and Charlie Pillsbury at the 2010 ADR Symposium, “Achieving the Goals of Criminal Justice: A Role for Mediation?”
Seven of the executive directors of Connecticut’s legal services network (l-r) Janice Chiaretto, Statewide Legal Services, Steve Eppler-Epstein, CT Legal Services, Pat Kaplan, New Haven Legal Assistance, Branford Brown, Greater Hartford Legal Aid, Jan VanTassel, CT Legal Rights Project, Justine Rakich-Kelly, Children’s Law Center, and Martha Stone, Center for Children’s Advocacy		2011 Legal Services Award recipients, (l-r) Michael Lawlor and Andrew McDonald

View photos from the 2011 Fellows Annual Reception.