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Annual Receptions

Annual Reception

Every Spring Cooper Fellows come together to welcome its newest members and celebrate the work of extraordinary nonprofit civil legal service providers and legal aid attorneys in Connecticut. 

2025 Annual Reception:
May 1, 2025 at Madison Beach Hotel

Keynote Address: Chief Justice Raheem L. Mullins

Special Recognition: Isabel Chenoweth
Anthony M. Fitzgerald Award for Excellence: Amy Eppler-Epstein, Hew Haven Legal Assistance Association

Photo credit: Tricia Rose, Tricia Rose Photography

  • The James W. Cooper Fellows nominate outstanding Connecticut lawyers, judges, and teachers of law to become Fellows. CBF then extends invitations to nominees who have been selected by the Fellows Nominating Committee and approved by the Fellows and the Board of Directors.

  • During the Annual Reception, CBF presents the Anthony M. Fitzgerald Award for Excellence, which honors legal service attorneys and organizations who demonstrate a commitment to the provision of zealous and skilled legal representation to low-income Connecticut citizens.

  • Enjoy the memories with CBF's Reception archive.

CBF Leadership Banks

These financial institutions are invested in access to justice for all.

Leadership Banks pay the highest rates on IOLTA/IOTA balances and generously waive service fees to provide additional funding for civil legal aid in Connecticut. CBF extends thanks to these institutions and encourage attorneys to bank with them. Doing so directly impacts the amount of interest earned for legal aid programs in Connecticut.

Every year, CBF awards the "Banking on Justice Award" to a Leadership Bank in recognition of its commitment to advancing access to justice. 

Graphic image of list of IOLTA Leadership Banks

2024 Reception

May 30, 2024 at Saint Clements Castle & Marina

Keynote Address: Director Rachel Rossi, Office for Access to Justice, U.S. Department of Justice

Anthony M. Fitzgerald Award for Excellence Recipient: Center for Children's Advocacy, accepted by Martha Stone, Executive Director

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