About the Project
In 1999, the Fellows initiated the Oral History of Connecticut Women in the Legal Profession Project to create a permanent video, audio, and photographic historical record of milestone achievements of women as they have become more visible and achieved prominence in the field of law. In 2019, a leadership donation of $20,000 from the law firm of Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey enabled the project to significantly broaden its scope and plan for the future. Today, the project hopes to grow the number of stories captured in the archive, develop new ways to share these stories, and continue to highlight the achievements of female lawyers and the barriers to their full participation that persist in the legal profession today.
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More than 50 outstanding Connecticut’s female judges and lawyers have been interviewed to share their stories, a number of whom were among the first in Connecticut to achieve prominence in their particular roles within the profession.
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CBF Fellows, in collaboration with lawyer and photographer Isabel Chenoweth, created “Women in Black,” photographic portraits of women on the state and federal judiciaries serving in CT between 2001-2024. Scroll to the bottom of this page for more images.
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The Status of Women in the Law Symposium presented an overview of the history and progress of women in the legal profession since the first woman was admitted to the CT Bar in 1882 and how, given the enormous changes in the demographics of the profession, to best move forward in unpredictable times.
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Read more details about how the Women in the Legal Profession project began and grew over the years.
Individual "Women in the Law" Oral History Interviews
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Over 50 interviews
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2016 interview by Kathy Calibey
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2023 interview by Cathie Reese
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2016 interview by Hon. Maureen Dennis
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2016 interview by Kathy Calibey
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2016 interview by Trish Walsh
Women in Black Portraits
CBF Fellows, in collaboration with lawyer and photographer Isabel Chenoweth, created “Women in Black,” photographic portraits of seventy-six women on the state and federal judiciaries serving in CT between 2001 and 2024. The photographs, taken at courthouses throughout the state, provide a striking visual statement about the powerful presence of women in Connecticut’s judiciary, and consequently, their part in history.
The Women in Black portraits are permanently displayed at Quinnipiac University School of Law.
Photography Credit: Quinnipiac University / Autumn Driscoll
