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Connecticut Bar Foundation James W. Cooper Fellows Program and Quinnipiac University School of Law to host symposium on “Status of Connecticut Women in the Law.”

As the number of women entering law school and the legal profession continues to exceed the number of men, legal professionals come together on Friday, October 17 to assess what this means for the future of the legal profession.

Nationally recognized litigator and speaker Stephanie A. Scharf, PhD, JD, will deliver the keynote lecture, “Then, Now and Next: Women Lawyers and the Future of the Profession.”

Scharf, who is the Co-Founder and Principal of the woman-owned, consulting firm The Red Bee Group, has over 30 years of practice in the legal field and is known for her innovative work in organizational excellence, diversity, equality and inclusion, strategic growth, and talent development. She is the co-author of many studies on the factors that impact long-term professional careers and has served in many leadership positions that promote the advancement of women in the legal profession.

Hon. A. Susan Peck (Ret.), former Superior Court Judge, Symposium Chair, Founder and original Chair of the CBF Fellows History of Connecticut Women in the Legal Profession project, said, "Over the last fifty years I have witnessed firsthand the growth and development of women in the law. I look forward to the opportunity presented by this symposium to measure how much women have achieved and what this unanticipated and increasing presence portends for the future of the profession.”

The day-long symposium also features expert members of the profession from diverse practice areas in Connecticut who will address pivotal issues of the day including whether gender bias persists; where women have found success; why senior women often leave the profession; where gaps remain in the career trajectories of men and women; and how to move forward in unpredictable times.

Panel topics and speakers:

Panel 1: Overview of History of Women in the Legal Profession in Connecticut

Speakers will recount the milestones of women in the law and where they stand today.

• Hon. Janet Bond Arterton, Senior Judge (Inactive), United States District Court, District of Connecticut
• Hon. Elizabeth A. Bozzuto, Chief Court Administrator of the State of Connecticut
• Professor Shane Gleason, Associate Professor of Law & Public Policy at Trinity College
• Anne Hamilton, JD UConn Law ’73, Author of “A Century’s Journey: Women at The UConn School of Law”

Panel 2: Why Senior Women Leave the Profession and Best Practices to Retain Them 

Legal professionals from diverse practice backgrounds will share their career paths and identify the factors that impeded or supported their professional success.

• Vanessa Roberts Avery, Partner, McCarter & English, LLP and former US attorney for the District of Connecticut
• Robert Elwood, Partner and Co-Founder Practus, LLP
• Kirstin Etela, Partner, Day Pitney LLP
• Martha Stone, Founder and Special Counsel, Center for Children’s Advocacy
• Moderator: Professor Jennifer Gerarda Brown, Professor of Law, Former Dean, Quinnipiac School of Law

Panel 3: Leaders in the Law

Panelists will discuss promising pathways for women to achieve leadership positions in the profession, the role of mentoring, and how to raise the profile of women in the law.

• Hon. Chase Rogers (Ret.), Former Chief Justice, Connecticut Supreme Court
• Livia DeFilippis Barndollar, Member, Pullman & Comley LLC
• Brooke Goff, Founding Attorney, Goff Law Group
• Moy Ogilvie, Managing Partner, McCarter & English, LLP
• Moderator: Alexia Cruz, Senior Vice President, Claim General Counsel, Travelers

Admission is $50 (student tickets $25; Quinnipiac University student tickets free) and includes breakfast and lunch. The symposium takes place from 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. with a reception featuring light refreshments and a cash bar from 3 pm – 5 pm.

The event will be held at Quinnipiac University School of Law, 370 Bassett Road, North Haven, CT 06473 in the Brooke A. Goff Ceremonial Courtroom. The reception will be held in the Jennifer Gerarda Brown Student Lounge on the 3rd floor, where the “Women in Black” exhibit of Connecticut judges and magistrates is displayed. Free parking is available in the garage next to the front entrance. Up to 4.25 CT CLE credits are available for attendees.

RSVP by October 9, 2025. To register, visit https://www.ctbarfdn.org/news-events/upcoming-events.html/event/2025/10/17/status-of-connecticut-women-in-the-law-symposium/534390

Connecticut Bar Foundation, established in 1952, is a non-profit organization that develops and administers programs to enhance understanding and improvement of the law and legal institutions, provides grants for legal research, and sponsors educational symposia. The Foundation also administers the Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program for the benefit of legal services agencies and for law school scholarships for disadvantaged students attending schools in Connecticut. Outstanding Connecticut Lawyers, judges, and teachers of the law who show a commitment to the advancement of the legal profession and concern for promoting access to justice are nominated to be members of the James W. Coopers Fellows Program.