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TWENTY-ONE CONNECTICUT JUDGES AND LAWYERS ELECTED TO JAMES W. COOPER FELLOWS PROGRAM

Hartford, Connecticut (April 1, 2026) – The Connecticut Bar Foundation (CBF) James W. Cooper Fellows Program elected twenty-one new Fellows. [See the list of new Fellows below.] Fellows are nominated by their peers based on their outstanding service to the profession and larger community and are elected by CBF’s Board of Directors. “I am so pleased to welcome our new Fellows, said Attorney Anika Singh Lemar, President of CBF’s Board of Directors. “Their nominations and selection evidence their service to this legal community and our shared commitment to the rule of law and access to justice. I look forward to their contributions to the James W. Cooper Fellows Program.” 

CBF’s mission is to facilitate systemic change that advances civil justice for all, regardless of power or resources, to achieve a more just and equitable society. The James W. Cooper Fellows Program, now in its 31st year, helps further that mission by developing and sponsoring projects and programs to promote a better understanding of the legal profession, the judicial system, and the role of law in society; to explore ways to improve the profession and the administration of justice; and to further the highest ideals of the legal system.

“We extend a warm welcome to the 2026 Fellows and look forward to their support of and participation in the many programs at the CBF. By examining issues that are critical to the pursuit of equal access to justice, these programs strive to improve the legal system in Connecticut,” the Honorable Barry F. Armata, Chair of the Fellows Program, added. Fellows’ programs tackle topics of timely importance to the legal community, and include several speaker series, symposia, roundtable discussions, mentorships, and a high school essay contest. CBF programming, including the Constance Baker Motley Speaker Series on Racial Inequality, has received national attention.    

The Fellows consist of lawyers in private practice, U.S. Court of Appeals judges, U.S. District Court judges, Connecticut Supreme, Appellate, and Superior Court judges, corporate counsel, attorneys in non-profit associations and legal services agencies, and government lawyers. The program also includes law school deans, former deans, and professors of law, past and current leadership of the Connecticut Bar Association and other bar associations, and present and former government leaders.