Friday, October 17, 2025
Program: 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM
Reception: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Quinnipiac School of Law
370 Bassett Road
North Haven, CT 06473
Co-sponsored by
The James W. Cooper Fellows of the Connecticut Bar Foundation and Quinnipiac School of Law
Program Details
Panel 1: Brief Overview of History of Women in the Legal Profession in Connecticut
Join us for an hour-long panel discussing the history of women in the legal profession in Connecticut and where women attorneys stand today. Anne Hamilton, lawyer and journalist, will present highlights of a timeline on women attorneys prepared by Judge Susan Peck and Liz Drummond, former Assistant Director at the Connecticut Bar Foundation, noting standout females throughout Connecticut’s history. Attorney Hamilton will be followed by Professor Shane Gleason, Associate Professor of Law & Public Policy at Trinity College, who will discuss the results of a recent survey of women attorneys conducted through the Connecticut Bar Association and compare the 2024 survey results with those of a similar survey conducted in 1993. Lastly, we will hear from District Judge Janet Bond Arterton and Judge Elizabeth Bozzuto on the status of women in the judiciary today. As more women continue to apply to law school and enter the profession than ever before, we want to take a look back at how women have shaped Connecticut’s legal landscape and learn more about where we are headed.
Speakers
Panel 2: Why do senior women leave the profession and best practices to retain them? What changes/innovations are necessary for women to work and thrive in the legal profession?
Panelists
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Vanessa Roberts Avery
Partner
McCarter & English, LLP -
Robert Elwood
Partner and Co-Founder
Practus, LLP -
Martha Stone
Founder and Special Counsel
Center for Children's Advocacy
Moderator
Keynote Speaker
Panel 3: Leaders in the Law Forum featuring women from diverse areas of practice
Managing partners, corporation counsel, small firm entrepreneurs, government careers, legal education. What are the most promising pathways for women to achieve leadership positions in the profession? Where are women finding the most success? How important is the role of women mentoring other women in the profession, professional networking with women, raising the profile of women in the law by developing platforms to recognize individual and group accomplishments?
