Presented by the Connecticut Bar Foundation, the Connecticut Bar Association, the James W. Cooper Fellows of the Connecticut Bar Foundation, and the University of Connecticut School of Law

About the Program

In 2014, the Connecticut Bar Foundation presented a symposium entitled Justice for All: The History and Future of Legal Aid in Connecticut.  The 2014 symposium, and its 2025 successor, address the need to improve access to justice for those who are unable to afford legal representation in areas of critical civil legal needs. 

Much has changed since that 2014 presentation, including the 2016 recommendations and report of the Task Force to Improve Access to Legal Counsel in Civil Matters, the launch of an eviction right to counsel program, the expansion of programs providing legal assistance in domestic violence restraining order applications, and the continued efforts and innovation of the legal aid organizations, bench, and bar in Connecticut to promote and advance civil access to justice for the indigent.

The 2025 Justice for All symposium will explore the progress made in addressing the civil access to justice gap in Connecticut since 2014, the current efforts of Connecticut’s legal aid programs to advance access to justice, including the impact and outcomes achieved through Connecticut’s two current right to counsel programs, and consider the future of legal aid in Connecticut, including anticipated challenges, and opportunities for innovation and collaborative partnerships.

You Will Learn

• About civil access to justice in Connecticut
• About Connecticut's developing Right to Counsel Programs
• About the legislature's perspective
• About what the future holds for civil legal aid in Connecticut and how to promote innovation and collaboration

Speakers:

Hon. William Bright, Chair, Connecticut Judicial Branch Access to Justice Commission
Hon. Victoria Chavey, President, Connecticut Bar Foundation
Ashleigh Backman, Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer, Connecticut Bar Foundation 
Kelsey Bannon, Attorney, Greater Hartford Legal Aid
Moses Beckett, Director of Housing Advocacy, Statewide Legal Services
Lorraine Carcova, Managing Attorney, Connecticut Legal Services
Samantha DeDominico, Stout Risius Ross 
Brian Gallini, Dean, Quinnipiac University School of Law
Emily Gianquinto, President-Elect, Connecticut Bar Association
Senator Stephen Harding, Senate Minority Leader
Nilda Havrilla, Litigation and Advocacy Director, Connecticut Legal Services
Shauna Harrington, Director of Legal Advocacy, Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Lina Lee, Executive Director, Connecticut Bar Association
Senator Matthew Lesser, Deputy Majority Leader
Kirk Lowry, Legal Director, Connecticut Legal Rights Project
Dean Eboni Nelson, University of Connecticut School of Law
Angela Schlingheyde, Executive Director, Connecticut Bar Foundation
James T. Shearin, President, Connecticut Bar Association
Alexis Smith, Executive Director, New Haven Legal Assistance Association
Aubrie Souza, Court Management Consultant, National Center for State Courts
Robert Weiner, Chair, American Bar Association Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defense 
Alison Weir, Executive Director, Connecticut Veterans Legal Center
Senator Gary Winfield, Chief Deputy Majority Leader 
Deborah Witkin, Executive Director, Connecticut Legal Services