The 2018 Connecticut Legal Awards brightened the Bond Room at the Hilton Hartford Downtown Thursday night, with nearly 200 attendees on hand to celebrate professional excellence, including the 2018 Connecticut Law Tribune award for Attorney of the Year, which went to the University of Connecticut School of Law's Karen DeMeola.

Information travels quickly, of course, in both news and legal social circles, but DeMeola, the current president of the Connecticut Bar Association, reacted with surprise to Thursday night's major announcement, which was preceded by the acknowledgement of AOTY runners-up Thomas Behrendt of the Connecticut Legal Rights Project and former state Deputy Attorney General Aaron S. Bayer of Wiggin and Dana.

“I have never found more professional civil attorneys than these men,” DeMeola told the crowd of friends and colleagues, as the top three finalists took the stage. “I respect them both for the work they do pro bono and for the work they do every day. I don't know why I'm the one standing up here but I'm very grateful for that and I appreciate all of you.”

DeMeola received several nominations this year for the Attorney of the Year award, along with near-unanimous agreement from judges that she deserved top honors. Nominators and judges saluted her for her advocacy on behalf of young people, LGBT citizens and people of all cultures to become more involved in legal professions. That has included real-world progress with the launch of the Connecticut Bar's Pathways to Legal Careers program, which happened almost exactly one year ago.

Bringing CBA members into local schools, the Pathways program has worked to give middle- and high-school students exposure to the field by introducing them to law professionals, with the hope of establishing mentor relationships. “We're looking at communities that typically don't have access to law schools and bringing information to them,” DeMeola said.

Colleagues lauded DeMeola's commitment to public service and her work to ensure new lawyers are not only among the state's best and brightest, but are also representative of the state's cultural tapestry.

Upon being nominated, DeMeola said serving as president of the CBA has been “a tremendous honor” and expressed gratitude for all of the relationships forged while she's striven to improve diversity within and outside the bar. “I think we have really been able to take diversity and inclusion to the next level,” she said. “Beyond the numbers, we're looking at the ways in which bias affects us, and the importance of the role of inclusivity in that process. I love that there are pieces of me that will be left at the bar when I step off of this role, and I'm really proud of the pipeline program, which has been tremendously valuable and important to me.”

DeMeola said it was also rewarding to participate in a task force that examined the ways mental health and addiction issues have affected the general wellness of lawyers.

Standing ovations came for all three finalists for the Attorney of the Year award, recognizing the many public achievements of Bayer in his previous lives as deputy attorney general for the state and counsel to the U.S. Senate and former Sen. Joseph Lieberman. The Tribune thanked Bayer for his work in “keeping them honest” by tackling public misconduct and being a champion of open government and freedom of the press.

Likewise, Behrendt was saluted for the 20-plus years of service he has provided to the Connecticut Legal Rights Project, advocating for low-income residents and people with mental health and psychiatric disabilities. In April, Behrendt received the Charles J. Parker Legal Services Award, an honor first presented in 1977 to recognize “deep and abiding interest in and dedication to” serving disadvantaged people. DeMeola herself was among Behrendt's champions this year, saying his work “embodies the spirit” of Charles Parker, the namesake and inaugural winner of the CBA award.

Dignitaries from the public and private sectors were warmly received by colleagues, including recently retired Connecticut Supreme Court Chief Justice Chase Rogers, the 20-year veteran of the bench who spent a decade on the high court as the second-ever woman to hold the position, and has since moved on to join the team at Day Pitney. Rogers was the sole winner of this year's Best Officiator award.

Another new accolade, the Giant Slayer award, went to famed Cramer & Anderson partner Dan Casagrande, whose memorable 1998 appeal against Union Carbide secured $10 million in tax revenues for the City of Danbury, and who now counts the Connecticut Siting Council among his adversaries.

See the complete list of 2018 Connecticut Law Tribune Professional Excellence Award winners here: https://www.law.com/ctlawtribune/2018/03/23/tribune-announces-2018-award-winners-attorney-of-the-year-finalists/