The James W. Cooper Fellows nominate outstanding Connecticut lawyers, judges, and teachers of law to become Fellows. The Connecticut Bar Foundation then extends invitations to nominees who have been selected by the Fellows Nominating Committee and approved by the Fellows and the Board of Directors.

Selection Criteria

Nominees should have a minimum of ten years in practice to become a Fellow (unless there are special circumstances that must be explained on the nomination form). 

In their outstanding professional, public and/or private careers, a Fellow:

(a) must have demonstrated extraordinary legal ability;

(b) must have demonstrated devotion to the welfare of their community, state and nation; and

(c) must have demonstrated devotion to the advancement of the legal profession.

In order to be nominated as a Fellow, a person must be:

• a member in good standing of the State Bar of Connecticut;
   
• a teacher of law regularly employed as such in the State of Connecticut who has been admitted to the Bar of any other state;
   
• a federal judge residing in Connecticut who has been admitted to the Bar of any other state; or
   
• a person registered as an authorized house counsel as defined in Section 2-15A of the Connecticut Rules of Professional Conduct.

Nominees who accept their invitation to become a Fellow commit to a pledge of $2,500 to the program. The Foundation recognizes Fellows at an annual reception in their honor and publicizes their selection.