Timothy S. Fisher, in his third and final year of his presidency of the Connecticut Bar Foundation, has steered it through some of its worst challenges. A corporate lawyer at the Hartford office of McCarter & English, Fisher has dealt with an unprecedented crisis in the bar foundation’s main role overseeing the funding of Connecticut’s legal services organizations. Working with all three branches of government this past winter, Fisher helped engineer a legislative remedy based on an increase in court filing fees, which will cover the next three years. In addition, Fisher and the Bar Foundation have a “consciousness raising” role of explaining the significance of the legal system to the general public. This effort ranges from law-themed high school essay contests on topics like bullying and “sexting” of nude photos, to video history projects and seminars chronicling the advances of women and minority lawyers in the state. More ambitious programs are in the works, Fisher said, speaking recently with Law Tribune Senior Writer Thomas Scheffey.
The Law Tribune: How do you describe the thrust of the foundation?
