Gallini will serve alongside Connecticut Bar Association President Emily Gianquinto. The task force is a joint effort of the Connecticut Bar Foundation’s James W. Cooper Fellows and the Connecticut Bar Association and comes as states nationwide reconsider how the legal profession evaluates minimum competence for new lawyers.

“Connecticut Bar Foundation is honored to have two of our distinguished James W. Cooper Fellows, Dean Brian Gallini and Attorney Emily Gianquinto, serve as co-chairs for this taskforce,” said Angela Schlingheyde, executive director of the Connecticut Bar Foundation. “As a foundation dedicated to closing the justice gap, we see this task force as a vital step toward strengthening the public-service legal workforce and expanding access to justice statewide.”

Gallini said, “I’m honored to help lead this effort at a time when states nationwide — and even the American Bar Association — are rethinking how new lawyers demonstrate competence.

"This task force gives Connecticut an opportunity to align licensure with the realities of practice while directly addressing our well documented access to justice challenges. I look forward to working together to identify pathways that strengthen our public service workforce and expand meaningful legal help for the communities that need it most," said Gallini.

Across the country, jurisdictions have begun piloting and implementing alternatives to the traditional bar examination, including supervised practice and portfolio-based assessments designed to measure practical lawyering skills.

Gallini has been involved in conversations and scholarship surrounding these evolving licensure models in multiple states, focusing on approaches that emphasize practical readiness, professional responsibility and equitable entry into the profession.

The Connecticut group will study whether similar pathways could help address pressing needs in the state’s legal system.

According to the Connecticut Bar Foundation’s Civil Legal Needs Assessment, more than 400,000 state residents face at least one civil legal problem each year, and nearly two in five people who seek legal assistance are unable to obtain help. At the same time, the number of practicing attorneys in Connecticut has declined in recent years, while public-service legal organizations continue to struggle to recruit and retain lawyers.

The task force is charged with developing recommendations that could create a more sustainable pipeline of attorneys committed to public-service careers, promote equity within the profession and ensure residents can obtain legal assistance.

Gallini’s selection to lead the effort highlights his standing within the legal academy and the profession, positioning the School of Law at the center of statewide discussions about the future of attorney licensing and access to justice in Connecticut.

Gallini joined Quinnipiac as dean and a tenured professor of law in 2024. A leading scholar in criminal law, Gallini’s scholarship focuses on law enforcement discretion issues in the context of interrogation methods, consent searches and profiling. He earned a Master of Laws from the Beasley School of Law at Temple University, a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School and a bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross.