Leslie I. Jennings-Lax has been admitted to practice before the Connecticut Bar (2004) and the United States Supreme Court (2010). She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity College in Hartford (1998), her Master of Arts in Teaching from Johns Hopkins University (2000) and her Juris Doctorate (magna cum laude) from Quinnipiac University School of Law (2004).
Following law school, Attorney Jennings-Lax clerked at the Connecticut Appellate Court for two years prior to entering private practice. Since 2006, Attorney Jennings-Lax has focused her practice on all areas of family law and appellate law, first in New Haven and then in Fairfield, when she joined the firm of Lax & Truax in 2013. Attorney Jennings-Lax is an active member of the Connecticut Bar, currently serving on the Board of Editors for the Connecticut Bar Journal and on the executive committee of the LGBT section of the Bar. Attorney Jennings-Lax is also an adjunct faculty member at Quinnipiac University School of Law, where she teaches Law & Gender.
Attorney Jennings-Lax has lectured extensively on issues affecting family law, both to new and seasoned lawyers. Her lecturing has spanned topics from divorce for same sex couples to parenting issues and tax implications of divorce. She also has authored numerous articles related to family law for publication in a wide variety of legal publications, including the Family Law Quarterly, the Connecticut Family Lawyer, the Connecticut Bar Journal and the Quinnipiac Health Law Journal. She was also a contributing author to the LexisNexis book on Connecticut Family Law practice which edited by Attorney Louise Truax.
Attorney Jennings-Lax serves a special master in several jurisdictions in Connecticut and has been recognized as a Rising Star in Connecticut Magazine and New England Super Lawyers Magazine since 2010.
Areas Of Practice
- Family Law
- Appellate Law
Bar Admissions
- Connecticut, 2004
- Supreme Court of the United States of America, 2010
Education
- Quinnipiac University School of Law, Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Juris Doctorate - 2004
- Honors: magna cum laude
- Trinity College
- B.A., Bachelor of Arts - 1998
- Johns Hopkins University
- Master of Arts in Teaching - 2000
Published Works
- Earning Capacity in Light of Tanzman v. Meurer,3 Connecticut Family Lawyer 1 (2013)
- Lexis Nexis Connecticut Family Law Practice Guide, authored chapters on Marriage, Paternity, Adoption, Surrogacy, and Same Sex Dissolution Issues (2013)
- Issue Edition Connecticut Family Lawyer, Premarital Agreements Issue, Summer 2012
- Navigating Issues in Same Sex Marriages, Civil Unions and Domestic Partnerships, created for and distributed by the American Bar Association for August 5, 2011
- Successfully Representing Non-Traditional Families: Where the Courts and the Legislature Stand, created for and distributed by the National Business Institute for March 24,2010
- Kerrigan v. Department of Public Health: A Synopsis, Connecticut Lawyer, Volume 19,/Ìllumber 6, February 2009
- Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health: A Synopsis and Effects, New Haven County Bar Association Marble Columns, Vol XIV, No. 2 January/February 2009
- Parentage in a Post-Civil Union State, T Connecticut Family Lawyer 3 (2006)
- Co-Editor, Connecticut Family Lawyer, Issue l, December, 2006
- Surrogacy: The Law in Connecticut,T9 Connecticut Bar journal 59 (2005)
- Extraterritorial Effect of Civil Unions and the Dissolution of Them, co-authored by Louise Truax, created for and distributed in conjunction with Civil Unions: Making and Breaking Them, sponsored by the Family Law Section of the Connecticut Bar Association. September 30, 2005
- Is the United States Falling Behind?: The Legal Recognition of Post-Operative Transsexual' Acquired Sex in the United States and Abroad, T Quinnipiac Health LJ. 123 (2003) (published as Leslie I. Lax)
- Together But Not As The Internal Revenue Code Envisions" Part II: Tux and Estate Planning.for Same Sex and Transgender Couples ìn the Age of DOMA, Sponsored by the Domestic Relations Committee of the American Bar Association's Section of Taxation. October 1,2004, Panelist on Constitutional Implication of the Defense of Marriage Act
- Recognizing Same Sex Couples: Should Connecticut Change the Law?, Co-sponsored by the Connecticut Bar Association and UNITY, Quinnipiac University School of Law's Gay/Straight Alliance. March 16, 2004, Moderator and Planning Committee Member
Classes / Seminars
- Speaker, Crossing State Lines With A Same Sex Marriage Post-Windsor (Webinar), sponsored by the American Bar Association, January 21, 201 5
- Speaker, Crossing State Lines with A Same Sex Marriage Post-Windsor, sponsored by the American Bar Association, October 16, 2014
- Panelist, Nuts & Bolts: Family law, sponsored by the New Haven Country Bar Association, April 16, 2013
- Panelist, Tux Implications of Divorce, sponsored by Quinnipiac University Family and Juvenile Law Society , April 2, 2012
- Speaker, Navigating Issues in Same Sex Marriages, Civil Unions and Domestic Partnerships, sponsored by the American Bar Association, August 5, 2011
- Panelist on the issues of legislative advances and case law, as well as the issues of adoption and surrogacy, Successfully Representing Non-Traditional Families, sponsored by the National Business Institute, March 24, 2010,
- Panelist, Representing Families in Pro Bono Custody Cases, Connecticut Pro Bono Network, Connecticut Bar Association, October 20, 2009
- Invited speaker, Civil Unions in Connecticut, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Connecticut Chapter, October 17, 2005
- Panelist on Adoption, Surrogacy and In Vitro Fertilization/Artificial Insemination; Panelist on Custody and Visitation, Civil Anions: Making and Breaking Them, Sponsored by Family Law Section of the Connecticut Bar Association, September 30, 2005
- Adjunct professor, Quinnipiac University School of Law, Law and Gender
Honors and Awards
- Rising Star in Connecticut Magazine
- New England Super Lawyers Magazine
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Board of Editors, Connecticut Bar Journal (2009 – present)
- Board of Editors, Connecticut Family Lawyer (2006 – present)
- Co-Chair, Planning Committee for Symposium on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Youth sponsored by the Connecticut Bar Foundation (2013)
- American Bar Association, Family Law Section (2006 – present)
- Connecticut Bar Association, Family Law Section, Executive Committee Member, Amicus Committee Member (2006 – present)
- Connecticut Bar Association, LGBT Section, Executive Committee Member (2012 – present), Education Liaison to CBA (2015 – present)
- Triangle Community Center, Board of Directors (2014 – Present)
- Fairfield County Bar Association (2013)
- New Haven County Bar Association, Family Law Section (2006 – 2013)
- Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund, Policy Board (2008 – 2013)
- National LGBT Bar Association (2004 – present)
- Connecticut Bar Association, 2006 to Present
- American Bar Association, 2006 to Present
- The National LGBT Bar Association, 2004 to Present
- Fairfield County Bar Association, 2013 to Present
Past Employment Positions
- Rubin & Eldrich, Associate, 2006 to 2013
- Lax & Truax, Associate, 2013 to 2017
Pro Bono Activities
- Triangle Community Center, Board of Directors, 2014 to Present
- Connecticut Wornen's Education and Legal Fund, Policy Board, 2008 to 2013
Languages
- English