diff --git a/RELEASE-NOTES.md b/RELEASE-NOTES.md
index 3f8b7d07a..9ee9f903f 100644
--- a/RELEASE-NOTES.md
+++ b/RELEASE-NOTES.md
@@ -1,19 +1,11 @@
-Lettuce 7.0.0.BETA2 RELEASE NOTES
+Lettuce 7.1.1.RELEASE NOTES
 ==============================
 
-The Lettuce team is pleased to announce the second beta release of Lettuce 7.0!
+The Lettuce team is pleased to announce the second beta release of Lettuce 7.1.1!
 
-The release focuses on introducing **Maintenance events support** functionality, API improvements, and cleanup of deprecated features.
+Lettuce 7.1.1.RELEASE supports Redis 2.6+ up to Redis 8.x and requires Java 8 or newer. The driver is tested against Redis 8.4, 8.2, 8.0, 7.4, and 7.2.
 
-### Key changes
-- **Maintenance events support** for graceful maintenance handling
-- **Enhanced JSON API** with `String`-based access to avoid unnecessary conversions
-- **Removal of deprecated APIs** and options as part of the major version upgrade
-As part of the 7.0 line, this beta also removes several deprecated APIs and options.
-
-Lettuce 7.0.0.BETA2 supports Redis 2.6+ up to Redis 8.x and requires Java 8 or newer. The driver is tested against Redis 8.2, 8.0, 7.4, and 7.2.
-
-Thanks to all contributors who made Lettuce 7.0.0.BETA2 possible!
+Thanks to all contributors who made Lettuce 7.1.1.RELEASE possible!
 
 If you need any support, meet Lettuce at
 
@@ -21,42 +13,17 @@ If you need any support, meet Lettuce at
 * Stack Overflow (Questions): https://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/lettuce
 * Join the chat at https://discord.gg/redis and look for the "Help:Tools Lettuce" channel 
 * GitHub Issues (Bug reports, feature requests): https://github.com/lettuce-io/lettuce-core/issues
-* Documentation: https://lettuce.io/core/7.0.0.BETA2/reference/
-* Javadoc: https://lettuce.io/core/7.0.0.BETA2/api/
+* Documentation: https://lettuce.io/core/7.1.1.RELEASE/reference/
+* Javadoc: https://lettuce.io/core/7.1.1.RELEASE/api/
 
 # Changes
 
-## 🔥 Breaking Changes
-
-- chore: remove usage of deprecated connection methods in command APIs in integration tests (#3328) (#3343)
-- Remove deprecated dnsResolver option (#3328) (#3333)
-- Remove deprecated `reset()` method from Lettuce API and internals (#3395)
-- Make Utility Class constructor private to enforce noninstantiability (#3266)
-- Enable adaptive refresh by default #3249 (#3316)
-- ISSUE#3328 - Remove deprecated code from ISSUE#1314 (#3351)
-- chore: deprecated withPassword(String) method (#3328) (#3350)
-- Remove deprecated Utf8StringCodec class (#3328) (#3389)
-- chore: remove deprecated default timeout from AbstractRedisClient (#3328) (#3344)
-- chore: remove deprecated ClientOptions#cancelCommandsOnReconnectFailure (#3328) (#3346)
-
-## 🚀 New Features
-
-- Add support for EPSILON and WITHATTRIBS arguments in VSIM command (#3449)
-- Add String-based JSON API to avoid unnecessary conversions (#3369) (#3394)
-- React to maintenance events #3345 (#3354)
-
 ## 🐛 Bug Fixes
-- Rename maintenance notification configuration properties (#3450)
-- Timeouts seen during endpoint re-bind and migrate (#3426)
-- Fix a NullPointerException in DelegateJsonObject #3417 (#3418)
-
-## 💡 Other
+* SearchArgs.returnField with alias produces malformed redis command #3528 (7.1.x) by @tishun in https://github.com/redis/lettuce/pull/3534
 
-- Timeouts seen during endpoint re-bind and migrate (#3426)
-- Return name method to ProtocolKeyword public interface. (#3424)
-- Refactor JsonValue to Object mapping #3412 (#3413)
-- Using non-native transports with SocketOptions should cause an error (#3279)
+## 🧰 Maintenance
+* Bumping Netty to 4.2.5.Final (7.1.x) by @tishun in https://github.com/redis/lettuce/pull/3537
 
 ---
 
-**Full Changelog**: [6.8.0.RELEASE...7.0.0.BETA2](https://github.com/redis/lettuce/compare/6.8.0.RELEASE...7.0.0.BETA2)
+**Full Changelog**: https://github.com/redis/lettuce/compare/7.1.0.RELEASE...7.1.1.RELEASE
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index 260eaecc9..f75bfa4ac 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 
     <groupId>io.lettuce</groupId>
     <artifactId>lettuce-core</artifactId>
-    <version>7.1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
+    <version>7.1.2-SNAPSHOT</version>
     <packaging>jar</packaging>
 
     <name>Lettuce</name>
diff --git a/src/main/java/io/lettuce/core/internal/LettuceClassUtils.java b/src/main/java/io/lettuce/core/internal/LettuceClassUtils.java
index 0e88fcf38..087aae36a 100644
--- a/src/main/java/io/lettuce/core/internal/LettuceClassUtils.java
+++ b/src/main/java/io/lettuce/core/internal/LettuceClassUtils.java
@@ -101,24 +101,13 @@ private static Class<?> forName(String className, ClassLoader classLoader) throw
     }
 
     /**
-     * Return the default ClassLoader to use: typically the thread context ClassLoader, if available; the ClassLoader that
-     * loaded the ClassUtils class will be used as fallback.
+     * This method ensures that the same ClassLoader strategy is consistently applied during
+     * both class existence detection and actual class loading.
      *
      * @return the default ClassLoader (never <code>null</code>)
-     * @see java.lang.Thread#getContextClassLoader()
      */
     private static ClassLoader getDefaultClassLoader() {
-        ClassLoader cl = null;
-        try {
-            cl = Thread.currentThread().getContextClassLoader();
-        } catch (Throwable ex) {
-            // Cannot access thread context ClassLoader - falling back to system class loader...
-        }
-        if (cl == null) {
-            // No thread context class loader -> use class loader of this class.
-            cl = LettuceClassUtils.class.getClassLoader();
-        }
-        return cl;
+        return LettuceClassUtils.class.getClassLoader();
     }
 
     /**