National LGBT Bar Association member Christopher “Edwin” Hopkins-Gillispie’s first introduction to The Bar came in 2012 when he attended the Annual Conference and Career Fair, Lavender Law^®, as a recruiter on behalf of his law firm, Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP. As a member of the LGBT Bar, Edwin has benefited greatly from the networking opportunities the association provides. It enables him to interact with professionals he greatly admires and respects, and connects him with the true thought leaders and advocates in the LGBT legal community. As Edwin put it, “People I’ve met through the LGBT Bar are some that I consider best friends and talk to on a daily basis.”

Edwin has long focused on diversity both within the legal profession and beyond. Since earning his JD from Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law in 2011, he has volunteered his time speaking on alumni panels and mentoring students in making educational decisions and career choices. Edwin also dedicates himself to a range of LGBT, African-American and other volunteer organizations in the DC area and beyond, including the National LGBT Bar Association, LGBT Bar Association of DC, and the Young Lawyers Network Leadership Council of the DC Bar Foundation. Additionally, he served as an ambassador to the It Gets Better Project, which communicates with LGBT youth around the world that the future is bright.

While an associate at Morgan Lewis, Edwin joined the firm’s LGBT affinity group.  After moving to Lidl US, the fourth largest retailer in the world, as Senior In-House Counsel, he is excited to bring a new awareness to LGBT issues at the company. Edwin sees his involvement with the LGBT Bar as a way to ensure that he stays informed of the most up to date LGBT-related legal progress.

Edwin can’t wait to join us again for our Annual Conference and Career Fair in San Francisco. Referring to his first Lavender Law experience in 2012, Edwin stated: “I was hooked, and have not missed a Lavender Law Conference since.” One of the biggest highlights of the conference for Edwin is the diversity of topics covered in the workshops, as well as the Employment Law and Corporate Counsel Institutes, which he feels make him a better lawyer.

Edwin recently received recognition as a “Rising Star” at SmartCEO Magazine’s annual awards, which honors the region’s most enterprising attorneys for their leadership, accomplishments, innovation, and success. We thank Edwin for bringing his expertise and enthusiasm to the LGBT Bar!