A member of The LGBT Bar’s Military Law Working Group, Steve Lessard is also a former U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Officer. He currently works as a Managing Associate in the Tax Group with the law firm of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP. In his work with Orrick, Mr. Lessard focuses on the taxation of debt and equity offerings, cross-border transactions, tax controversy, and municipal finance.  Mr. Lessard also has experience counseling nonprofit organizations on federal tax law and corporate governance.

In November 2013, Mr. Lessard helped spearhead The LGBT Bar’s legal advocacy initiative on behalf of transgender U.S. military veterans. Following release of a groundbreaking report on the military’s procedures regarding DD-214 discharge paperwork, and its impact on transgender veterans (a report co-authored by Lessard, in conjunction with the Military Law Working Group), Mr. Lessard and Orrick provided pro bono representation to a group of transgender veterans seeking to amend their DD-214 paperwork.

Mr. Lessard’s work with The LGBT Bar and transgender veterans was profiled in a 2013 Veterans Day report from ABC News.