Bar News

By Kaelea Shaner (she/her) Kaelea is a board member of the National LGBTQ+ Bar’s Law Student Congress. January 7 is quietly becoming an important date on the global LGBTQ+ human rights calendar. On January 7, 2022, Canada’s federal conversion therapy ban came into force, creating new Criminal Code offenses that target the provision of conversion […]

In a time of intensifying attacks on trans and nonbinary people, the National LGBTQ+ Bar (“the Bar”) has heard from many legal professional parents and caregivers of trans children (both youth and adults) seeking community and guidance. In October, the Bar launched a new pilot program designed to meet this need. These meetings are designed […]

Anya Lynn-Alesker (They/She) joined the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association & Foundation as Executive Director in September. They are  an activist, educator, facilitator, and lawyer dedicated to elevating the needs and lived experiences of 2SLGBTQI+ communities and honoring their resilience and survivorship. For almost 20 years Anya has used the law as an instrument of empowerment […]

Lexi Howard didn’t plan on becoming a lawyer. “I began working in title insurance and escrow right out of high school,” she explains. “I wanted to go to college, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, so I just began working.” Throughout her career in real estate, Howard often heard that she should […]

Melissa Gohlke always knew she wanted to be a litigator. As early as elementary school, she proudly proclaimed that she would become an attorney one day. Despite that certainty, she took some time after graduating from college to explore other fields before attending Georgetown Law School. “I tried public relations, but I just kept being […]

National LGBTQ+ Bar member Evelyn Clark serves as a fourth-year Associate at Thompson Coburn LLP in the firm’s International Trade & Transportation Regulatory practice. In her work, she advocates for clients in their interactions and relationships with the federal government when importing, exporting, and navigating U.S. regulations. She also helps provide proactive support to help […]

Julie Rooney, a member of the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association and Deputy General Counsel & Head of U.S. Privacy at OpenX, became a lawyer because she views the legal profession as the perfect way to make ethics and philosophy practical and applicable to the real world. A former philosophy major, Rooney is particularly fascinated by […]

Across the United States, university and law school campuses host a variety of student organizations ranging from groups pursuing similar professional interests, to religious associations, to identity-based organizations such as LGBTQ+ student groups. These organizations play an important function in campus life. They are spaces where students can make friends, network, learn about new opportunities, […]

Leslie Richards-Yellen serves as Chief Diversity Officer at Sidley Austin LLP and is a proud member of the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association. Before joining Sidley in 2023, Richards-Yellen served in DEI leadership roles at several other large law firms. She is also a longtime ally of the LGBTQ+ legal community and played a critical role […]

LGBTQ+ Bar member Bryanna Jenkins has never forgotten her roots as community organizer in her hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. She currently serves as Policy Director at the Lavender Rights Project where her dedication to her community remains as strong as ever. “My organizing background informs my work,” Jenkins explains. “I find value in people and […]

August Naston (he/they) is a law student at Fordham University School of Law and a board member of the National LGBTQ+ Bar’s Law Student Congress. He is the first openly trans member of Fordham Law’s SBA and a co-founder of Advocates for Trans* Law Students (ATLS), a student organization on Fordham Law’s campus that provides […]

Omar J. Alaniz, Managing Partner at Reed Smith LLP’s Dallas office and a board member of the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association, pursued a legal career to create a better life for himself and others. “I come from humble beginnings,” he explains. “My parents were young when they had me and worked multiple jobs to support […]