Legal Services Justice Award

Michelle Garcia

Michelle Garcia (she/hers/ella) is a graduate of Loyola University who is admitted to the New Mexico Bar, the Navajo Nation Bar, the State Bar of Louisiana, the Pueblo of Pojoaque and the Federal District Court of New Mexico. After graduating from law school, Michelle worked as a prosecutor and law clerk for the State of New Mexico. After joining New Mexico Legal Aid in 2018 she became the managing attorney for Safe to Be You, New Mexico’s LGBTQ+ legal access program for rural and indigenous communities and serves as Deputy Director for New Mexico Legal Aid. She works in the area of civil rights related to tribal law, violence, rural accessibility and LGBTQ+ discrimination.

Student Leadership Award

Jibri Douglas

Jibri Douglas (they/them) is a Black transmasculine non-binary law student from Newark, NJ. They are a rising 4LE evening/part-time Rutgers Law School – Camden student. In 2010, Jibri graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor’s degree in Health Promotion and Behavior. In 2017, Jibri graduated with a Master of Public Health degree from Drexel University with a concentration in Health Management and Policy and a certificate in LGBTQ Health. Jibri worked for nearly 15 years in public health, becoming a subject matter expert in public health practice, diversity, equity, and inclusion, eliminating health disparities in healthcare, global health, and HIV/AIDS prevention and education.

Today, Jibri is pursuing a career shift into the legal field. As a law student, I served on the e-board for the Black Law Students Association and the Philadelphia LGBTQ Bar Association. Jibri is also a Distinguished Social Justice Scholar who dedicates their time to pro bono projects ranging from expungements and pardons to transgender name and gender marker changes. Outside of law school, Jibri is a competitive powerlifter in the LGBTQ Powerlifting Union and the International Association of Trans Bodybuilders & Powerlifters and plays softball in the City of Brotherly Love LGBTQ Softball League.

As a practicing attorney, Jibri plans to start their career in big law, gain invaluable commercial litigation experience, and clerk for a US District Court Judge. Then, Jibri hopes to combine their litigation experience and passion for public health to fight against codified disenfranchisement in our legal system for Black and Brown individuals and LGBTQ communities of color as a civil rights trial attorney. Jibri’s ultimate goal is to one day become the first Black Trans/Non-Binary US District Court Judge.

Michael Greenberg Writing Competition

Siena Hohne (First Place)

Article:  “The Role of the Courts in Evaluating Medical Evidence in Cases Challenging Gender-Affirming Care Bans: Lessons from L.W. v. Skrmetti“

Siena Hohne (she/her) is a rising 3L at Georgetown University Law Center (Class of 2025). She graduated summa cum laude from Georgetown University with a B.A. in Government and Women’s & Gender Studies. An Opportunity Scholar at Georgetown Law, Siena serves as the Symposium Editor of Volume XXVI of the Georgetown Journal of Gender and the Law and has served as the LGBTQ+ Policy Issue Director of the Georgetown Law ACLU, Public Sector Careers Chair of Georgetown OutLaw, and a Peer Mentor for the Georgetown RISE Program, a program for students from underrepresented backgrounds in the law. Siena plans to pursue a career in LGBTQ+ civil rights impact litigation and has completed internships and externships at Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Public Justice, and Lambda Legal. Siena was inspired to pursue law school while interning during undergrad at the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association. Siena would like to thank Professor Naomi Mezey, Madeline Ile, and Al Castillo for their inspiration, assistance, and support. Siena urges you to speak up for trans youth and celebrate trans joy.

Leading Family Law Practitioner Award

Kimberly Surratt

Kim Surratt embarked on her legal career in 2002, founding her own practice in 2007 with licenses to practice in both Nevada and California. Her journey in Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) law began in 2004 with her first surrogacy case. Kim is a distinguished ART Fellow at the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys, where she is serving her second term on the Board of Trustees and has earned the prestigious President’s Award.

Her pro bono efforts commenced in 2003 with the Nevada Justice Association, through which she has significantly impacted LGBTQ+ family law. Her advocacy has facilitated numerous legislative achievements, including the Nevada Domestic Partnership law, comprehensive revisions to pro-LGBTQ+ family law statutes, a surrogacy insurance bill, and gender-neutral revisions across all Nevada statutes. Her work also led to the establishment of the first voluntary acknowledgment of parentage statute and enhancements to adoption laws.

Kimberly’s dedication to justice has been recognized with several awards, including the Nevada Legal Services Champion of Justice Award, and she has been honored six times with the Nevada Legal Services Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year award. Additional accolades include the Washoe Legal Services Children’s Attorney Pro Bono Award and the Nevada Supreme Court Access to Justice Pro Bono Services Award.

Since 2017, she has chaired the State of Nevada Child Support Commission and has previously led the State of Nevada Family Law Section Executive Council and served as president of the Nevada Justice Association. A pioneer in her field, Kim was a founding member of the LGBTQ+ Bar Section of the Nevada State Bar in 2013. She has been a member of the NCLR National Family Law Advisory Council since 2008, and her expertise in reproductive law has taken her to international stages and media, where she has educated numerous attorneys on surrogacy law.

Student Leadership Award

Charlie Ferguson

Charlie Ferguson (they/them) is a recent University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School graduate. They came to law school with a strong dedication to advancing LGBTQ+ civil rights after a career running an LGBTQ+ youth center in Brooklyn and serving as the Vice President of Collegians on the National Council for Gamma Rho Lambda, a Greek organization for LGBTQ+ college students. At Penn Carey Law, Charlie was the President of Penn Carey Law Lambda, competed in the Williams Institute National Moot Court Competition, served as the Research Director for the Transgender Empowerment and Advocacy Pro Bono Project, worked on the National LGBTQ+ Bar Law Student Congress. They also published two articles on transgender constitutional and administrative law. During law school, they interned with the National ACLU’s LGBTQ and HIV Project, Lambda Legal, and the HIV Law Project. Following graduation, Charlie will clerk for the federal judiciary before pursuing a career in LGBTQ+ civil rights impact litigation, with a focus on justice for transgender youth and incarcerated populations. They are deeply grateful and excited to spend the rest of their career fighting with their community for a more just world.

Michael Greenberg Writing Competition

Kyle Hildebrand (Runner Up)

2024 Runner Up: “Praying for PrEP: Can Preventative Services be Denied on the Basis of Religion?”

Kyle Hildebrand is a recent graduate of the Georgia State University College of Law. In 2023, Kyle received the National LGBTQ+ Bar’s Student Leadership Award for his contributions to the community as a student leader in Georgia. During law school, he was the president of OUTLaw and a member of the executive board of the GSU Law Review as legislation editor. He continues his advocacy for LGBTQ+ civil rights as a member of the Lambda Legal Atlanta Leadership Council. Kyle grew up in Brunswick, GA and attended LaGrange College majoring in Musical Theatre and Nonprofit Leadership. He is very grateful to Professor Leslie Wolf and Jose Abrigo for their guidance in this project.