Jaleelah Abdulai - Jaleelah Abdulai is a law student at Drexel University's Thomas R. Kline School of Law in Philadelphia, PA.
Imam Daayiee Abdullah - Imam Daayiee Abdullah, Executive Director of MECCA Institute (Muslim Education Center for Creative Academics), a Muslim think tank and online Islamic theological seminary teaches an inclusive Quranic liberation theology through its Muslim Chaplaincy program. MECCA Institute opened in August 2017. In 2020, MECCA shall open its Islamic continuing education department providing courses for Muslims and non-Muslims living in modern, multifaith and secular societies. Imam Daayiee lectures nationally and internationally on progressive Muslim concepts, intra-faith and interfaith networking, and the development of inclusive and progressive revisions of Islamic theological thought and Islamic law utilizing the UN Declaration of Human Rights as its filter. He actively promotes understanding and awareness of issues of race, gender and sexual equality as understood in the UNDHR within and beyond Muslim communities. Imam Daayiee continues to provide pastoral counseling for Muslim youth, adults, their families, and friends. He performs same-sex, opposite sex and interfaith marriages for Muslims and non-Muslims of diverse backgrounds.
Diana Adams - Diana Adams is Executive Director of Chosen Family Law Center, Inc, a nonprofit serving LGBTQ, polyamorous, platonic and non-nuclear families and offering professional training on cultural competency & legal skills for serving these communities. Diana is also Owner of Diana Adams Law & Mediation, PLLC, a boutique LGBTQ family law and mediation firm based in New York City and Frankfurt, Germany, serving primarily same-sex couples, platonic co- parents, polyamorous families, and non-nuclear families. Diana is Director of the Euro LGBT Family Law Institute, sponsored by the National LGBT Bar and National Center for Lesbian Rights, connecting top lawyers in LGBTQ family law in Europe with leaders in the US and worldwide, in an effort to create a worldwide legal support movement for LGBTQ families. www.ChosenFamilyLawCenter.org www.DianaAdamsLaw.net Find her on Twitter & Facebook @DianaAdamsEsq.
Toby Adams - Toby Adams is the Executive Director of Intersex & Genderqueer Recognition Project (IGRP), the first, & leading, organization in the United States to address the rights of people to identify as non-binary on government issued documents. A leader in nonbinary & intersex rights, bisexual visibility, & marriage equality for over a decade, Toby co-authored BiLaw’s amicus brief in the Obergefell Supreme Court marriage case in 2015 & received the BALIF 2018 Legal Services Award for her work with IGRP. Toby received her J.D. with Distinction from University of Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 2012 and her M.B.A. from San Jose State University in 1995. Prior to beginning her legal career Toby was a Project Manager at Hewlett-Packard. Toby lives in California with her spouse & daughter & is blessed to have three genderqueer family members.
Libby Adler - Professor Adler is a professor at Northeastern University, where she holds a joint appointment with the School of Law and the College of Social Sciences and Humanities. She teaches Constitutional Law, Sexuality, Gender and the Law, Family Law and Administrative Law. Professor Adler has written extensively on sexuality, gender, family and children, including foster care, and draws heavily from queer and critical theory. Her book, Gay Priori: A Queer Critical Legal Studies Approach to Law Reform, was published in April 2018 by Duke University Press. She is also a co-editor of the casebook Mary Joe Frug's Women and the Law (4th ed.), and has written about contemporary legal issues arising out of Nazism. Professor Adler has served as a visiting professor at Harvard Law School, where she taught Women and the Law, and at the University of Frankfurt, where she taught a course on contemporary legal fallout from the Nazi labor program. She received the Northeastern University Excellence in Teaching Award in 2007-2008. Prior to joining the permanent faculty, Professor Adler served Northeastern as a visiting professor in 1999-2000 and as a part-time lecturer in 1998-1999, while also a visiting researcher and graduate fellow at Harvard Law School. In the 1990s, she practiced as a policy attorney for the Massachusetts child support enforcement agency, drafting legislation and regulations.
Aziza Ahmed - Professor Ahmed is an internationally renowned expert in health law, criminal law and human rights. Her scholarship examines the legal, regulatory and political environments regarding health in US domestic law, US foreign policy and international law. She teaches Property Law, Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights, and International Health Law: Governance, Development and Rights. Professor Ahmed has been selected as a fellow with the Program in Law and Public Affairs (LAPA) at Princeton University for 2017-2018. She is combining a sabbatical and her fellowship, spending the academic year developing her work on law, feminism and science into a book with particular emphasis on how women’s health advocates shaped the AIDS response. She has also written extensively about abortion and reproductive health. Professor Ahmed’s scholarship has appeared in the University of Miami Law Review, American Journal of Law and Medicine, University of Denver Law Review, Harvard Journal of Law and Gender, Boston University Law Review (online) and the American Journal of International Law (online), among other journals. Prior to joining the School of Law, Professor Ahmed was a research associate at the Harvard School of Public Health Program on International Health and Human Rights. She came to that position after a Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellowship with the International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ICW). Professor Ahmed has also consulted with various United Nations agencies and international and domestic non-governmental organizations. Professor Ahmed was a member of the Technical Advisory Group on HIV and the Law convened by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and has been an expert for many institutions, including the American Bar Association and UNDP. In 2016, she was appointed to serve a three-year term on the advisory board of the Northeastern University Humanities Center. In addition to her BA and JD, Professor Ahmed holds an MS in population and international health from the Harvard School of Public Health.
Gavin Alexander - Gavin Alexander is an associate in the Boston office of Ropes & Gray LLP, and he presently serves as a Co-Chair of the Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association. His practice focuses on representing investment advisers, hedge funds, private equity funds, and institutional investors on a variety of transactional and regulatory matters. Gavin represents private fund advisers on all aspects of their businesses, from initial formation, Advisers Act registration, and marketing and launching both open-end and closed-end funds, to a wide range of compliance and operational matters, and to eventual sales and wind-downs. Gavin also regularly advises institutional investors on co-investments and secondary transactions. Gavin received his B.A. in Theater and Mathematics from Wesleyan University in 2007, and he graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2012. Before joining Ropes & Gray, Gavin completed a judicial clerkship with Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Gavin was recently named as one of the Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40 (Class of 2017) by the National LGBT Bar Association.
Richard Alonso - Richard Alonso is director of United States Regulatory Affairs at Husky Energy in Dublin, OH. He focuses on compliance with the Clean Air Act, including complex permitting issues. Prior to this role, Alonso was in private practice and advised clients on a whole range of Clean Air Act compliance and enforcement issues with state and federal agencies. Prior to building a private practice, Rich served as the Chief of the Stationary Source Enforcement Branch at the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. In this role he was EPA’s second-ranking official for Clean Air Act enforcement. Before assuming that position, he served in the Water Enforcement Division at the EPA. Richard has nearly 10 years of service with the enforcement office at EPA, dealing primarily with the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. During this time, he managed and negotiated Clean Air Act enforcement cases. Rich was also instrumental in cases relating to defeat devices and engine certification requirements under the Clean Air Act’s Title II mobile source program.
Logan Anderson - Logan N. Anderson is an associate in the Health Sciences Department of Pepper Hamilton LLP, resident in the Philadelphia office. Mr. Anderson concentrates his practice on the representation of pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers in products liability and consumer fraud litigation, government investigations, and qui tam litigation involving the Anti-Kickback Statute and False Claims Act. He has a BBA in Finance from Temple University and his JD from Villanova University School of Law.
Christine Henry Andresen - Christine Henry Andresen is the Managing Attorney at CHA Law Group in Austin, Texas. Christine helps people make babies. She is a family attorney with niches in adoption and assisted reproductive technology (ART) legal issues, and LGBTQ legal issues including legal work with polyamorous families. She also represents clients in divorce, child custody, and child welfare litigation, collaborative law, and does wills and estate planning. Christine has belonged to the national LGBT Bar’s Family Law Institute since 2013 and is the Vice-President of the Austin LGBT Bar. She is an ART Fellow of the Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys. Christine has three kids, two poodles, and a college professor husband. Her law degree is from Boston University School of Law, she has studied at New York University and the London School of Economics, and her undergraduate degree is from Vassar College.
Buddy Apple - Buddy Apple, Esq. | Dallas Buddy joined Wegman Partners in 2018. Buddy focuses on recruiting and placing attorneys in Texas and the Southeast. He enjoys getting to know his candidates and helping them find the right place to succeed in their practice. Buddy began his legal career by practicing securities litigation with an AmLaw 100 Firm in Dallas, and then practiced with a Dallas commercial litigation boutique for 8 years. This experience helps Buddy better understand the realities of the legal market and the aspirations and concerns of his candidates. Buddy grew up in a small town north of Dallas before receiving a B.A. in International Studies, summa cum laude, in 2004 from the Croft Institute for International Studies and the Sally McDonnell-Barksdale Honors College at the University of Mississippi, where he was a member of both Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi. Buddy received his J.D., cum laude, from the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University in 2007, where he served as an Articles Editor on the Computer Law Review and Technology Journal. Buddy is a board member and past President of Preservation Dallas, and has been appointed to more than one City of Dallas cultural task force. Buddy is a member and supporter of Lambda Legal, and actively serves with his church. He is married to a BigLaw partner at a Dallas firm, with whom he enjoys traveling internationally, cheering on Ole Miss football in the Grove, and corralling their 95-pound Bloodhound, Lucy.
Gabriel Arkles - Gabriel Arkles is a senior staff attorney with the ACLU's LGBT and HIV Project. His work includes protecting transgender people from discrimination and fighting the criminalization of HIV. While at the ACLU, Gabriel has brought challenges to an anti-trans ballot initiative in Montana; defended trans youth in Maryland and Oregon when anti-trans advocates challenged school policies that gave trans students equal access to facilities; and challenged state policies that denied trans people equal access to identity documents in Alabama and Ohio. He is also on the team representing Aimee Stephens, a transgender woman fired from her job as a funeral director because of her sex. Gabriel has authored many pieces about gender, race, and disability, especially in the context of prisons and the military. His articles have appeared in NYU Law Review, Northeastern Law Journal, NYU Journal of Legislation and Public Policy, Seattle Journal for Social Justice, CUNY Law Review Footnote Forum, Southwestern Law Review, Temple Political and Civil Rights Law Review, NYU Journal of Law and Social Change, Scholar and Feminist Online, The Writing Instructor, Sexuality Research and Social Policy, and Signs. His news analysis and opinion pieces have appeared in TruthOut and CBS. His essays also appear in books, including The Unfinished Queer Agenda After Marriage Equality; Affirmative Psychological Practice with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Clients; Socially Just Generalist Practice: Putting Theory Into Action; LGBT America Encyclopedia; Trans Bodies, Trans Selves; and Voices of Resistance: Muslim Women on War, Faith, and Sexuality. Gabriel received the Dukeminier Award for best sexual orientation law review article in 2009 and the Sylvia Rivera Law Project Award for outstanding pro bono service in 2010. Prior to joining the ACLU, Gabriel worked at the Sylvia Rivera Law Project for six years. While there, he represented low-income trans and gender nonconforming people of color on many issues, particularly prison conditions. He also taught legal skills to law students for seven years, first at NYU School of Law and then at Northeastern School of Law. 2019 Transgender Law Institute
Charlie Arrowood - Charlie Arrowood, Esq. is Transcend Legal’s Director of Name & Gender Recognition. They assist transgender clients with name and gender marker changes in New York, and work to obtain health insurance coverage for transgender health care nationwide. Charlie is also Of Counsel to Argentino Family Law & Child Advocacy’s New York practice, and serves as Community Mobilization Coordinator at Pride for Youth in Bellmore, NY, where they oversee the Nassau County chapter of the NYS Ending the Epidemic (ETE) Coalition. They are Vice Chair of the Nassau County Bar Association’s LGBTQ Committee and provide professional and attorney trainings primarily focused on working with transgender clients, colleagues, and youth. Charlie is a Long Island native, parent of two, and a graduate of Tulane University (B.A. in History, 2009) and New York Law School (2013), where they focused on issues of employment discrimination and dispute resolution/mediation.
Judge John Arrowood - Judge John S. Arrowood was the first openly LGBTQ person to win a state-wide race in the South when he won his race to remain on the North Carolina Court of Appeals in 2018. Judge Arrowood is a North Carolina native. After obtaining his law degree at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, he clerked, and served as a staff attorney and head of the Court of Appeals Central Staff. He then relocated to Charlotte, where for a total of 26 years he practiced with the firm of James, McElroy & Diehl, P.A. doing complex civil litigation, employment and administrative law. Judge Arrowood was initially appointed as a Special Superior Court Judge in 2007 by Governor Michael Easley. Later that year Gov. Easley appointed him to the Court of Appeals. When Judge Arrowood lost his election to retain the seat, he returned to his old firm. In 2017, Governor Roy Cooper reappointed Judge Arrowood to the Court of Appeals. In 2018 he was elected to a full eight year term and was the leading vote-getter in the State last year. Judge Arrowood has served as the Chair of the Equality NC PAC, served for many years on the board of the Gay and Lesbian (now LGBTQ) Victory Institute and still serves on the board of One Victory.
Nathan T. Arrowsmith - Nathan is a native of Los Alamos, New Mexico and has lived in the Phoenix area since 2003. Nathan is a three-time Sun Devil, most recently graduating magna cum laude from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at ASU in 2013. Before joining Osborn Maledon, Nathan worked as a law clerk for the Honorable David G. Campbell of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona and taught second grade for 3 years in Phoenix’s Roosevelt School District as a 2007 Teach for America corps member. While in law school, Nathan was a judicial extern for the Honorable Patricia A. Orozco of the Arizona Court of Appeals, and a legal intern for the Arizona State Senate Rules Office. Nathan currently serves on the national board of his fraternity, Sigma Phi Beta, and has previously served as its President and Chairman. Nathan has also served as the board chair for CASA Academy, a local charter school dedicated to ensuring that low-income students in grades K-3 are on the path to college.
Captain Shane Bagwell - Captain (CPT) Shane Bagwell is currently a Trial Defense Counsel for the U.S. Army Trial Defense Service – Pacific Region at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. Among numerous other duties, CPT Bagwell is tasked with representing Soldiers facing administrative separation from the U.S. Army. Prior to transferring to Hawaii, CPT Bagwell served as an Assistant Staff Judge Advocate, focusing on administrative and ethics law, served on the Baltimore Police Commissioner’s LGBT Advisory Council, and served as the National Capital Region Leader for OutServe-SLDN.
Justin Becker - Justin Becker has experience in a variety of international trade legal issues, including anti-dumping and countervailing duty proceedings, national security reviews, and trade policy work. His experience includes major investigations and reviews before the Department of Commerce (DOC) and investigations before the International Trade Commission (ITC). He has appeared before the Court of International Trade and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and has argued before a Chapter 19 NAFTA panel. Justin also counsels U.S. and foreign clients on national security and international legal issues, including transactions reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). Prior to joining Sidley, Justin worked for the DOC in the Office of the Chief Counsel for Trade Enforcement and Compliance. In this role, he provided legal advice to the Office of Enforcement and Compliance in the International Trade Administration concerning the administration of both U.S. and international anti-dumping and countervailing duty laws. He gained experience working on matters before the U.S. Court of International Trade, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the World Trade Organization’s dispute settlement panels. He also clerked for the Honorable Robert Hinkle of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida He currently serves as a co-chair of Sidley’s DC diversity committee and dedicates a portion of his practice to pro bono matters, and in particular LGBT-related matters.
Aaron Belkin - Since 1999, Aaron Belkin has served as Founding Director of the Palm Center, which the Advocate named as one of the most effective LGBT rights organizations in the United States. He designed and implemented much of the public education campaign responsible for helping end the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in 2011. Aaron summarized the keys to successful advocacy in the book, How We Won: Progressive Lessons from the Repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which Arianna Huffington praised as a “best practices guide for civil rights fights.” Research by Aaron and the Palm Center has been covered by the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Associated Press and others, as well as by television and radio stations across the world. Aaron has written and edited more than thirty scholarly articles, chapters and books, the most recent of which is a study of military masculinity published by Oxford University Press. Transgender Law Institute
Beth Bernstein Connors - Beth Bernstein Connors is a partner in Blank Rome LLP’s Real Estate practice group. She concentrates her practice on commercial real estate matters, focusing on acquisitions, dispositions, commercial leasing, financing, and joint ventures. She represents a broad array of local and national clients, including real estate owners and developers, landlords, large and small retail and office tenants, and lenders. Beth was honored by Super Lawyers in 2018 as a “Rising Star” in real estate law. She previously served as a member of Blank Rome’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee and currently serves as co-chair of the BR Pride affinity group. She is also a member of the Firm’s Recruiting Committee and Pro Bono Coordinating Committee. Outside of the Firm, Beth is a board member of Inspiration Brownsville, Inc., a nonprofit organization focused on improving the backdrop for public education in the Brownsville, Brooklyn community. During law school, Beth served as executive editor for the UCLA Law Review and an editor of the UCLA Women’s Law Journal. She received her J.D. from the UCLA School of Law and her B.A. from Wesleyan University.
Ru Bhatt - Ru Bhatt is a Partner in the Associate Practice Group and has been a member of Major, Lindsey & Africa's New York office since 2008. Ru specializes in placing attorneys of all levels in top-tier national, international, regional and boutique law firms. He also places attorneys in prominent in-house positions at companies and financial institutions. Ru distinguishes himself by taking pride in acting as a career counselor and a strong advocate for his candidates by helping them identify opportunities that are consistent with their diverse career goals. In his free time, Ru follows his passion for music as a DJ and is actively involved in fundraising efforts for local and national LGBT charity organizations.
Nishan Bhaumik - As a Staff Attorney in Immigration Equality’s Pro Bono Program, Nishan works to expand and enhance our asylum work for LGBTQ and HIV-positive immigrants. He mentors pro bono attorneys and also assists with client representation in immigration proceedings at all levels. Prior to joining Immigration Equality, Nishan was an Equal Justice Works Fellow at the New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project (AVP), providing legal support to immigrant LGBTQ survivors of violence. He assisted with the direct representation of clients in New York City and policy advocacy on a local, state, and national scale. At AVP, he worked with coalition partners to focus on cutting-edge immigration relief for LGBTQ individuals. Before working at AVP, he was a Holley Law Fellow at the National LGBTQ Task Force where he worked on issues around religious exemption legislation and was also a law clerk at Lambda Legal, where he worked on issues around marriage equality as well as stop-and-frisk. He is a graduate of CUNY School of Law and a graduate of UC Davis in International Relations and Mandarin Chinese.
Wesley Bizzell - Wesley Bizzell serves as Assistant General Counsel, External Affairs and Director of Political Law and Ethics Programs for Altria Client Services LLC (“ALCS”). Mr. Bizzell provides in-house legal counsel on matters relating to the political, legislative, and lobbying activities of Altria Group, Inc., its services companies, including ALCS, and its operating companies, including Philip Morris USA Inc., U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. LLC, John Middleton Co., and Ste. Michelle Wine Estates Ltd. In this role, Mr. Bizzell is responsible for ensuring that Altria and its companies comply with all laws and regulations regarding federal, state, local, and international campaign finance, government ethics, gifts to government officials, lobbying disclosure and reporting, and charitable giving. Overseeing a comprehensive compliance system covering the regulation of government affairs, Mr. Bizzell provides advice and guidance on political law compliance for more than 75 jurisdictions. Mr. Bizzell also heads the legal team that supports Altria’s public policy activities, providing services related to legislative and regulatory drafting and interpretation. Mr. Bizzell is a member of Altria’s Compliance Leadership Team and its Anti-Corruption Compliance Working Group. Mr. Bizzell is an authority on political compliance law and is active in the compliance legal community. He is co-chair of the Conference Board’s Committee on Corporate Political Spending, a committee of leading American corporations dedicated to accountability, education, and engagement on issues of corporate political activity. In addition, he is a faculty member for the Practicing Law Institute’s annual Corporate Political Activities conference. He serves on the Publications Committee and is co-chair of the Conference Committee for the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (“COGEL”), a professional organization of government officials with responsibilities or interests in governmental ethics, elections, campaign finance, and lobby laws. He also is a member of the California Political Attorneys Association. Mr. Bizzell has lectured on political compliance law issues at many venues, including the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics’ Corporate Compliance Institute, the Conference Board’s Symposium on Corporate Political Spending, the COGEL Annual Conference, the annual Heartland Governmental Ethics Conference, the American Conference Institute’s National Forum on Corporate Lobbying and Political Activities, and the Practicing Law Institute’s annual Corporate Political Activities conference. He has also conducted numerous webinars on political law issues for the Public Affairs Council, the Conference Board, the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics, and other entities. Mr. Bizzell’s articles on the topics of political compliance law and lobbying have appeared in Corporate Counsel, Corrections Today, American Jails, the COGEL Guardian, Corrections.Com, and Metropolitan Corporate Counsel. Previously, Mr. Bizzell was an attorney in Winston & Strawn LLP’s Federal Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs Practice Group. His career also includes more than six years on Capitol Hill, where he served as an aide to Arkansas Senators David Pryor and Dale Bumpers and handled matters involving the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Social Security Administration, Department of Education, and Department of Labor. Additionally, he has served in the Office of General Counsel and the Privatization and Special Projects Branch of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Department of Justice, where he focused on a myriad of issues involving privatization and government procurement. While at Winston & Strawn, Mr. Bizzell provided significant representation on political compliance, government affairs, legislative, and regulatory matters to Fortune 500 companies in the corrections, automotive, banking, pharmaceutical, agricultural, and technology-oriented industries, as well as trade associations, non-profit organizations, and local and territorial governments. He has served as outside ethics counsel to the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, provided legal counsel to the election campaigns of gubernatorial and congressional candidates, represented corporate clients in enforcement actions before the Federal Election Commission, and conducted internal investigations related to corporate political activities. Mr. Bizzell is extremely active in promoting diversity and inclusion within the legal and corporate communities. He is a member of the Altria Law Department’s Diversity Committee, was a co-founder of and serves on the steering committee for Altria’s LGBT Employee Resource Group, and is a board member for the National LGBT Bar Foundation. In addition, Mr. Bizzell volunteers as a mentor for the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity’s (“LCLD”) Law School Mentoring Program and was selected as a 2014 LCLD Fellow. He has spoken on diversity issues at many venues, including the International Bar Association. Mr. Bizzell graduated with a B.A. in justice, magna cum laude, from the American University in Washington, D.C. and received a Master of Social Work with a focus in public policy from the Catholic University of America. He received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and served as an editor for the Georgetown Law Journal. He was a member of the inaugural class of the Stanford Graduate School of Business’ LGBTQ Executive Leadership Program. He is a member of the Maryland and District of Columbia bars.
Sean Bland - Sean Bland is a Senior Associate at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University Law Center and works on HIV/AIDS law and policy initiatives. At the O’Neill Institute, Sean manages diverse projects to assist policymakers and HIV community stakeholders assess policy options for sustaining and adapting the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and implementing the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and high impact HIV prevention. He also leads projects related to the deployment of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among communities of color and adolescents and the impact of laws and policies on the health and safety of people who engage in sex work. Sean holds a Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and German Studies from Yale University.
Andy Blevins - Andy Blevins is the Executive Director of OutServe-SLDN (Servicemembers Legal Defense Network), the nation’s leading association for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) military and veteran communities. A key member of the organization’s staff for the past several years, Andy originally joined the organization as the founding Chapter Leader for Guam and the Marianas Islands before working with the national conference and legal departments. Prior to joining OutServe-SLDN, Andy served as a law clerk for Military Disability Lawyer, LLC and the child advocacy section of Oregon’s Justice Department. He also had the opportunity to work as the First Lady’s scheduling and advance associate under the Obama White House. A Navy veteran, Andy spent most of his career working as a cryptologic technician in Guam, where he would ultimately end up reaching out to OutServe-SLDN for assistance while being investigated under the now-defunct “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” military law. Andy studied law and business administration at Willamette University’s College of Law and Atkinson Graduate School of Management, as well as writing, with an emphasis in community-based pedagogy, at the University of Colorado. While in graduate school, Andy helped to found, and eventually serve as the Editor-in-Chief, for the Pacific Northwest’s first law journal focused exclusively on social justice and equity issues. He also had the honor of being named the first runner-up for the National LGBT Bar Association's 2017 Student Leadership Award, a Shepherd Scholar through OGALLA: The LGBT Bar Association of Oregon, and the Atkinson Graduate School of Management's first ReachingOut MBA Scholar. In his free time, Andy likes to spend as much time as possible with his partner, Kai, and their fur-child, a dachshund and basset hound mix aptly named “Sir Reginald, the Earl of Puppydom.” Ever proud of his partner’s Army career, he can’t help but ALWAYS root for Navy! Transgender Law Institute
Hon. Christopher R. Bowen - Christopher R. Bowen has been a Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa since December 2010. H has completed rotations in the court’s Criminal and Family Law Divisions, including two years as Family Law Supervising Judge. He is currently in a criminal trial assignment. From 1994 to 2010 he was an attorney in the Contra Costa County Office of the Public Defender. His practice included juvenile dependency and juvenile delinquency cases and 13 years of criminal jury trials. Judge Bowen serves as a Director of the International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts / California Chapter. He presents frequently on issues related to domestic/intimate partner violence, restraining orders, and cross-over issues with family law and criminal law.
Michele Brachter Goodwin - Michele Bratcher Goodwin is a Chancellor’s Professor at the University of California, Irvine and founding director of the Center for Biotechnology and Global Health Policy. She is also faculty in the Stem Cell Research Center; Gender and Sexuality Studies Department; Program in Public Health; and the Department of Criminology, Law, & Society. She is an elected member of the American Law Institute as well as an elected Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and the Hastings Center. Professor Goodwin has been a Visiting Professor at the University of Chicago and University of Virginia law schools. Professor Goodwin’s scholarship is hailed as “exceptional” in the New England Journal of Medicine. She has been featured in Politico, Salon.com, Forbes, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, Chicago Sun-Times, NPR, and HBO’s Vice News, among others. A prolific author, her scholarship is published or forthcoming in The Yale Law Journal, Harvard Law Review, Cornell Law Review, NYU Law Review, California Law Review, and Northwestern Law Review, among others. Goodwin’s publications include five books and over 80 articles, essays and book chapters as well as numerous commentaries. Trained in sociology and anthropology, she has conducted field research in Asia, Africa, Europe and the United States, focusing on trafficking in the human body for marriage, sex, organs, and other biologics. In addition to her work on reproductive health, rights, and justice, Professor Goodwin is credited with forging new ways of thinking in organ transplant policy and assisted reproductive technologies, resulting in works such as Black Markets: The Supply and Demand of Body Parts (2006) and Baby Markets: Money and the Politics of Creating Families (2010). Professor Goodwin is at the forefront of national and international health policy discourse. She was a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Committee on Issues in Organ Donor Intervention Research and appointed an observer by the United States National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (for the revision of the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act). She has advised or given testimony before state and federal policymakers. She chaired several sections of the Association of American Law Schools, served as a trustee of the United States Law and Society Association, and was elected secretary general of the International Academy of Law & Mental Health as the first woman. Goodwin has long recognized the transformative power and value of education and access. Following earning her juris doctorate, she moved south and guided one of the largest southern school districts in the United States through desegregation, equity and inclusion efforts across 52 K-12 schools and more than 35,000 students. A nationally recognized advocate for civil liberties and civil rights, Goodwin serves on the executive committee and national board of the American Civil Liberties Union. Goodwin has won national awards for excellence in scholarship, outstanding teaching and committed community service. Gov. Paul Patton of Kentucky commissioned her as a colonel, the state’s highest title of honor. In 2018 she was bestowed the Sandra Day O’Connor Legacy Award by the Women’s Journey Foundation. That same year, Goodwin was named teacher of the year by the Thurgood Marshall Bar Association. She is a highly sought after voice on civil liberties, civil rights, reproductive rights and justice, and cultural politics. Prior to teaching law, she was a Gilder-Lehrman Post-Doctoral Fellow at Yale University. Previously, she was the Everett Fraser Professor at the University of Minnesota.
Kylar W. Broadus - Kylar W. Broadus is Founder of the Trans People of Color Coalition and an advocate whose advocacy work spans decades. Broadus was formerly a tenured Professor of Business Law at Lincoln University in Missouri with over 20 years’ experience, and ran his own law practice in Columbia Missouri since 1997, serving all kinds of clients, including transgender, lesbian, gay and bisexual clients. He previously served as Senior Policy Counsel at the National LGBTQ Task Force, Operations Manager at the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, and Director of the Transgender Civil Rights Project from 2013 to 2015. In 2012, Broadus made history as the first openly transgender person to testify before the U.S. Senate, speaking in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). He currently serves on the board of Freedom for All Americans, an appointment he has held since 2016. He previously served on the National Black Justice Coalition Board, and served as board chair from 2007 to 2010. In 2013 he was featured in OUT Magazine and was recently featured in the documentary “The Trans List” appearing on HBO. Broadus has worked for decades on behalf of people of color and LGBT people for justice and fairness. His goal and mission is that all people be treated fairly and equally. Broadus is a graduate of Central Methodist University where he obtained a B.S. in Business Administration. He then obtained his law degree from the University of Missouri Columbia School of Law. He wrote the first of its kind article on employment discrimination in 2006, “The Evolution of Employment Discrimination Protections for Transgender People,” which is used in gender and women’s studies classes throughout the country. He currently serves on the William’s Institute Faculty Advisory Counsel. He is well quoted in the media on issues involving transgender rights and speaks regularly on these issues across the country. Transgender Law Institute
Benjamin Brooks -
Daniel Bruner - Daniel Bruner is Senior Director of Policy at Whitman-Walker Health in Washington, DC. He joined Whitman-Walker in 1995 and served as Director of Legal Services from 2004 through 2014. Prior to joining Whitman-Walker, Dan was a partner at a Washington, DC law firm, and volunteered with HIV and LGBT organizations. Between 2000 and 2005, he taught HIV law and public health law at American University’s Washington College of Law. Dan is rated “AV-Preeminent” for legal ability and ethical standards (the highest rating possible) by Martindale-Hubbell’s nationally recognized peer review rating system. He has received awards from the LGBT Bar Association of DC, the Washington Council of Lawyers, and the ABA’s AIDS Coordinating Committee, and is a past Co-Chair of the DC Consortium of Legal Services Providers. Dan received his law degree (magna cum laude) and Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Michigan. He is author of the “Forward” in David W. Webber et al., AIDS AND THE LAW (4th ed. 2007), and (with the law firm Sidley Austin) of the revised chapter on HIV and Public Health Law in the 5th Edition of that treatise. He has given numerous presentations on HIV and LGBT law.
Sasha Buchert - Sasha Buchert (she/her) is a Senior Attorney at Lambda Legal working in their new Washington D.C. office. Before joining Lambda Legal, Sasha served as Staff Attorney and Policy Counsel at Transgender Law Center where she engaged in litigation and policy advocacy that was focused on helping transgender and gender-nonconforming people find meaningful employment, obtain competent health care coverage and secure accurate identity documents. Before joining Transgender Law Center, Sasha worked for Basic Rights Oregon, the largest LGBT rights advocacy organization in the state. Sasha was the first openly transgender person to be appointed to an Oregon state board, and from 2012-13, she served as the chair of the Oregon State Hospital Advisory Board. She holds a J.D. from Willamette University. Sasha served proudly in the United States Marine Corps.
Joan Burda - Joan M. Burda has a solo law practice concentrating in estate planning and LGBTQ issues in Lakewood, Ohio. She is the author of the award-winning book, Estate Planning for Same-Sex Couples, Third Edition (ABA 2015) as well as Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Clients: A Lawyer’s Guide (ABA 2008) and An Overview of Federal Consumer Law (ABA 1998) — out of print but a real page turner. Joan writes about LGBT legal issues, estate planning and other topics for various online and print publications. She is a featured speaker on LGBT legal issues at national and international conferences and workshops. Joan is a member of the American Bar Association, the Ohio State Bar Association, the National Lesbian and Gay Bar Association and the American Society of Journalists and Authors. She is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Law at Case Western Reserve University School of Law and teaches LGBT Legal Issues and Wills, Trusts and Future Interests. In her spare time, she reviews books for the New York Journal of Books. Joan graduated from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree, which means she took what she wanted and skipped all the boring classes. She received her law degree from Pepperdine University School of Law – a school located on a bluff overlooking Malibu–not at all conducive to studying so it’s a good thing the first two years were in a converted warehouse in Anaheim. Speaking of which – during law school, Joan worked as a security officer (aka a mouseifer) at Disneyland. She lives in Lakewood, Ohio with her spouse, Betsy.
Lisa R. Burke - Lisa R. Burke currently serves as the Minority Concerns Program Coordinator for the New Jersey Judiciary and as a SOGI/LGBTQ Resource Navigator at the New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts. She began her public sector career in the Bail Unit in Hudson Vicinage in 1990 and joined the staff of the Administrative Office of the Courts in 2004 following six years in higher education administration. She has extensive academic and professional background in diversity issues, the delivery of related trainings, and the development of SOGI/LGBTQ-focused diversity and inclusion-informed best practices in the courts. Some of her areas of academic and professional expertise and interest including gender, race, culture, sexuality, age, religion, ability, and human rights and the intersections of these sometimes seemingly conflicting aspects of identity and experience. Lisa is an active and engaged member of the NJSBA and enjoys involvement in several sections and committees. A published author of both academic and creative works, she also has experience as a PK-16 teacher and expertise in adult education, having designed, developed, and taught a variety of college-level courses and court-based professional development and continuing legal education (CLE) trainings. She has presented nationally and published on the global HIV/AIDS pandemic, human rights across cultures, gender in complex humanitarian crises, law-related education, communication in cyberspace, and LGBTQI and SOGI access to justice issues. Among her many professional endeavors, Lisa is a member of the National Consortium on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts and the New Jersey State Bar Association. As an NJSBA member she is active and engaged in a number of sections and committees including the LGBT Rights Section, Minorities in the Profession Section, Immigration Law Section, and the Government, Public Sector, and Public Interest Legal Professionals Special Committee. A graduate of New Jersey City University and Columbia University, she also has undertaken post-graduate courses through the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs certificate program in diversity and inclusion and is currently pursuing additional advanced studies through the Washington University at St. Louis School of Law.
Marla Butler - Marla is a partner in the Atlanta office, and she represents clients in the medical, semiconductor, power, networking and other high-tech industries in high-stakes commercial litigations, arbitrations and trials. She helps clients proactively take on commercial threats, monetize their patent assets and/or defend against lawsuits that threaten their businesses. She conducts critical early case evaluations and assessments to help clients quickly assess risk, which helps them predict important outcomes and see a fuller range of strategic options. Marla earned her BA degree from Cleveland State University and her JD from Florida State University.
Eliza Byard - Eliza is the Executive Director of GLSEN, an organization recognized worldwide as a leader in the fight for educational equity and LGBT issues in K-12 schools. Eliza joined GLSEN as Deputy Executive Director in 2001, and led the growth of GLSEN’s public education and advocacy efforts; youth leadership development programs; professional development for educators; research and program evaluation capacity; and in-school programming. During Eliza’s tenure, GLSEN’s work has spurred a significant decline in anti-LGBT harassment and violence in schools, and established a new professional norm of support for LGBTQ youth among educators, school administrators, and school staff in the United States. A mission-driven executive, Eliza designs and executes high-leverage investments for systems-level change. As a speaker, fundraiser, and ambassador for educational equity, youth development and LGBTQ equality, she has brought people from disparate communities and politics together to find common cause, and secured tens of millions of dollars from diverse individual, corporate, and institutional funders for transformative programs, advocacy, and public education. Eliza has served on numerous boards and commissions, and is currently a Trustee of the America’s Promise Alliance. She holds a PhD in U.S. History from Columbia University.
Anna Cabbot - Anna is a Staff Attorney at the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies (CGRS). Before joining CGRS, she taught in the Asylum and Human Rights Clinic at the University of Connecticut School of Law where law students represent refugees seeking asylum in the United States. Prior to joining the UConn faculty, Anna was the Managing Attorney at Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center in El Paso, TX and the Legal Services Coordinator for Asylum Access in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, where she assessed the legal needs of the urban refugee population and designed a legal services program.
Christine Capuyan - Christine Capuyan Superpower: Self-awareness and relationship-building. Background: Christine started her legal career before law school as a venture fund paralegal at Gunderson Dettmer (a boutique California-based corporate law firm). After law school, she practiced patent litigation and also handled complex commercial litigation and government investigations for around 6 years at WilmerHale (a Boston and D.C.-based global firm). She then transitioned from litigation to tech transactions at White & Case (a New York-based global firm) where she practiced for around 1 year, and then transitioned to her current firm, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (a California-based tech law firm), where she continues to do tech transactions (e.g., IP licensing, IPOs, and mergers & acquisitions) for tech companies of all sizes from garage start-ups to Google. Topic: Life at a large tech-based firm; transitioning practices at the big-law level and lateraling to different big firms that are based on the different coasts.
Mary Anne Case - Mary Anne Case is the Arnold I. Shure Professor of Law at the University of Chicago. A graduate of Yale College and the Harvard Law School, Mary Anne Case studied at the University of Munich; litigated for Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in New York; and was professor of law and Class of 1966 Research Professor at the University of Virginia before joining the Law School faculty. She has also served as a visiting professor at New York University for the 1996-97 academic year and spring 1999, Bosch Public Policy Fellow at the American Academy in Berlin in spring 2004, Crane Fellow in Law and Public Affairs at Princeton University for the 2006-07 academic year, Samuel Rubin Visiting Professor at Columbia Law School in spring 2013, and Fernand Braudel Fellow at the European University Institute in spring 2016. The subjects she has taught include feminist jurisprudence, constitutional law, regulation of sexuality, marriage, family law, sex discrimination, religious freedom, and European legal systems. She is the convenor of the Workshop on Regulating Family, Sex, and Gender. While her diverse research interests include German contract law, theological anthropology, and the First Amendment, her scholarship to date has concentrated on the regulation of sex, gender, sexuality, religion, and the family; and on the early history of feminism.
Brian Castro - Brian Castro is an attorney, advocate, and entrepreneur based in Washington, DC. His passion is helping businesses innovate and succeed in heavily regulated environments. Serving as a regulator, policy maker, Obama Administration official, and counsel to diverse businesses of all sizes, Congress, and the Judiciary, Brian has developed a lasting appreciation for the unintended burdens that outdated regulations put on business growth and innovation, and has garnered experience in creating transformative policies that strike the right balance. A results-driven executive with experience leading complex organizations in the public and private sectors, Brian has served as a government official in the U.S. Small Business Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, and U.S. Congress; co-founded and led a startup technology company in becoming one of the first FINRA and SEC-licensed crowd funding portals authorized under the JOBS Act of 2012; protected voting rights and advocated for voters as New Hampshire Voter Protection Director for the Obama-Biden 2012 campaign; and counseled clients in the financial services, technology, and government contracting sectors for nearly two decades. In government, Brian shaped U.S. policy on economic development, procurement, innovation, and regulatory reform in Congress and the Executive Branch; led a national office with a multi-million dollar budget and millions of stakeholders in all 50 states and U.S. territories; and led strategic transformation, organizational design, and innovation integration across information technology, human capital, budget, and financial operations. Brian has served on several non-profit boards and commissions, including the ABA Presidential Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities, National LGBT Bar Association, Capital Area Asset Builders, and the Standing Committee for Pro Bono Legal Services of the D.C. Circuit Judicial Conference. A Maryland native, Brian earned a B.S. in Industrial & Labor Relations from Cornell University, and a J.D. from the Duke University School of Law.
Sunu Chandy - Sunu P. Chandy is the Legal Director of the National Women’s Law Center. She oversees the Center’s litigation efforts, providing strategy across the NWLC to create better outcomes for women and girls at school, the workplace, and the healthcare sector. She helped to create the Center’s Legal Network for Gender Equity and build the policies and procedures guiding the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund. She also provides guidance for the Center’s policy positions towards greater workplace equality. Until August 2017, Sunu served as the Deputy Director for the Civil Rights Division with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she led civil rights enforcement including in the areas of language access, auxiliary aids and services for individuals with disabilities and sex discrimination cases under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. Before that, Sunu was the General Counsel of the DC Office of Human Rights (OHR) and in that role oversaw the agency’s legal decisions following civil rights investigations of discrimination in employment, education, housing and public accommodation matters. Previously, Sunu was a federal attorney with the U.S. Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for 15 years and litigated cases including based on sexual harassment and other forms of sex discrimination, as well as race, national origin, disability, age and religion based discrimination cases. At EEOC, Sunu led several outreach and training initiatives including as a member of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAPPI) Regional Working Group. Sunu began her legal career as a law firm associate representing unions and individual workers in New York City at Gladstein, Reif and Megginniss, LLP. Sunu earned her B.A. in Peace and Global Studies/Women’s Studies from Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, her law degree from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston and more recently, she completed her MFA in Creative Writing (Poetry) from CUNY/Queens College. Sunu has served on the boards of directors of several organizations including the Audre Lorde Project, the South Asian Women’s Creative Collective and LeGal (the LGBTQ attorneys’ organization in New York City). Sunu currently serves on the board of directors for the Transgender Law Center and for Split This Rock, a national social justice poetry organization.
Leigh Chapman - Leigh M. Chapman is director of the voting rights program, overseeing projects that advocate voting protections for marginalized people. Previously, Chapman was Senior Policy Advisor at Let America Vote, where she advised the organization on election law and policy issues at the state and federal levels. Before that, she was appointed director of policy for the Pennsylvania Department of State by Governor Tom Wolf, where she managed the department’s policy and regulatory development process in coordination with the Governor’s Office of Policy in the program areas of charities, corporations, elections and professional licensure. Chapman began her civil rights career at Advancement Project where she served as a staff attorney in the Voter Protection Program. Chapman graduated from the University of Virginia earning a B.A. in American Studies and History and received her J.D. from Howard University School of Law.
Alana Chazan - Alana Chazan is a family law attorney who focuses on the needs of LGBTQ families in Los Angeles, at her law firm, Chazan Family Law. Prior to private practice, Ms. Chazan was an Equal Justice Works Fellow, who spent three years developing family law, domestic violence and immigration legal services for low-income LGBTQ survivors, while at the Los Angeles LGBT Center and at Bay Area Legal Aid. Ms. Chazan’s writings on sexuality and the law have been published in numerous law review publications. Ms. Chazan also holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from the New School for Social Research.
Arli Christian - As State Policy Director at the National Center for Transgender Equality, Arli works with state and local advocates to modernize ID document gender change policies, remove insurance exclusions for coverage of transition-related care, and improve other state-level protections for transgender people. Arli is dedicated to improving and expanding access to legal services for trans communities through NCTE’s Trans Legal Services Network. Arli is an attorney admitted to practice in New York and D.C. and received a J.D. from American University Washington College of Law in 2013 and a B.A. from Wesleyan University in 2004. Prior to law school Arli worked at an immigration law firm in San Francisco and a socially responsible investment organization in Maryland. Arli speaks English and Spanish and grew up in New York City.
Currey Cook - M. Currey Cook is the Director of the Youth in Out-of-Home Care Project and Counsel with Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and everyone living with HIV. Cook advocates across the country for LGBTQ youth and youth living with HIV in child welfare and juvenile justice settings and youth experiencing homelessness via impact litigation, law and policy reform and education. Before joining Lambda Legal in 2013, Cook was the Co-Director of the Bronx office of The Children’s Law Center New York, served as a consultant to The National Juvenile Defender Center in Washington, D.C , worked in Burundi on an American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative to assist with reintegrate former child soldiers into the community, and was a visiting professor for the Child Advocacy Clinic at Rutgers Law School Newark. Prior to moving to New York in 2008, Cook lived in Anchorage, Alaska and was an attorney with the Office of Public Advocacy (OPA) for twelve years. Cook worked as a juvenile defense attorney and guardian ad litem and later as supervising attorney of OPA’s Child Advocacy Section. Cook was the recipient of the Alaska Bar Association Pro Bono Service Award for a Public Sector Attorney in 2006 and a Light of Hope Award for his advocacy on behalf of abused and neglected children in Alaska.Cook has served as chair of the New York City Bar Association’s Family Court and Family Law Committee and is currently a board member of the National Association of Counsel for Children. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.A. in Journalism (Broadcast News) and received his law degree from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia in 1994.
Abigail Coursolle - Abigail (Abbi) Coursolle (she/her/hers) is a Senior Attorney in the National Health Law Program’s Los Angles offices. Abbi provides technical assistance, advocate training, and litigation support on a range of issues, with a special focus on access to care Medicaid managed care, prescription drug access, behavioral health access, LGBTQ health equity, and children’s health issues. Before joining the National Health Law Program, Abbi was the Greenberg Traurig Equal Justice Works staff attorney at the Western Center on Law & Poverty. At Western Center, she led a 58-county project to enforce safety net laws for low income Californians and worked to implement policy changes within administrative agencies in order to fully implement health programs for low income individuals not eligible for Medicaid. Abbi received a B.A. with honors in Chinese language and literature from Yale University, a J.D. with honors from the UCLA School of Law, and a Masters in Public Policy with honors from the UCLA School of Public Affairs.
Iveliz Crespo - Iveliz R. Crespo is the Director of Professional Development, Diversity & Inclusion at the City of Philadelphia Law Department. Prior to that role she was a staff attorney at the Mazzoni Center, an organization that provides comprehensive health and wellness services to the LGBTQ community. At Mazzoni, Iveliz provided direct legal services to LGBTQ individuals and families, with a focus on discrimination and transition-related legal matters.
William Crosby - William (Bill) Crosby, Jr. is Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Managing Attorney at Interpublic Group, a New York based advertising and marketing company with over 50,000 employees worldwide. At Interpublic, where he has been since 2002, Bill oversees global litigation and manages the Latin American practice. He was an associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell from 1993 until 1995 and at Kay, Collyer & Boose (now defunct) from 1995 until 2002. Bill also serves as a member of the commercial panel of arbitrators for the American Arbitration Association. He has served as arbitrator in nearly 200 matters, involving such areas as franchising, intellectual property, hotel and restaurant management, and general commercial disputes, both domestic and international. Bill is a frequent speaker on arbitration related issues, as well as litigation and compliance issues. He organized and moderated a presentation at last year’s Lavender Law Conference focused on increasing the numbers of LGBT-identified arbitrators and mediators. He is an active member of the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York (LeGaL), where he has served for several years as a board member and as a member of its Judiciary Committee, which interviews and evaluates judicial candidates in New York. Bill is a 1990 graduate of Yale College and a 1993 graduate of Stanford Law School.
David B. Cruz - David Cruz is a constitutional law expert focusing on civil rights and equality issues, including equal marriage rights for same-sex couples. He specializes in discrimination law and the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons. He teaches Constitutional Law I; Constitutional Law II; Federal Courts; Sexual Orientation and the Law; International/Comparative Perspectives on Sex, Gender, and Sexual Orientation; Identity Categories; and Law, Identity, and Culture. Before joining the USC Gould School of Law faculty in 1996, Cruz was a Bristow Fellow in the Office of the Solicitor General in Washington, D.C. He also clerked for The Honorable Edward R. Becker, Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He is past Chair of the AALS Section on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Issues and co-president of ILGLaw, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, and Intersex Law Association.Cruz graduated from UC Irvine, and earned his master’s degree from Stanford University. He is a graduate of New York University School of Law, where he was managing editor of New York University Law Review. Cruz’s academic publications include “Spinning Lawrence, or Lawrence v. Texas and the Promotion of Heterosexuality” (Widener Law Review, 2005); “Mystification, Neutrality, and Same-Sex Couples in Marriage,” in Mary Lyndon Shanley’s Just Marriage (Oxford University Press 2004); “Making Up Women: Casinos, Cosmetics, and Title VII” (Nevada Law Journal, 2004); and “Disestablishing Sex and Gender” (California Law Review, 2002).
Lisa Damon - Ms. Damon is a partner in the Boston office of Seyfarth Shaw LLP and is the immediate past Chair of the Labor & Employment Department. In her tenure as Chair, the Department was awarded numerous honors for its superb legal work and innovation, including Chambers Band One ranking and six consecutive years as Law360 Practice Group of the Year. Companies nationwide rely on Ms. Damon’s significant experience in consulting on employment matters and litigating a broad-range of employment matters. As a trial lawyer and seasoned employment litigator, Ms. Damon brings many years of experience winning for her clients at all stages of litigation. She is a practical, business-focused advisor, getting results and limiting risk for her clients. In addition to employment litigation, Ms. Damon’s practice is also dedicated to consulting with clients on policy implementation and avoiding employment litigation, through improved management policies and practices, positive employee relations, training and diversity assessment. She advises companies on organizational strategy and conducts privileged investigations, audits and assessments of the workplace. Ms. Damon also works with management to devise and refine all types of workplace programs, helping companies create a best-in-class environment for employees while limiting liability. Ms. Damon also has considerable experience in devising and managing alternative, value-based fee structures and working with clients in successfully managing large portfolios of labor and employment work with a focus on reducing risk, lowering legal fees and increasing value to the business. Ms. Damon is also on Seyfarth’s Executive Committee and leads the Seyfarth Lean Six Sigma program throughout the Firm. Seyfarth has trained GreenBelts throughout all its offices and practice groups. These GreenBelts are trained to lead client teams to deliver high value, predictably priced legal services to meet our client's needs. Ms. Damon is a certified Scrum Master and Lean Six Sigma GreenBelt. Ms. Damon speaks and consults extensively, both on a local and national level, on various aspects employment law, employment litigation and the use of lean six sigma, process improvement, data analysis and project management in legal processes. Ms. Damon was one of the small panel of Big Thinkers invited to speak at the 2017 Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC) conference and is a regular speaker at local and national Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) events. Ms. Damon has been recognized throughout her career with many prominent national accolades including consecutive years in the Top 50 Most Powerful Employment Lawyers in the US and Legal 500. Ms. Damon was also selected as the Chambers USA Woman Employment Attorney of the Year. Ms. Damon has been Chambers ranked in Band One since the inception of the Boston rankings and has recently been awarded their Esteemed Practitioner ranking. She is a Fellow of the College of Labor & Employment Lawyers. Ms. Damon was also named one of the top 10 Agents of Change in the Financial Times U.S. Innovative Lawyer Report; she was featured among the 10 most innovative attorneys in the country by the ABA Journal’s Legal Rebels: Big Change in Big Law; and, she was recognized by the Association of Corporate Counsel as an ACC Value Champion. Corporate Counsel Institute
Jon W. Davidson - Jon W. Davidson has been one of the nation’s leading lawyers fighting for LGBTQ civil rights for more than 30 years. He currently is Chief Counsel at Freedom for All Americans and Freedom for All Americans Education Fund, the national bipartisan campaign to secure full nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people nationwide. In that capacity, he assists LGBTQ impact litigation attorneys with strategic thinking, development of arguments and litigation strategies, editing of briefs and pleadings, and preparation for oral arguments. He also assists LGBTQ movement groups with legislative lawyering. He previously was the national Legal Director of Lambda Legal, the largest and oldest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of LGBTQ people and those living with HIV, a position he held for 12 years, and he worked there from 1995-2017. As the organization’s Legal Director, he was the architect of the organization’s national legal strategy and supervised its 31 attorneys and 16 policy advocates, trainers, Help Desk analysts, and legal assistants, in all six of its offices across the country. Davidson has worked on a broad range of LGBT and HIV-related legal and policy matters throughout his career, including being co-counsel in the cases that brought marriage equality to California, Nevada, Virginia and then the entire nation and that increased legal protections for employees, students, consumers, families, prisoners, and immigrants. He was honored with the National LGBT Bar Association’s highest award in 2010. A graduate of Stanford University and Yale Law School, Davidson previously was a partner in the Los Angeles law firm of Irell & Manella and a senior staff attorney at the ACLU Foundation of Southern California. He also has taught courses on LGBT rights, constitutional law, youth law, and pretrial civil litigation at UCLA Law School, the USC Law Center, Loyola Law School, and the former Whittier Law School.
Don Davis - Don Davis is an Employment, Labor & Benefits Associate in the Washington, DC office of Mintz Levin and co-author of LexisNexis’ LGBTQ Employment Law Practice Guide. His practice involves representing employers in a wide variety of workplace-related matters. Before joining Mintz Levin, Don was Senior Litigation Associate at Ackerman Brown, an LGBT-owned law firm in Washington, DC, and previously practiced at an employment litigation boutique in North Carolina. Don is a loyal and proud alumnus of both North Carolina State University and The Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law. Don was recognized as one of the nation’s Top LGBT Lawyers Under 40 by the National LGBT Bar Association in the summer of 2015 and has been named a Super Lawyers Washington, DC Rising Star in 2017 and 2018. Don is an active member of the Board of Directors of SMYAL, a regional organization focused on mentoring and supporting LGBTQ youth.
Cynthia Deitle - Cynthia M. Deitle retired as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2017 after serving for 22 years specializing in the fields of police brutality, hate crimes, public corruption, and community outreach. She currently works for the Matthew Shepard Foundation as their Programs and Operations Director. After entering on duty with the FBI, she spent ten years in the New York Division. While there, Deitle served as the lead investigative agent for many high-profile police brutality investigations involving the New York City Police Department, including the fatal shooting of Amadou Diallo, and the sexual assault of Abner Louima. Deitle also investigated a significant number of sensitive hate crimes cases including the death of Yankel Rosenbaum in Crown Heights, NY. In 2007, Deitle assumed a Supervisory Special Agent position in the Civil Rights Unit in FBI Headquarters. She was promoted to Civil Rights Unit Chief in 2008, where she was responsible for managing the FBI’s Hate Crimes, Color of Law, Human Trafficking and Abortion Extremism Programs on a national level. Serving as Unit Chief, she devoted considerable resources to address the FBI’s Cold Case Initiative which seeks to reexamine unsolved racially-motivated homicides from the Civil Rights Era. In 2011, Deitle transferred to the Boston Division to supervise the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Programs in Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. When she joined the Knoxville Division in 2014, she focused her efforts on expanding the Human Trafficking Program and strengthening the FBI’s relationship with minority groups and the academic community in Eastern Tennessee. Deitle earned her Juris Doctor degree from New England Law Boston, a Master of Laws degree in Criminal Law from New York University School of Law, and a Master of Laws degree in Constitutional Law from the George Washington University National Law Center. She has also published several law review articles dealing with the right to bear arms in the Second Amendment, and police officers’ use of excessive force. Ms. Deitle is licensed to practice law in Florida, Massachusetts, the District of Columbia, and Tennessee. She was featured in a February 2011 episode of 60 Minutes dealing with an unsolved Civil Rights Cold Case investigation in Mississippi. She also appeared in the first season of Investigation Discovery’s series The Injustice Files in 2011, which profiled three unsolved or inadequately addressed Civil Rights Era Cold Cases. Deitle is a adjunct professor in the Criminal Justice Program at Roane State Community College in Harriman, TN and frequently lectures on all aspects of the FBI’s Civil Rights and Public Corruption Programs to audiences including law enforcement officials, non-governmental organizations, academia, and community service groups. She has granted interviews to the Washington Post, New York Times, The Boston Globe, National Public Radio and the British Broadcasting Corporation.
Romulo “Romy” Diaz - Romy Diaz serves as the chief legal officer of the company and oversees its team of attorneys responsible for all aspects of PECO’s legal affairs in Pennsylvania. He also serves on PECO’s Political Action Committee. Based in Philadelphia, PECO is Pennsylvania’s largest electric and natural gas utility. The company employs about 2,500 people, owns $10 billion in assets, and generates approximately $3 billion in annual revenues. A subsidiary of Exelon Corporation, the nation’s largest competitive energy provider, PECO serves 1.6 million electric and more than 500,000 gas customers in southeastern Pennsylvania. Exelon is headquartered in Chicago and trades on the NYSE under the ticker EXC. Prior to his current position, Diaz was responsible for the company’s governmental and external affairs, including development of the company’s award-winning suite of energy efficiency programs to help customers save energy and money. Diaz joined PECO as Associate General Counsel in 2008 and managed the regulatory law practice group in Philadelphia, PA. From 2005 until 2008, Diaz served as the City Solicitor of Philadelphia after joining the City of Philadelphia Law Department in 2002. For most of his career, he lived in Washington, DC, where he held numerous legal and management positions at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the U.S. Department of Energy. Following unanimous confirmation by the United States Senate, he was appointed by President William J. Clinton to serve as assistant administrator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Diaz serves on numerous civic and nonprofit boards, including the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, Center City District, Central Philadelphia Development Corporation, StreetSoccer USA and leads the Pan American Association of Philadelphia. He has been honored for his professional and community leadership by the Delaware Valley’s Most Influential Latinos Foundation, Asociacian Puertorriquenos en Marcha, Community College of Philadelphia, Urban Affairs Coalition, American Jewish Committee of Philadelphia/Southern New Jersey, Nationalities Service Center, The Legal Intelligencer, ALA News Media and Pepper Hamilton LLP.
Brad Domangue - Bradley Domangue has spent more than a decade in education law and policy, specifically focusing much of his work on non-discrimination and anti-harassment policy and discrimination and harassment prevention for both students and employees. He has worked on various educational issues including school finance, special education, student discipline, employment law, Section 504, Title IX, and public information and open meetings acts. Brad’s major focus has been on policy and law under Title IX and Title VII, especially as they apply to the LGBTQ community. Brad Domangue has worked in education law and policy as an attorney, a general counsel, a senior policy analyst, an investigator, and a journalist. Currently, Brad is Equal Opportunity Investigator for NYU’s Office of Equal Opportunity, which is part of the President’s Office at NYU. There he is responsible for leading independent and unbiased investigations of complaints of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in accordance with New York University’s Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy and Complaint Procedures. Collaborating and consulting with the Office of General Counsel, the Provost’s Office, Human Resources, and other University offices regarding matters related to the University’s equal opportunity policies. While in law school, Brad focused his energy on education law and policy while working as a legislative intern during the 2007 legislative session and as a law clerk at a school law firm in Austin. During this time, Brad also worked for Texas State Representatives on various policy and constituent issues. Brad continued his legal and policy work as an attorney at school law firms, where he worked on employment law, civil rights policy, special education law, election law, and public information requests. Brad’s major focus was advising, training, and consulting clients on current non-discrimination and anti-harassment law and policy. During several of those years, he conducted independent investigations regarding complaints of possible discrimination and harassment, and developed policy specific to Title IX and Title VII, with special consideration given to LGBTQ concerns and evolving legal interpretations regarding LGBTQ issues. He also assisted on an appeals to the Texas Supreme Court. Brad also worked for State Senator Wendy R. Davis during the 2011 legislative session as a general counsel and senior policy analyst. During this time, he gained extensive experience working at the Texas Capitol on issues such as education, bullying in educational environments, school finance, higher education funding, autism, diabetes, and election law. Brad has done extensive work on anti-bullying legislation in Texas. Brad has worked three Texas Legislative Sessions (2005, 2007, and 2011) as well as three Special Sessions (2005 and 2011) as a legislative aide and policy analyst, as well as three as lobbyist for educational institutions (2013, 2015, and 2017).
Nirvana Dove - Nirvana Dove is the Manager for Diversity & Inclusion at Thompson Hine LLP. She is responsible for managing and implementing the firm's firmwide Diversity & Inclusion Initiative and Spotlight on Women initiatives. Nirvana graduated from Emory University School of Law and earned her BA from the University of Pennsylvania. Following law school, she practiced as a corporate/healthcare transactional associate at Pepper Hamilton, LLP. From there she worked in-house for a large DC based health care system. Most recently, she served as Associate Director for Diversity & International Student Initiatives at Georgetown University School of Law. Nirvana is currently Diversity Co-Chair for the Washington Area Legal Recruitment Administrators Association (WALRAA), she also served two terms on the WALRAA Board of Directors, and was the 2017 NALP Vice-Chair for Mentoring for the Diversity & Inclusion Section.
Allison Dowling - Allison Dowling (she/her/hers) is a Staff Attorney at Whitman-Walker Health located in Washington, DC, a holistic health center and the oldest medical-legal partnership in the nation offering transgender, primary and HIV healthcare; mental health and addiction services; dental care; medical case management; HIV testing and prevention; and legal services. Dowling’s practice areas is focused on public benefits law, including applications, advocacy, and appeals for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and Affordable Care Act coverage. In her work at Whitman-Walker, she has successfully handled cases overturning both private insurance and Medicaid denials for gender affirming treatment as well as handled countless negotiated settlements for transgender individuals. Dowling also works on estate planning matters including healthcare planning documents. Dowling received her law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and the Pennsylvania Bar.
Corey Duersch -
Andy Dugan - Andy joined the Equality Ohio Legal Clinic after five years focusing on consumer financial legal compliance and contested landlord-tenant cases. Andy grew up near Youngstown in Northeast Ohio. He obtained his BSBA from The Ohio State University in 2010 and his law degree from Capital University Law School in 2013. Andy is active with his local bar association and local judicial elections. Andy is admitted to practice in the States of Ohio and Maine and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. He is based in Equality Ohio’s Columbus office.
AC Dumlao - AC Dumlao (they / them / theirs) is a queer transgender non-binary first-generation Filipino-American advocate and educator focused on uplifting underrepresented folks and centering their experiences of intersectional oppressions. As Program Manager at TLDEF, they manage The Name Change Project, which connects TGNCNB (transgender, gender non-conforming, non-binary) people with lawyers providing pro bono representation during the legal name change process. Additionally, AC leads TLDEF’s community education initiatives and is the lead trainer for trans cultural competency presentations and workshops. AC was profiled by NBC Asian America for the inaugural “Redefine A to Z” list of AAPI (Asian-American/Pacific Islander) emerging voices in 2017. They were recently seen at The Wing for an advance screening/talkback with Lisa Ling for the CNN Original Series’ episode “This is Life with Lisa Ling: Gender Fluidity.” In 2018, AC received the Parity Award for their TGNCNB advocacy. AC is an alum of the Experimental Theater of Vassar College (Vassar Drama Department). At their core, AC is an artist and thanks their theatrical education and training for instilling the guiding principle of their work and their life: a commitment to radical authenticity and genuine connections in order to honor the human dignity that all people deserve.
Lauren Edwards - Lauren Edwards is an attorney based in South Carolina who almost exclusively advocates for LBGTQ clients. Lauren grew up in Southern Virginia and attended the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. After graduating, Lauren taught multiple grade levels in both Virginia and South Carolina. After nearly fifteen years in the classroom, Lauren attended the University of South Carolina School of Law. In law school, she served as the President of C.A.L.S, Child Advocacy Law Society, and was the managing editor of the Journal of Law & Education. In addition to working as a attorney, Lauren serves as a Guardian ad litem for families represented by other attorneys.
Zachary Egan - Zachary Egan is an Investigator for the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights. As an investigator, he works on cases alleging violations of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination and the New Jersey Family Leave Act, as well as Director initiated special investigations. Prior to joining the Division on Civil Rights, he clerked in New Jersey Superior Court, Criminal Division. He received his BA from Rutgers University in 2007 and his law degree from Rutgers Law School-Camden in 2016.
Debbie Epstein Henry - Debbie Epstein Henry is an expert, consultant, best-selling author and public speaker on careers, workplaces, women and law. For 20 years, hundreds of news outlets have featured her work including The New York Times, NBC Nightly News, The Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, and The National Law Journal. Debbie runs the DEH Speaker Series, offering programming with thought leaders in NYC and by webcast, drawing more than 1,000 participants per quarter. In 2007, she conceived of the Best Law Firms for Women initiative, a national survey she developed and ran for a decade with Working Mother to annually select the top 50 law firms for women and report on industry trends. By 2008, Debbie’s public speaking, press exposure and advocacy enabled her to build a national network of over 10,000 lawyers. From there, in 2011, she co-founded Bliss Lawyers, a company that employs high caliber attorneys to work on temporary engagements for in-house legal department and law firm clients. Debbie is the author of LAW & REORDER, the #1 best-selling ABA Flagship book for 2011 and the co-author of another ABA best-selling Flagship book in 2015, FINDING BLISS. Her international work includes multiple engagements in The Hague as well as in Paris at the French Senate and in London and Vienna and elsewhere abroad. Debbie volunteers her time with a number of non-profits including the Forum of Executive Women where she is a Member of the Board and Co-Chair of the annual Leadership Symposium. She also chairs Brooklyn Law School Women’s Leadership Circle which runs a national women’s law student and alumnae initiative. Debbie has received numerous awards including being named among the Philadelphia Business Journal‘s "Women of Distinction.” In 2017, she received the Anne X. Alpern Award, presented annually to a female lawyer who demonstrates excellence in the legal profession and who makes a significant professional impact on women in the law. She received her B.A. from Yale and her J.D. cum laude from Brooklyn Law School. A native New Yorker, she lives in the Philadelphia suburbs with her husband; they have three sons.
William Eskridge - Professor William N. Eskridge, Jr. is the John A. Garver Professor of Jurisprudence at Yale Law School. His primary legal academic interest has been statutory interpretation. Together with Professor Philip Frickey, he developed an innovative casebook on Legislation. In 1990-95, Professor Eskridge represented a gay couple suing for recognition of their same-sex marriage. Since then, he has published a field-establishing casebook, three monographs, and dozens of law review articles articulating a legal and political framework for proper state treatment of sexual and gender minorities.
Virginia Essandoh - Virginia G. Essandoh serves as the firm’s Chief Diversity Officer. She sits on the Management Committee and Expanded Board and is responsible for overseeing, implementing, and providing strategic leadership to Ballard Spahr’s diversity initiatives.
Stacy Ettinger - Stacy J. Ettinger is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of K&L Gates and focuses her practice on public policy. She has over 20 years of experience working in Congress and the executive branch. Her experience spans a variety of fields, including international trade, intellectual property, and regulatory issues, as well as food and product standards, motor vehicle safety, and consumer financial services. Prior to joining K&L Gates, Ms. Ettinger served as a senior legal and policy advisor to Senator Charles Schumer, including as Chief Counsel of the United States Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, and as Deputy Staff Director of the Joint Economic Committee. Prior to joining the Senator's legislative team, she served as a senior legal advisor at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Ms. Ettinger advised agency officials on the interpretation and application of U.S. and foreign trade rules, supervised dispute settlement proceedings before the World Trade Organization, and represented the United States in international trade negotiations.
Chinyere Ezie - Chinyere Ezie is a lawyer at the Center for Constitutional Rights, where she advocates for racial and gender justice, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex (LGBTQI) rights, and challenges governmental abuses of power. Prior to joining The Center for Constitutional Rights, Chinyere was a Staff Attorney at the Southern Poverty Law Center, where she brought cases defending the rights of LGBTQI Southerners, including trans prisoners rights activist Ashley Diamond. She also served as a Trial Attorney at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission where she litigated employment discrimination cases and secured a $5.1 million jury verdict on behalf of workers who were subjected to religious harassment. Chinyere is a William J. Fulbright Scholar and a graduate of Yale University and Columbia Law School, where she was an Alexander Hamilton Scholar and served as Editor in Chief of the Journal of Gender and Law. Chinyere is a frequent speaker at law and social justice conferences across the country. She is also the originator of #BoycottPrada, a viral campaign challenging racism and blackface by fashion companies. Her advocacy has also been reported on by the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, NBC, Al Jazeera, and NPR, among others. In 2016, Chinyere was recognized as one of the nation’s Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40.
Cameron Faber - Cameron Faber is General Counsel for the Los Angeles LGBT Center. He is an accomplished General Counsel with experience in litigation and transactional work, both in-house and in law firms. Distinguished track record in positions of increasing responsibility with public, private and nonprofit companies. Experience includes leading the law department of a major nonprofit corporation, managing claims and litigation, corporate governance, privacy and HIPAA law, risk management, compliance in highly-regulated industries, and corporate and real estate transactions.
Mieko Failey - Mieko Failey, Esq. (she/her) is the Director of Legal Services at the LGBTQ Center Long Beach where she oversees LBGTQ-specific legal services for the greater Long Beach area, including comprehensive direct legal services to LGBTQ survivors of violence. Mieko began working in anti-violence in 2007 and has a concentration in LGBTQ anti-violence legal issues. From 2011 to 2018, Mieko served in various legal advocacy roles at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, including as Supervising Attorney for the Legal Services Department where she oversaw domestic and sexual violence legal service provision. In her role as Supervising Attorney, Mieko supervised a wide range of legal issues, including domestic and sexual violence, hate violence, stalking, human trafficking, and other forms of violence. She has served hundreds of LGBTQ survivors and trained thousands of service providers locally, across the state, and nationally, including judges, court personnel, law enforcement, attorneys, mental health providers, and physicians. Mieko’s legal advocacy is focused on overcoming barriers in access to resources for LGBTQ survivors, who are disproportionally impacted by violence. During law school, Mieko interned with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California’s LGBT Student Rights Project and The Center for Juvenile Law and Policy, advocating for those who were wrongfully convicted or unfairly sentenced as juveniles. Mieko was a recipient of the Post-Graduate Loyola Law School Public Interest Legal Fellowship, which enabled her to provide legal advocacy on behalf of LGBTQ youth survivors of violence at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Mieko currently serves on the Executive Board of the Los Angeles County Domestic Violence Council where she is Co-Chair of the LGBT Domestic Violence Issues Committee. She serves on the Advisory Board of the Family Violence Appellate Project, is a Board Member of the California Conference for Equality and Justice (CCEJ), and serves as regular training faculty for the American Bar Association’s Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence. Mieko has received local and national recognition for her advocacy on behalf of LGBTQ communities, including The Donald L. Snow Award from The LGBT Bar Association of Los Angeles; The Student Leadership Award from The National LGBT Bar Association; The Dean’s Service Award from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles; and the Women of Distinction Award from California State Assmeblymember Patrick O’Donnell. In 2019, Mieko was named a “Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40” by the National LGBT Bar Association. Mieko received her Bachelors in Sociology with highest distinction from UC Berkeley and received her Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School with a Public Interest Concentration.
Heather Fann - A native of Piedmont, Alabama, Heather left her high-school teaching career in 2003 to pursue her law degree, graduating cum laude from the University of Alabama School of Law in 2006. Heather is active in her state and community, having served as Chair of the Family Law Section of the Alabama State Bar from 2014-2016, and currently serving on the Board of Directors of the ACLU of Alabama and the Birmingham Volunteer Lawyers Program. All families are created equal, and the firm believes in equal treatment for litigants and their children regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender/gender identity, or sexual orientation. Ms. Fann's practice has always focused on civil rights aspects of family law, leading up to same-sex marriage and family victories in the Strawser v. Strange matter in federal court (striking down unconstitutional Alabama statutes prohibiting same-sex marriage) and the United States Supreme Court's recognition for equal treatment of same-sex adoptive parents in V.L. v. E.L. (requiring Alabama's recognition of a Georgia same-sex parent's second-parent adoption). She was recently honored for her work on such cases with the Leading Practitioner Award by the National LGBT Bar Association at their annual meeting in 2017. Heather's practice seeks to preserve the dignity of clients through healthy paths for their changing families, employing both modern and traditional means of resolution including collaborative practice and methods such as use of Parenting Coordinators, as well as mediation, though she stands ready to litigate where necessary. Heather is an adjunct professor at Cumberland School of Law, where she teaches Family Law and Advanced Domestic Relations. At her previous firms, Heather contributed to both the Lexis (Family Law in Alabama: Practice and Procedure) and West (Alabama Family Law) family law reference books, and publication of a regular column in the Birmingham Bar Bulletin. In law school, she published "Desperately Clinging to the Cleavers: What Family Law Courts Are Doing About Homosexual Parents, and What Some Are Refusing to See" in the Law & Psychology Review.
Chai R. Feldblum - Chai R. Feldblum helps companies and organizations create safe, respectful, and inclusive workplaces, focusing on preventing and responding to workplace harassment. Chai served as a commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) from 2010 to 2019. As a director of Workplace Culture Consulting at Morgan Lewis, Chai’s policymaking background and insights on the EEOC’s enforcement of employment civil rights laws inform her approach to helping employers create diverse and inclusive workplaces, as well as to performing investigations and counseling employers.
Praveen Fernandes - Praveen is Vice President for Public Engagement at Constitutional Accountability Center (CAC). He comes to CAC from The Raben Group, where he was a Principal, advising non-profit clients on issues including LGBTQ equality, criminal justice, wealth inequality, digital equity, and judicial nominations. Before the Raben Group, Praveen was a political appointee in the Obama Administration, serving as Senior Counsel and Advisor to the General Counsel at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). At OPM, he focused on LGBTQ issues, particularly the federal government’s policies relating to transgender employees and the federal government’s implementation of U.S. v. Windsor, the Supreme Court decision that struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act. Additionally, he worked on issues relating to workforce diversity, parental leave, contracting, national security, and workplace discrimination. Praveen has also worked at the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy, Justice at Stake, the Human Rights Campaign, Patton Boggs, Ropes & Gray, and the President’s Commission on Human Radiation Experiments (a bioethics advisory committee tasked with preparing and presenting a report to President Clinton). He began his career on Capitol Hill, where he served on Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s Labor Committee staff. Praveen earned his J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law, and his M.P.H. from the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Public Health. While in law school, he was a Note and Comment Editor on the North Carolina Journal of International Law and Commercial Regulation. He graduated with honors from Brown University, where his undergraduate concentration was in Biomedical Ethics. In 2010, Praveen was named on the National LGBT Bar Association’s “Top 40 Under 40” list.
Celeste Fiore - Celeste Fiore is an Owner of Argentino Family Law & Child Advocacy. Their practice consists of family law, special education and anti-bullying work, legal assistance for the transgender and non-binary identified community and advancement of LGBTQ rights in general. Celeste is a long-time LGBTQ educator, activist, and advocate, starting at American University in Washington, DC by leading its LGBTQ undergraduate organization. Celeste currently serves as the Chair of the LGBT Rights Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association and is a member of the Section’s Legislative Committee and reviews. They also advise on proposed legislation referred to the Section and assist in legislative drafting for bills which may impact the LGBTQ community. Nationally, Celeste has connections to advocacy groups serving the LGBTQ community such as the National Center for Transgender Equality, The LGBT Task Force, and Lambda Legal. Celeste is also a member of the National LGBT Bar Association and is a recently admitted member of the Family Law Institute. Celeste was named a New Jersey Super Lawyers’ Rising Star, 2017 and 2018. Most recently, Celeste was recognized as one of the Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40! Celeste believes that through coordinated efforts and the sharing of resources with both state and national organizations, a positive impact can be made in the lives of individual clients and for our broader community. Celeste prefers the pronoun “they” to he or she. When in doubt, Celeste always answers to their name.
Ellen Fischer - Ellen S. Fischer is a Partner at Fenningham, Dempster & Coval LLP where she proudly helps family law clients through a philosophy of amicable settlement, collaboration and mediation, and trial advocacy where needed. Ellen handles all areas of family law including divorce, custody, relocation, spousal support, child support, alimony, property settlement agreements, pre-nuptial agreements, adoption, cohabitation agreements, name change, domestic abuse, paternity, post-divorce issues, grandparent and third party custody and issues related to high net worth divorce matters. Ellen has also spent her entire career advocating for and supporting the LGBTQ community. Ellen is a proud member of the Family Law Institute of the National LGBT Bar Association, a select group of international attorneys dedicated to pursuing the rights of LGBTQ individuals and families. Transgender Law Institute
John P. Fischer - John represents businesses and individuals in disputes with insurance companies who have failed to provide the coverage they promised. John’s experience in the area of insurance coverage is wide-ranging, and includes pursuing carriers for failure to pay pollution, property damage and business insurance claims. He has also litigated and resolved issues involving settlements within stated policy limits, and defended client interests in the event of insurance agent or broker negligence. An experienced litigator, John has helped clients obtain settlements in major claims involving general liability, pollution liability, property, D&O, E&O and cyber insurance-related matters. He has assisted clients by advocating and negotiating multimillion dollar verdicts and settlements for clients who were wrongfully denied the benefits of their policies. Thorough and diligent, John’s familiarity with many major carriers, procedures and decision-making processes often allows him to anticipate their next move. A skilled writer and negotiator, John knows his cases inside and out in order to negotiate or litigate a result that meets the client’s objectives. Notably, John has presented seminar lectures on bad faith issues in the insurance context. He has participated in BT ValueWorks’ Legal Project Management (LPM) training and applies LPM techniques to the delivery of legal service.
Judge Tara Flanagan - Judge Tara Flanagan joined the Alameda County Superior Court in January of 2013 after winning election in June 2012, and is now in her seventh (7th) year of service to Alameda County, California. After serving her first two years as a judge in Family Law and four years in the Criminal Law Division, she now hears Juvenile Dependency matters. Her extra-judicial duties include prior service on the board of the Alameda County Bar Association’s ‘Legal Access Alameda’, where underserved members of the community get help accessing the justice system, and also as a board member of the International Association of LGBTQ Judges. Previously, as an attorney, Judge Flanagan was a civil litigator, a Los Angeles County prosecutor and later a legal aid attorney helping families that suffered from domestic violence. As an attorney, she was a sought-out speaker about LGBTQ domestic violence. She also served on the board of directors of many D.V., LGBTQ, and women lawyers’ organizations. Prior to the practice of law, Judge Flanagan was a competitive athlete. She completed her undergraduate degree while on an athletic scholarship (basketball) and later took up the sport of rugby, where she was selected to the USA Women’s National Rugby Team, and played in two World Cups for the USA. Now retired from athletic competitions, Judge Flanagan enjoys long-distance bicycling, her dog, and traveling with her partner, a television director.
Diana Flynn - Diana Flynn is the Litigation Director of Lambda Legal, the country’s largest and oldest legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and individuals living with HIV. Ms. Flynn is a long-time director of highly-regarded national litigation and legal counsel programs and has achieved great success in both the federal and non-profit sectors. An experienced lawyer and federally-qualified Senior Executive, Ms. Flynn has led the litigation efforts on cases that have helped lay the legal foundation for some of the most important principles of constitutional and civil rights law. Ms. Flynn was appointed Litigation Director at Lambda Legal in the Spring of 2018. In that role, she directs and manages all the organization’s litigation efforts across the nation and leads the attorneys and support staff responsible for those activities. In addition to her leadership of the program, Ms. Flynn serves personally as counsel on the litigation teams of some of Lambda’s most significant cases, including the challenge to the Trump Administration’s military trans ban, and the efforts to secure fair and equal treatment for trans students in the Drew Adams case. Prior to her arrival at Lambda in the Spring of 2018, Ms. Flynn served for many years as the Chief of the Appellate Section of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. Under her leadership, the Section established the Division records for appellate success and productivity. She led the Section in its filing of more than 2,500 briefs, and its litigation success rate of well over eighty percent. While at DOJ, Flynn personally led the legal counsel project that laid the groundwork for the Holder Justice Department’s application of sex discrimination laws to prohibit discrimination based on transgender status. She also managed the Civil Rights Division’s efforts in connection with the Defense of Marriage Act litigation and worked with the Office of the Solicitor General and the Civil Division on the Windsor, Proposition 8 and Obergefell cases in the Supreme Court. Ms. Flynn is currently serving a second term as Commissioner of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, an appointment made by the ABA’s President. Flynn is a graduate of the Yale Law School and a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Rochester.
Greg Fosheim - Greg Fosheim advises health care and life sciences clients across a variety of corporate, transactional and regulatory compliance matters. Working with private equity and venture capital firms, hospitals, physician practice groups, clinical research programs, pharmaceutical companies, device manufacturers, and others, Greg provides counsel on health care fraud and abuse risks, Medicare, Medicaid, and private payor billing, and clinical research and laboratory compliance in connection with federal grants, among other issues. Greg also provides regulatory due diligence support on health care transactions and collaborations, helping his clients drive innovation and expand their businesses. Greg is an active participant in firm, city, and national LGBTQ diversity initiatives. He has been an member of the LGBT Bar since 2011, and he routinely mentors LGBTQ law students and young associates. Greg also authored the South Dakota section of the American Health Lawyers Association's current 50-State Survey for Opioid Prescriptions, and he regularly publishes articles on the regulatory framework surrounding clinical research. Greg currently serves on the 2019 Illinois Association of Healthcare Attorneys Mentorship Committee, and he previously had been a Board Member of the Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia and a member of the Lambda Legal Atlanta Leadership Committee. Greg is admitted to practice law in Illinois and Georgia. He holds a Bachelors in biology from Luther College, an MPH in epidemiology from Emory University, and a JD from Georgia State University, and he lives in Chicago with his husband, Mark.
Justice Shannon Frison - Justice Shannon Frison was appointed to the Massachusetts Superior Court in March of 2013 at age 42. She took that seat after serving for more than 3 years on the Boston Municipal Court in from 2009-2013, beginning her tenure on the bench at age 39. Before her appointment, Justice Frison practiced locally and abroad as owner of Frison Law Firm, P.C. Her practice focused on “blue collar” criminal law and military justice. Justice Frison spent nearly seven years as a litigation associate at the former white collar defense firm, Dwyer & Collora, LLP in Boston, MA, prior to opening her own firm. Justice Frison Graduated from Hyde Park Career Academy in 1988 and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Government from Harvard University & Radcliffe College in 1992. She went on to receive her Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center in 1995. Justice Frison was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1995, and began her career as an Assistant District Attorney with the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office where she worked out of the Quincy District Court. Justice Frison holds the rank of Major in the United States Marine Corps, and is a Marine Corps Judge Advocate. She completed Officer Candidates School and accepted her commission in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1994. She continued on to complete The Basic School and Naval Justice School in 1997. From 1997-2000 she was the prosecutor aboard Marine Corps Air Station New River in Jacksonville, North Carolina. In addition to serving the country and practicing law, she has served as a Guberman Teaching Fellow at Brandeis University for three years teaching "Introduction to Law,” as well as appearing as guest lecturer at Brandeis on military justice and military tribunals. Justice Frison was also recently a member of the Boston Bar Association’s “Task Force to Prevent Wrongful Convictions” and Harvard Law School’s Trial Advocacy Workshop. She is the immediate past President of the Massachusetts Black Judges Conference. Judge Frison is a jurist, a Major of Marines, and a mentor to new trial lawyers.
Andrew Furlow - Andrew Furlow is a health care lawyer and trusted adviser to providers, drug and device manufacturers, and other key players in the healthcare industry. He works with healthcare companies to shape and respond to new and strategically important legislation and administrative rules, including the Open Payments disclosure law and innovative Medicare value-based payment programs. Andrew also works on a wide variety of pro bono matters, from assisting DC Medicaid beneficiaries in restoring benefits to drafting amicus briefs in Perry (Prop 8 challenge), GG v Gloucester County (trans student’s access to school restrooms) (LGBT Bar joined), and several contraceptive mandate challenges (Hobby Lobby cases). Andrew clerked for the Honorable David F. Hamilton on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. During law school, Andrew was an executive editor of the Harvard Law Review.
Mark Gaber - Prior to joining CLC, Mark was an Associate at the law firm Jenner & Block, where he was a member of the Appellate & Supreme Court, Election Law and Redistricting and Media & First Amendment practice groups. Mark has worked as merits or amici counsel in a number of redistricting and voting rights cases. He served as counsel in Alabama Legislative Black Caucus v. Alabama and North Carolina v. Covington, and represented CLC as amici counsel before the Supreme Court in cases challenging racial gerrymanders in Virginia and North Carolina. Mark also represented CLC as amici counsel in Evenwel v. Abbott, where the Supreme Court adopted CLC’s position regarding the appropriate metric for assigning equal population to legislative districts. Mark served as co-counsel with CLC challenging Alabama’s felon disenfranchisement laws, and argued a Tenth Circuit appeal in a case involving the redistricting of Albuquerque’s city council districts. From 2011 to 2012, Mark served as a law clerk to the Honorable Judith W. Rogers on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Mark is a 2010 graduate of Stanford Law School, where he served as Senior Symposium Editor for the Stanford Law Review, and a 2005 graduate of St. Norbert College, where he earned a B.A. in Political Science and International Economics. Mark was selected as the 2004 Harry S Truman Scholar for the State of Wisconsin. Mark is a member of the District of Columbia and California (inactive) bars, and the bars of the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth, Fifth, Tenth, and D.C. Circuits and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Aneesha Gandhi - Aneesha Gandhi is the managing attorney for NIJC’s LGBT Immigrant Rights Initiative. Prior to joining NIJC, Aneesha was a legal fellow at the Diocese of Kalamazoo, Immigration Assistance Program. During law school she interned for NIJC, the New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice, the Greater Boston Legal Services’ Immigration Unit, and the Vera Institute. Aneesha currently serves on the board of Healing to Action. She holds a B.A. from Smith College and a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law. Aneesha is licensed in the state of Michigan.
Daniel Garza - Dr. Garza is a psychiatrist at the Michael Callen- Audre Lorde Community Health Center, the first primary care facility for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender population in the United States. Since 1998 he has been the original psychiatrist for Callen-Lorde’s Health Outreach to Teens (HOTT) Program a primary care clinic servicing youth ages 13- 24. Dr. Garza is on the faculty of the NYU-Langone Medical School of Medicine and works as the Director of the Assisted Outpatient Treatment, or Kendra’s Law, program for the borough of Queens in the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for the City of New York, an outpatient commitment statute for psychiatric consumers court ordered into customized outpatient treatment plans in order to remain safely in the community. He is the Medical Director of the program for Queens County. Dr. Garza is the psychiatrist for the SCO Family of Services agency providing consultation and treatment for their LGBTQ foster group homes in the New York City area and has also worked periodically with their Juvenile Justice program. He teaches regularly at both the local and national levels on adolescent mental health, commitment law, the health of racial and sexual minorities, and substance abuse. Dr. Garza is in private practice in Manhattan and is a volunteer examiner for Physicians for Human Rights Asylum Network providing evaluations for immigration proceedings. Daniel Garza was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas and his parents emigrated from Mexico. He received his medical degree from Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons and completed a residency in psychiatry at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. He returned to Columbia to complete a post-doctoral fellowship in Public Psychiatry.
Susan Gault-Brown - Susan Gault-Brown is a partner in the Financial Services Group of Morrison & Foerster’s Washington, D.C. office. She serves as chair of the firm’s Investment Management Group and co-chair of the firm’s Blockchain + Smart Contracts Group. Susan advises participants in the investment management, FinTech, and financial services industries—including investment advisers, exempt reporting advisers, broker-dealers, funding portals, private funds, commodity trading advisors, commodity pool operators, FinTech companies, and cryptocurrency and blockchain companies—on regulatory, transactional, and counseling matters involving the securities and derivatives laws. Susan was named a “notable practitioner” in the inaugural Chambers FinTech 2018 guide and is a member of the Task Force on Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies, and Investment Management of the ABA Subcommittee on Investment Companies and Investment Advisers. In addition to 15 years in private practice, Susan also spent three years as a senior counsel in the Division of Investment Management’s Office of Chief Counsel at the Securities and Exchange Commission. Susan received her J.D. cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she was elected to the Order of the Coif. She was a third-year visiting student at Stanford Law School, received her M.A. in English literature from Washington University, and received her B.A. magna cum laude from Duke University, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Daniele Gerard - Daniele Gerard joined Children’s Rights in 2016. A former litigation associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore and staff attorney at North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services, Ms. Gerard was also a member of the development staff at Food & Water Watch for three years. She serves on the boards of the West Side Campaign Against Hunger, Three Parks Independent Democrats, and the Voter Assistance Advisory Committee to the New York City Campaign Finance Board. Ms. Gerard received a BA from Johns Hopkins University and a JD from Columbia University School of Law.
Katherine Gillespie -
Dan Goldberg - Daniel L. Goldberg currently serves as Legal Director at the Alliance For Justice. Prior to joining AFJ, Mr. Goldberg served as Chief of Staff of the Department of Justice Office of Legislative Affairs. Before joining the Justice Department, in August 2013, Mr. Goldberg spent six years as senior counsel to Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, which Senator Harkin chaired. Mr. Goldberg also worked for three years as a litigation associate at the law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell. He received his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin and J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he served on the Law Review. After law school, he was a law clerk to the Honorable Terence T. Evans of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Ronda Goldfein - Ronda B. Goldfein, Esq. has led the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania as its Executive Director for the past 18 years. Having received national recognition for her advocacy on behalf of people living with HIV/AIDS, she is listed among the top 100 HIV/AIDS activists in the United States by POZ magazine. She has also been named “Policymaker of the Year” by the Penn Center for AIDS Research and was proud to receive a citation from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for chairing Philadelphia FIGHT’s Jonathan Lax Treatment Center’s Institutional Review Board. Ronda serves as chair of the Philadelphia Police Advisory Commission, the official civilian oversight agency for the city’s police department. She is also member of the board of directors of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania’s Philadelphia chapter.
Omar Gonzalez-Pagan - Omar Gonzalez-Pagan is a Senior Attorney in the National Headquarters Office of Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and individuals living with HIV. His work spans all aspects of Lambda Legal’s impact litigation, policy advocacy and public education efforts. Gonzalez-Pagan played an active part in securing the freedom to marry for same sex couples and their families across the United States. As a member of the legal team in the landmark case Obergefell v. Hodges, Gonzalez-Pagan helped secure marriage equality at the U.S. Supreme Court while representing four same-sex couples seeking respect for their out-of-state marriage and accurate birth certificates for their Ohio-born children in Henry v. Hodges. He was also lead counsel in Conde-Vidal v. Rius-Armendariz, the successful challenge to Puerto Rico’s marriage ban, and was co-counsel in Robicheaux v. Caldwell, the successful challenge to Louisiana’s marriage ban. Prior to joining Lambda Legal, Gonzalez-Pagan worked for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as an Assistant Attorney General, a Special Assistant District Attorney, and an Associate General Counsel to the Massachusetts Inspector General. As an Assistant Attorney General, Gonzalez-Pagan was part of the team that represented the Commonwealth in Massachusetts v. HHS, Massachusetts’s successful challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) before the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. He also successfully obtained injunctive relief for victims of hate crimes that were targeted based on their sexual orientation and civilly prosecuted housing discrimination cases. Gonzalez-Pagan received his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he was an editor of the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law. He also possesses a Master’s in Environmental Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Cornell University. Gonzalez-Pagan was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is fluent in Spanish.
Demoya Gordon - Demoya Gordon is a Supervising Attorney in the Law Enforcement Bureau of the New York City Commission on Human Rights, focusing on Public Accommodations and Policing. Prior to joining the Commission, Demoya worked at Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people, and people living with HIV. There, she engaged in impact litigation, policy advocacy, and public education on a range of issues affecting transgender and intersex people, including discriminatory treatment in the criminal legal system, employment, health care, education, public accommodations, and government services. Demoya’s clients at Lambda Legal included Passion Star, a Black transgender woman who faced repeated sexual and physical abuse while imprisoned in Texas. Under Demoya’s leadership, the team representing Ms. Star achieved a favorable settlement including monetary compensation as well as systemic policy changes within the Texas prison system. Demoya also led the team representing Jessica Hicklin, a White transgender woman who was denied medically necessary treatment while incarcerated in Missouri. That case resulted in a permanent injunction requiring the defendants to provide Ms. Hicklin with medically necessary gender dysphoria treatment and banning the Missouri Department of Corrections from enforcing the “freeze-frame” policy under which it denied hormone therapy to any transgender person who was not receiving such therapy prior to entering prison. Demoya brings an intersectional focus to her work by addressing how discriminatory laws, policies, and systems uniquely and disproportionately affect members of multiple marginalized communities. In recognition of her professional achievements, the National LGBT Bar Association named Demoya one of 2014’s Best LGBT Attorneys Under 40. In 2013, Lawyers of Color included Demoya on its annual list of 100 exceptional early- to mid-career minority attorneys under the age of 40. After migrating to the U.S. from Jamaica, Demoya received her undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Macalester College and her law degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
Glenn Gordon - Glenn Gordon has led the enforcement program for the SEC’s Miami Regional Office since 2001. From 2001 until 2004, Mr. Gordon simultaneously led the office’s examination program. He joined the Commission as a staff attorney in 1995 and later served as a branch chief and then as an assistant regional director. Before serving at the Commission, Mr. Gordon was an associate in the litigation departments of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and Proskauer Rose LLP. He had previously spent a year as a law clerk for the Hon. Gerald Bard Tjoflat of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Mr. Gordon has received the SEC’s Irving M. Pollack Award and Capital Markets Award. Mr. Gordon is a cum laude graduate of Cornell Law School and received a bachelor of science degree in economics from the Wharton School and a bachelor of arts degree from the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania. Finance Law Institute
Remy Green - J. Remy Green is a partner at the law firm Cohen&Green, a firm they co-founded with current National Lawyers Guild President Elena L. Cohen. The firm aims to serve the queer, artist, worker, and other under-represented communities of NYC and beyond. Currently, among other major matters, Mx. Green is testing a novel theory of defamation defense working with the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund. Mx. Green was formerly an associate with a big law firm where their practice included real estate litigation, business tort litigation, and a wide variety of other matters including direct representation of survivors of sexual assault seeking asylum in the United States and submission of amicus curiae briefs on behalf of transgender students in cases before Federal Courts of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Mx. Green is a guest lecturer and adjunct professor with NYU and CUNY, where they teach courses that cover law and technology issues, as well as civil and constitutional rights. They are also a published legal author, with full-length articles appearing in the Syracuse Law Review, North Carolina Journal of Law and Technology, and the Rutgers Law Record.
Zahara Green - Zahara Green is a noted community advocate and Founder of TRANScending Barriers, a Georgia-based, trans-led, non-profit organization whose mission is to empower the transgender and gender non-conforming community through community organizing with leadership building, advocacy, and direct services so that lives can be changed and a community uplifted. Zahara successfully sued the Georgia Department of Corrections after she became a victim of sexual assault by a guard. Zahara is also an active participant in the LGBT Criminal Justice Working Group. Transgender Law Institute
Gary Greener - Gary counsels students on all aspects of career development and the job search process. He also interacts with employers and engages in outreach to increase job opportunities for UCLA students. Prior to joining UCLA in 2014, Gary worked for 14 years at Southwestern Law School where he served as the Senior Associate Dean for Career, Admissions and Financial Aid Services. He also has ten years of experience as a practicing lawyer, and served as the hiring partner for a 50-lawyer law firm, Breidenbach Buckley, et al. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University, a law degree from Southwestern Law School, and an LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center.
Heron Greenesmith - Heron Greenesmith is a policy attorney for LGBT people, specializing in advocacy for bisexual and pansexual communities. Heron has worked with the Movement Advancement Project, Family Equality Council, and the National LGBTQ Task Force. Heron is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire and American University, Washington College of Law. They are a board member of the Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association, a former board member of the National LGBT Bar Association, a former Rockwood Leadership Institute Fellow, and a returned Peace Corps Volunteer.
Kent Greenfield - An internationally-recognized scholar of constitutional law and corporate governance, Kent Greenfield is Professor of Law and Dean’s Distinguished Scholar at Boston College Law School. A graduate of Brown University and the University of Chicago Law School, Greenfield is the author of three books, including Corporations are People Too (And They Should Act Like It) for Yale University Press. Professor Greenfield clerked for Justice David H. Souter of the United States Supreme Court and practiced at Covington & Burling in Washington, DC. He has also published numerous scholarly articles in leading legal journals including the Yale Law Journal and the Virginia Law Review. Professor Greenfield is also an active participant in various litigation matters pertaining to civil rights and corporate accountability. He was the Founder and President of the Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights (FAIR), the named plaintiff in a 2006 Supreme Court case challenging the Pentagon’s anti-gay policies; and he co-authored an amicus brief in Masterpiece Cakeshop v Colorado Civil Rights Commission arguing that the Supreme Court should not extend religious freedom rights to for-profit corporations.
Sharita Gruberg - Sharita Gruberg is the Policy Director for the LGBT Research and Communications Project at the Center for American Progress. In that role, she leads the organization’s federal policy work advancing LGBT equality and combating discrimination. Prior to joining American Progress, Sharita worked for the Women’s Refugee Commission, the American Bar Association Commission on Immigration, and the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. Sharita earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was a Public Interest Law Scholar, and she also received the Refugees and Humanitarian Emergencies Certificate from the Institute for the Study of International Migration. She holds a B.A. in political science and women’s studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Kevin Hall - Kevin is a commercial litigator and political law attorney whose practice intersects the four corners of law, business, politics and public policy. He has represented Fortune 500 companies in high-stakes litigation and elected officials facing ethics charges, criminal prosecution, and/or impeachment and removal from political office. He has tried commercial cases to verdict in state and federal courts and argued numerous cases before the South Carolina Supreme Court, various federal and state courts in South Carolina, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. On the public policy side, Kevin has represented the South Carolina Equality Coalition in its challenge of South Carolina’s criminal domestic violence laws which discriminated against victims of intimate partner violence in same-sex relationships. Kevin also has successfully represented grass roots organizations in asserting First Amendment claims to set aside campaign finance regulations promulgated at the state and federal level.
Tyrone Hanley - As NCLR policy counsel, Tyrone Hanley focuses on the criminalization of queer/trans sexuality and those living with HIV and LGBTQ poverty. Tyrone was a creator of the #EndBadHIVLaws campaign with the Center for HIV Law and Policy and Human Rights Campaign. He was also a co-author of the first national LGBTQ poverty agenda, Intersecting Injustice: A National Call to Action, Addressing LGBTQ Poverty and Economic Justice for All, and co-founder of the National LGBTQ Anti-Poverty Action Network. He brings his upbringing into his work by focusing on those most marginalized in the LGBTQ community. Prior to coming to NCLR, Tyrone worked as the HIV Prevention Manager at SMYAL, a DC-area LGBTQ youth organization. He has also previously served as the Gender Public Advocacy Center’s Youth Program Coordinator and as an AmeriCorps/National AIDS Fund member at HIPS, a DC-based harm reduction organization for sex workers and drug users.
Amira Hasenbush - Amira runs a solo law practice in Los Angeles that focuses on family formation for LGBT families. She helps clients with adoptions, surrogacy, gamete donation, and complex parentage matters, including working with families with more than two parents. Prior to taking her law practice full-time, Amira was a law and policy fellow with the Williams Institute, an LGBT research center at UCLA School of Law. Amira received her law degree and her masters in public health from UCLA.
Claudia Haupt - Claudia Haupt is an Associate Professor of Law and Political Science at Northeastern University. Professor Haupt’s research is situated at the intersection of the First Amendment, health law, and torts in the context of professional speech. Her further research interests include constitutional law and comparative constitutional law as well as law and technology. Prior to joining Northeastern, Professor Haupt was a resident fellow with the Information Society Project at Yale Law School, where she continues to be an affiliate fellow, and a research fellow with the Solomon Center for Health Law & Policy at Yale Law School. She has also held an appointment as associate-in-law at Columbia Law School and, prior to that, taught at George Washington University Law School. Before entering academia, Professor Haupt clerked at the Regional Court of Appeals of Cologne and practiced law at the Cologne office of the law firm of Graf von Westphalen, with a focus in information technology law. She is admitted to practice in Germany and New York. Professor Haupt has published articles in journals including the Yale Law Journal, Boston College Law Review, George Washington Law Review, and Tulane Law Review, among others. Her book Religion-State Relations in the United States and Germany: The Quest for Neutrality was published by Cambridge University Press in 2012.
Danielle Healey - Danielle (DJ) Healey has been litigating complex cases in federal and state courts and handling arbitration and mediation proceedings for over thirty years. She has focused on patent and trade secret litigation as well as related antitrust and tort claims. Ms. Healey has tried cases in the federal courts, state courts, International Trade Commission, International Chamber of Commerce (Arbitration), American Arbitration Association, NASD Arbitration Forum, and private arbitration. She has argued appeals in the Federal Circuit, Fifth Circuit and Fourth Circuit Courts of Appeals, as well as the Texas Supreme Court and Texas Intermediate Courts of Appeals. Ms. Healey has been actively involved in planning and executing multi-jurisdictional strategies involving federal and state courts in the U.S. and Europe, and administrative agencies (including reviews in the USPTO, invalidity and declaratory judgment actions in Europe, and state regulatory matters). Ms. Healey has worked on patent and antitrust issues with the Federal Trade Commission, and has advised them on intellectual property related competition matters before the European Union. Ms. Healey has worked on some of the biggest trade secret cases in recent years, arguing these cases in the trial courts, courts of appeal and Texas Supreme Court. Ms. Healey has been involved in negotiating patent and trade secret licenses in the pharma, semiconductor and software industries; she has represented clients in dealing with obligations and licensing in standard-setting organizations; she has been general counsel to a standard-setting group; and she has litigated the substantive and anticompetitive effects of licenses in court, in arbitration, and in administrative agencies. Ms. Healey has also been a frequent speaker on patent, trade secret and antitrust matters, and has been fortunate enough to have been recognized by industry polls and publications for her work. Ms. Healey graduated from the University of Texas School of Law in 1985 with honors, and Brown University in 1982. Ms. Healey served as law clerk to the Honorable James DeAnda, United States District Judge, Southern District of Texas, from 1985-1987. Ms. Healey was one of the founders of the Houston IP Inn of Court, has been active in the State Bar of Texas Intellectual Property Committee, the Eastern District of Texas Bar Association, and community projects where she lives in the Houston area. Prior to opening Fish & Richardson’s Houston Office, Ms. Healey was a partner in the patent litigation section of an international law firm, and previously was a partner in her own patent litigation boutique firm, as well as a national patent litigation boutique firm in Houston, Texas. “Lexmark Creates Problems for Licensors and Sellers of Patented Products,” Fish Litigation Blog (October 2, 2017).
Elizabeth Hecht - Elizabeth J. Hecht is an Assistant General Counsel in the Global Patents department of GlaxoSmithKline where she has practiced for over 20 years. Before her current position, Elizabeth was an associate at the Washington, DC office of Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, an intellectual property firm. Before that, Elizabeth served as a law clerk to the Honorable Claude M. Hilton in the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division. Elizabeth earned her J.D. in 1993 from American University, Washington College of Law, and her B.A. in biology from the University of Colorado/Boulder in 1990. Elizabeth is admitted to the bar of Pennsylvania, and she is a registered attorney with the United States Patent & Trademark Office.
Jordan Heinz - Jordan Heinz (he/him) is a partner at Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago and practices in both the intellectual property and general litigation departments. Within the intellectual property department, Jordan focuses on Lanham Act litigation (trademark, false advertising and unfair competition) and trade secret litigation across a broad range of industries. Within the general litigation department, Jordan focuses on complex commercial litigation matters, including employment and consumer fraud litigation. Jordan also helps coordinate the Firm’s pro bono program and currently serves as a Chicago Pro Bono Coordinator. Jordan is counsel for transgender military service members and transgender people seeking to join the military (Karnoski v. Trump) and was counsel for the same-sex couples seeking the right to marry in Illinois (Gray v. Orr & Lee v. Orr) and in Indiana (Baskin v. Bogan).
Jessica Hernandez - Jessica Hernandez is a criminal defense attorney at MayesTelles PLLC with over thirteen years of legal experience. Jessica is an Arizona native, originally from Superior Arizona. She graduated with honors from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. Jessica’s legal experience includes two prestigious federal clerkships with judges on both the U.S. District Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In addition to her experience as a criminal defense attorney and civil litigator, she also worked as a prosecutor with the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office. Throughout her career Jessica handled felony and misdemeanor cases of all types. She has a passion for defending the rights of individuals ad communities who voices too often go unheard, in particular theLGBT and Latino communities.
Tristan Higgins - Tristan has a Bachelors of Art in Theater from the University of California, San Diego and went to California Western School of Law to become an entertainment lawyer. She began her career as a prosecutor for the San Diego City Attorney, and went on to practice entertainment law for the Screen Actors Guild (now, SAG-AFTRA) in Los Angeles. After advising SAG-AFTRA in video game contract negotiations, she joined Sega of America in San Francisco, where she oversaw Sega’s legal needs for North America. She left Sega to join Sony Electronics in San Diego, where she helped establish the digital cinema business worldwide, and advised the component sales divisions in Silicon Valley, Novi, Tel Aviv, and Tokyo on high tech licensing and sales. Tristan co-founded Sony’s LGBT employee resource group, has organized Sony’s participation in the San Diego Pride Parade and Festival, and spearheaded Sony’s participation in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index. In 2012, Tristan received the National LGBT Bar Association’s Out & Proud Corporate Counsel Award and was named one of the 10 Amazing Gay Women in Showbiz by POWER UP, a lesbian filmmaking group. In 2014, she was honored with the Gender Diversity Lawyer of the Year Award by Chambers USA Women In Law. Tristan is an internationally recognized speaker on LGBTQ+ diversity and inclusion. She now focuses her efforts full time on diversity and inclusion speaking and consulting. Tristan is married and has two children, one dog, and two cats.
Josh Langdon Hooser - Josh Langdon Hooser is an attorney at Josh Langdon, LLC where his practice focuses on advocating for LGBTQ clients in Ohio and Kentucky. Josh is known for his candid representation and unique strategies to help clients through the legal process. Josh also serves as a guardian of estates, a guardian ad litem in private custody cases, and a mediator when requested by a party. Josh is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati School of Law and the College of Charleston, South Carolina. Transgender Law Institute
Ping "Hoping" Hou - Hoping is a lawyer from Suzhou in South China who practiced corporate law and founded an LGBTIQ organization before coming the United States for additional legal training. She plans eventually to work helping corporations become better human rights advocates, and currently serves as Global Public Service Fellow at OutRight Action International. Before joining the staff of OutRight, Hoping conducted legal research for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and was a visiting scholar at Columbia Law School, where she earned a second LL.M. and was a Harlan Fiske Stone scholar. At Columbia, Hoping facilitated workshops on gender issues and conducted and published her own independent research. She presented her work in academic and research institutions, including at Yale Law School, the Institute of Current World Affairs, and Sarah Lawrence College. Before her Masters work at Columbia, Hoping was an International Legal Fellow at PILnet: The Global Network for Public Interest Law. At PILnet, she participated in public interest service skills training, such as conflict mediation, documenting of human rights violations, public speaking, storytelling, grant proposal writing, and budget forecasting. She has presented in academic and professional institutions, including Stanford Law School and the New York City Bar Association. She has also consulted with numerous public interest organizations and advocates about strategies for advancing LGBTIQ rights and women's rights internationally. Hoping received her LL.B. in International Economic Law from Nanjing Normal University, and her first LL.M. in International Law from Shandong University.
Hans How - Hans How is the Vice President of AsylumConnect, a tech nonprofit providing the first digital platform for LGBTQ asylum. Hans was selected to be a member of the 2019 NextGen LGBTQ Emerging Leaders Program by Coca-Cola and has been featured in The Daily Beast, The Bay Area Reporter, Malaysiakini, and other outlets. Hans is also a board member of TurnOut, a nonprofit that maximizes the impact of volunteerism to strengthen LGBTQ communities, and serves on the steering committee for Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza, a neighborhood organization in the Castro that strives to create a lasting legacy for Harvey Milk. By day, Hans works in real estate acquisitions and developments for Equity Residential in San Francisco. Hans graduated from Wesleyan University as a Freeman Foundation Scholar.
Nan Hunter - Early in her career, Georgetown Professor Nan Hunter specialized in constitutional and civil rights law as a member of the national legal staff of the American Civil Liberties Union in New York. She has taught as a full-time or visiting professor at Brooklyn Law School, Harvard Law School, the University of Miami Law School, and UCLA Law School, in addition to Georgetown. From 1993 to 1996, she was Deputy General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Professor Hunter’s scholarship has been published in many law journals, and several of her articles have been selected for reprinting in anthologies. With William Eskridge, she wrote the first casebook to conceptualize sexuality and gender law as embodying a dynamic relationship between state regulation, sexual practices, and gender norms. Her most recent law and social movement scholarship focuses on the ramifications of the same-sex marriage campaign for democratic theory.
William Isasi - William Isasi represents governments and companies in various industries on all aspects of antidumping and countervailing duty proceedings and World Trade Organization (WTO) litigation. He joined the firm after serving as an Assistant Chief Counsel at the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of the Chief Counsel for Trade Enforcement & Compliance. In this role, he provided extensive legal advice on trade enforcement to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement & Compliance, Deputy Assistant Secretaries, and other Department officials. Mr. Isasi has argued before international tribunals including the WTO Appellate Body and panels, and the NAFTA Chapter 19 binational panel pertaining to the 2001 Softwood Lumber from Canada antidumping investigation. He managed legal services for several complex antidumping and countervailing duty proceedings, including the recent countervailing duty investigation of Sugar from Mexico. He also managed a number of significant WTO disputes for the Commerce Department including the China CVD 1 (DS 379) and China CVD 2 (DS 437) disputes.
Alesdair Ittelson - Alesdair represents individuals who expand our conceptions of sex and gender and who have experienced discrimination in institutional settings such as schools, hospitals, and juvenile justice facilities. Alesdair has worked with a wide variety of entities including governments, universities, and health care organizations on reducing liability and raising up the voices of youth populations. Prior to joining interACT, Alesdair was the recipient of a Skadden Fellowship and worked at the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama, where he represented trans youth throughout the South.
Andy Izenson - Andy is a passionate advocate and educator around alternative family law and family creation, gender and sexuality, and restorative and transformative justice. This advocacy extends both to education work, including cultural competency trainings for legal professionals, consent and communication workshops at high schools and colleges, and extensive alternative justice system education across the country, as well as to direct services work as an attorney, mediator, consultant, and practitioner of restorative and transformative justice. In Andy’s legal work, they are most passionate about supporting family creation and communication by aiding clients with family agreements, assisted reproduction technology work, and estate planning and advance directives. Andy is also a mediator and practitioner of collaborative divorce and separation, and assists families in restructuring peacefully and compassionately. Andy handles the firm’s sliding scale and pro bono docket, and can serve French- or German-speaking clients as well. Andy is a dedicated member of the LGBTQI Family Professionals of New York, working with New York families to resolve conflict without state intervention, the NYC chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, serving as Vice President, Executive Committee member, and protest support, the selective Family Law Institute of the National LGBT Bar Association, and the Family and Matrimonial Law Committee of the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York. Andy speaks and educates nationwide on these topics, including at New York State Bar Association, the Family and Divorce Mediation Council, the LGBT Bar Association Conference, the Woodhull Sexual Freedom Summit, Creating Change, Skidmore College, Columbia University, New York University, Rutgers University, Cooper Union College, Yale Law School, and Harvard Law School.
Janice Jabido - Janice is the IP Counsel at Pratt & Whitney. Prior to moving in-house, she was an associate at Ropes & Gray LLP and was a 2016 Illinois Super Lawyer Rising Star in 2016. Before becoming a lawyer, Janice was an engineer and worked at Fortune 500 companies.
Mike Jackson - Mike Jackson serves as Director & Employee Relations Counsel at Target’s headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In his role, Mike is the lead employment counsel for and leads a team that supports all of Target’s stores in Target’s Central U.S. region (over 23 states and over 500 stores). Prior to his current role at Target, Mike helped to support Target’s stores on the West Coast along with Target’s asset protection/loss prevention team, and he supported several other key internal projects and initiatives. Mike is actively involved in Target’s Legal Affairs Diversity Action Committee (“DAC”) and, specifically, involved with the DAC’s efforts to build a diverse team. Mike is Target’s liaison to both the National LGBT Bar and MN Lavender Bar and, also, frequently speaks on topics relating to employment law and diversity and inclusion. Mike is also a 2019 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellow, and is also on the regional host committee for the First Chair Awards, an annual awards celebration and conference held in Chicago recognizing contributions by outstanding in-house counsel. Mike has also been recognized this year by the National LGBT Bar as one of its Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers under 40. Prior to Target, Mike held in-house employment counsel roles first with McDonald’s Corporation and, then, The J.M. Smucker Company where he supported the field HR teams at both companies, after several years in private practice at Fisher & Phillips, LLP. Mike and his husband reside in Minneapolis.
Judge Mike Jacobs - Mike Jacobs has served as a judge on the State Court of DeKalb County since June 4, 2015. Prior to his judicial service, Judge Jacobs served ten and a half years in the Georgia House of Representatives. In the Georgia General Assembly, he was chairman of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Oversight Committee (MARTOC), the joint House and Senate committee that oversees the management, budget, and fiscal affairs of Metro Atlanta’s transit system. He also served as chairman of one of the two subcommittees of the House Judiciary Committee. Judge Jacobs received his law degree in 2003, magna cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law, where he was the executive articles editor of the Georgia Law Review. He received his bachelor’s degree in 1997 from Georgetown University. Judge Jacobs is one of only two openly bisexual or pansexual identified judges (state or federal, trial or appellate) in the United States. He came out publicly in April 2018. In 2010, he received the Allen Thornell Political Advancement Award from Georgia Equality for passing a stronger anti-bullying law for public schools. Judge Jacobs is an active member of the International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges, National LGBT Bar Association, Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia, Atlanta Bar Association, and DeKalb Bar Association. He serves on the board of directors of Leadership DeKalb, a community leadership program, and serves as the Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia’s representative on the Judicial Council of Georgia’s Committee on Access to Justice. Judge Jacobs and his wife Evan have three children.
Madiha Jafri - Dr. Madiha Jafri received a BSc in Computer Engineering, MSc in Electrical Engineering and a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Old Dominion University in 2003, 2004 and 2007, respectively. Fully funded by the NASA headquarters, her accelerated PhD studies became the first pioneering work that used artificial intelligence to predict electromagnetic interference patterns on commercial aircraft. While pursuing her doctorate, Dr. Jafri also completed post doctoral research in Biomedical Engineering at the Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center in Hartford, CT in 2007. There, she studied fMRI data and brain behavior and generated models for classification of Schizophrenia using artificial intelligence.
Sylvia James - Sylvia F. James serves as Winston & Strawn’s Director of Diversity & Inclusion. In this role, Sylvia collaborates with key stakeholders to develop and implement the firm’s diversity and inclusion strategy and initiatives; works with the talent management team to enhance the hiring, advancement, retention, and promotion of diverse lawyers; serves as a liaison to clients and external organizations dedicated to fostering diversity in the legal profession; conducts diversity training; and advises on internal and external diversity-related communications. Prior to joining Winston, Sylvia served as the diversity lead for a national law firm for 11 years. In addition, she practiced law as a labor and employment attorney for over a decade. Sylvia is a member of the Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals (ALFDP) and has served as the organization’s president. She is also a member of the Advisory Board for the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession (IILP), and a former commissioner on the American Bar Association’s Diversity and Inclusion 360 Commission. Sylvia received a J.D. from Duke University School of Law and a B.A. in Political Science from Vassar College. Here is a link to my bio – http://www.winston.com/en/who-we-are/attorneys/james-sylvia.html.
Sandy James - Sandy James is a Staff Attorney at FreeState Justice. He represents clients in civil legal matters and conducts policy advocacy and education and outreach work. Previously, Sandy was the Research Director at the National Center for Transgender Equality and lead author of The Report of the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey. In that role, he led a research team in conducting the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey. Sandy has worked on numerous projects involving trans- and LGBQ-related legislation, policy, and research. He earned a J.D. and a Ph.D. in Government from Georgetown University.
Matthew Jannusch - Matthew W. Jannusch is an Assistant State’s Attorney with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, the second largest prosecutor’s office in the nation with more than 800 attorneys. Matthew is in his 18th year in the office and is currently assigned to the Community Justice Unit where he is tasked with reducing violence in Chicago Neighborhoods as well as reaching out to marginalized populations disproportionately affected by violence such as persons affected by mental illness, homeless youth, and transgender people of color, among others. Matthew has previously held assignments within the State’s Attorney’s Office in the Felony Trial Division, Domestic Violence, Mortgage Fraud, Public Corruption, Financial Crimes, and was a supervisor in the Child Support Enforcement Division. Matthew holds the office of President of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group which is part of the larger Diversity and Inclusion Initiative of the office. Matthew is a member of the Board of Directors of the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago (LAGBAC) and currently Chairs both the Diversity and Nominations Committees. He recently stepped down from the LAGBAC Judicial Evaluation Committee after 12 years of service and is currently involved in the LAGBAC mentoring program. Matthew is an active member the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois LGBTQ+ Civil Rights Committee, the North Suburban Bar Association, the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois, the Filipino American Lawyers Association of Chicago, and the Decalogue Society of Lawyers. Along with his bar activities, Matthew is active in other community organizations including the Junior Board for the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind, one of Chicago’s oldest charitable organizations, which raises awareness and funds for visually impaired and blind children ages 0-3. He also participates as a member of his local neighborhood Park Advisory Council. Matthew has been a member of the National LGBT Bar Association since 2007 and has been an enthusiastic recruiter at the Lavender Law Conference and Career Fair for his employer over these many years. Matthew graduated cum laude from Northern Illinois University College of Law in 2001 and was an Assistant Editor of the Law Review.
Beth Jennings - Beth Jennings is an associate attorney at Wharton O’Brien, PLLC. A Utah native, Beth graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno, with a Bachelor of Science in cell and molecular biology. After her undergraduate studies, Beth joined the Teach For America program and spent several years teaching in Title I schools in New York City. Beth’s personal experience with queer family planning and second-parent adoption led her to law school at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis, MN where she earned her Juris Doctor in 2014. After graduation, Beth worked at the Utah State Law Library supported pro se litigants as they completed legal forms and navigated their way through Utah’s legal system. Beth is the newest team member at Wharton O’Brien.
Ashland Johnson - An attorney, equity and inclusion strategist, and former Division I athlete, Ashland Johnson has over a decade of civil rights experience working with social justice communities, advising sports leaders, and serving in leadership roles in advocacy organizations. Ashland recently served as the Director of Public Education & Research for the Human Rights Campaign, executing innovative, data-driven campaigns at the intersections of race, sexual orientation, gender identity, health care, sports, and faith. As a member of HRC’s senior leadership team, Ashland also helped establish and chair HRC’s Racial Equity & Inclusion table to further the organization’s commitment to and engagement with communities of color. Prior to HRC, Ashland served as Athlete Ally's Policy Director, working with sports leaders to promote LGBTQ inclusion both on the field and under the law. She previously served as Policy Counsel for at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, where she helped develop the first national LGBTQ Sports Project. In 2016, Ashland was named as one of the 40 best LGBTQ lawyers under 40 by the National LGBT Bar Association. Ashland has extensive experience working with major sports leagues and associations, including the NBA, NCAA, NFL, USOC, and various national governing bodies to strengthen their social responsibility programming, policies, and platforms at the intersection of inclusion, race, gender, and the law. She recently authored the groundbreaking report, Play to Win: Improving the Lives of LGBTQ Youth in Sports which provides critical insights and action steps for more inclusive sporting spaces. Ashland is a graduate of Furman University, where she was a member of the Varsity Women's Basketball team. She holds a law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law. She is a former National Board member of the American Constitution Society and currently serves on the National Board of Directors for the Point Foundation.
Barbara Jones - Barbara Jones is a member of the State Bar of California and the U.S. Supreme Court Bar. She has been a Senior Attorney with AARP Foundation Litigation’s unit since 2004 where she has worked on a broad spectrum of cases impacting low income adults. She has filed amicus curiae (friend of the court) briefs on behalf of AARP in a variety of cases in the Supreme Court including multiple patent cases impacting low-income adults’ access to health care. While at AARP Foundation, Ms. Jones served as co-counsel in 23 age discrimination class action cases. She has also worked on Social Security, investor fraud, housing, government benefit and arbitration cases. Prior to working for the AARP Foundation, Ms. Jones worked as a Research Attorney for the San Mateo County Superior Court, taught legal research and appellate brief writing at Santa Clara University, School of Law and worked as an attorney for the California Rural Legal Assistance where she served as the state wide employment/labor coordinator. Among the government benefit cases Ms. Jones has argued are: Rosales v. Thompson, 321 F.3d 835 (9th Cir. 2003) (a foster care case described by one commentator as the most significant Title IV- E event since passage of the Child Welfare Act of 1980); California v. Shalala, 166 F.3d 1019 (9th Cir. 1999) Anderson v. Superior Court, 68 Cal.App.4th 1240 (1998) Land v. Anderson, 55 Cal.App.4th 69 (1997).
Ari Joseph - Ari Joseph is Director of Equity, Inclusion and Diversity at Brown Rudnick LLP. Using principles of cognitive psychology and behavioral economics to assess the policies, procedures and cultures of organizations, Ari designs and implements strategies to recruit, retain and advance people from diverse backgrounds, including women, minorities, LGBTQ individuals and first-generation college graduates. He has significant experience in project management, talent management, business and professional development, communications, marketing, public relations, and leadership and executive coaching. Ari was a 2015 Council of Urban Professionals (CUP) Fellow and is a member of the CUP Fellows Board. He is also a strategic adviser for SEO-London and Generation Citizen, is a member of the New York City Bar Association's Diversity Benchmarking Task Force, and has consulted for news media organizations such as Slate.com and the LA Times. In prior roles, Ari practiced Mergers and Acquisitions law, served as Director of Legal Education for a law-related pipeline diversity non-profit, and taught middle school English and Social Studies. He received his J.D. from New York University School of Law and his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Eduardo Juarez - Eduardo Juarez is a Supervisory Trial Attorney with the San Antonio Field Office of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission where he litigates individual, class and systemic lawsuits under the federal civil rights statutes prohibiting employment discrimination. In August 2011, he worked on detail as Special Assistant to EEOC Commissioner Chai Feldblum, the first out lesbian EEOC Commissioner. Before his employment with the EEOC, Mr. Juarez was a Trial Attorney with the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia and began his legal career as an Associate with the law firm of Sidley & Austin in Chicago, Illinois. Eduardo received his B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and his law degree from the University of Michigan. He is active in various LGBT political and professional organizations and is a past Chair of the LGBT Law Section for the State Bar of Texas as well as a past Board member for the National LGBT Bar.
Rachel Kafele - Rachel is the Managing Attorney at Oasis Legal Services and oversees their LGBTQIA+ Asylum Program. Rachel is a graduate of New York University School of Law. Prior to Oasis, she practiced immigration law at the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant where she helped run the LGBTQ/HIV Asylum Program and supervised pro bono attorneys and law students. Rachel also worked as an Assistant Public Defender for three years in Miami-Dade. During law school she interned for the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office and Make the Road New York, an immigrant rights advocacy organization.
Randy Katz - Randy Katz has served as a federal prosecutor for nearly fifteen years at the U.S. Department of Justice. Randy has prosecuted a variety of significant economic crime, drug, violent crime, and child exploitation matters in addition to arguing cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals. In 2008, Randy received the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service, one of the Department’s highest honors, for his role in Florida’s largest health care fraud prosecution. He received the 2010 Timothy Evans Memorial Award, given to the top federal prosecutor in the Southern District of Florida. In 2017, Randy, along with other prosecutors and agents, was awarded the Assistant Attorney General’s (“AAG”) Award for Distinguished Service for what the AAG called “one of the most significant Bank Secrecy Act and consumer fraud cases in history.” Randy was named 2018 Nationwide Prosecutor of the Year by the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association for serving as the lead trial prosecutor and obtaining a conviction in a $20 million financial fraud trial. Randy, along with other prosecutors and agents, received the 2018 Service to America Medal for Law Enforcement and National Security from the Partnership for Public Service for their work on the largest global criminal case against a money service business resulting in over a half a billion dollar financial penalty that was distributed to fraud victims. Randy was appointed by the Chief Judge of Florida’s Seventeenth Judicial Circuit to serve as on the Florida Supreme Court Circuit Professionalism Panel, where he serves as Vice-Chair. He is also Co-Chair of the American Bar Association’s Committee on LGBT Criminal Justice issues. Randy is a graduate of Duke Law School, with high honors, where he served on the Editorial Board of the Duke Law Journal and he graduated, with honors, from the University of Maryland at College Park. Randy clerked for the Honorable Gerald B. Tjoflat of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and worked as a litigation associate at a national law firm.
Danielle King - Danielle King is an Attorney for the Child practicing in Family Court in New York City. At the Legal Aid Society, Danielle has represented youth between the ages of 0-21 years of age in abuse and neglect proceedings and juvenile delinquency pre-petition hearings. As a Black, queer, non-binary, former foster youth, Danielle uses their personal experiences to ensure that Family Court system focus on youth’s actual unique voices and experiences. Danielle is passionate about providing better outcomes for youth involved in the child welfare system, especially LGBTQ youth, youth with disabilities and youth of color. Danielle attained a J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law (2016), a M.A. in Urban Affairs from CUNY-Queens College (2012) and a B.A. in English from Michigan State University (2009). While in law school, Danielle was president of Seton Hall Law’s LGBTQ student group, Lambda Law Alliance, served on the law school’s Diversity Council advocating on behalf of LGBTQ students and assisted in a published 2016 NJ Immigration report entitled “Deportation Without Representation: The Access-to-Justice Crisis Facing New Jersey’s Immigrant Families. Danielle also conducted health law parity research and prepared a presentation for a 2016 Health Law Parity Conference at Seton Hall Law. In addition, Danielle interned at Lambda Legal, drafting an educational packet on the School to Prison Pipeline and how it impacts LGBTQ youth, co-compiling a 50 state survey on state statutes regulating homeless youth shelters which impact Transgender and Gender nonconforming youth, drafting an advocacy letter to encourage the Pennsylvania Attorney General and Philadelphia District Attorney to reopen the investigation into the 2002 homicide of Nizah Morris, a Black Trans woman and entertainer, and responding to help desk inquires and prison legal assistance letters on a variety of LGBTQ related issues.
Bennett Klein - Ben Klein is a Senior Attorney and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders' AIDS Law Project Director since 1994. Ben has litigated cases establishing legal protections for LGBTQ people and people living with HIV. Ben was lead counsel in Bragdon v. Abbott, a 1998 U.S. Supreme Court decision that established protection against discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act for people with HIV. In Massachusetts, Ben won a 2001 decision ensuring equal access to liver transplants for HIV-positive individuals. Ben's HIV litigation has also included AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod v. Town of Barnstable, a 2017 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision establishing the lawfulness of clean syringe distribution, and Doe v. Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company, a case challenging an insurer's exclusion from long-term care insurance of anyone who takes HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which ended in a settlement reversing the insurer's exclusion. In 2008, he argued before the Connecticut Supreme Court in Kerrigan & Mock v. Department of Public Health, which struck down the state exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage. He was also co-counsel in Doe v. Clenchy, the first high court decision establishing the right of transgender students to use restrooms consistent with their gender identities.
James Knapp - James Knapp is Chair of TransOhio and has served as Board member since 2013. A lifelong activist, James first got involved in trans advocacy in 2002, when he spoke to the Akron Public School Board concerning its policy on gender-variant individuals, dress codes, and bullying. Since that time, he has been involved with a number of student, local, state, and national organizations. He continues to speak and educate others on the complex issues facing the LGBTQ communities, focusing on concerns specific to transgender and gender-variant individuals. He has spoken to students, teachers, guidance counselors, social workers, medical professionals, and attorneys, both at private training and conferences. James has a Bachelor of Arts in English and Philosophy from The University of Akron and a Juris Doctor from Cooley Law School. Transgender Law Institute
Sydney Kopp-Richardson - Sydney Kopp-Richardson is the Director of SAGE's National LGBT Elder Housing Initiative, working to reshape the housing landscape nationally and increase the availability of safer LGBT elder housing through policy advocacy, research, and housing development. Previously, Sydney worked in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City in direct service, organizing and advocacy, and policy analysis around affordable housing development. Through an anti-racist framework, Sydney centers the needs of LGBTQ communities, people involved in the justice system, people living with mental health challenges, and others living in the margins. Sydney has developed anti-violence curriculum and policy recommendations for LGBTQ communities and infuses this into her work in housing development and sexual violence prevention in New York City nightlife venues. Sydney brings a reverence for the expertise and legacies of LGBTQ elders in the formation of policies and programming developed to serve them in the fight for collective liberation, and she brings this to SAGE's national housing initiative.
Linda Kornfeld - Linda Kornfeld is a partner in the Insurance Recovery department of BlankRome. She is one of the nation’s most prominent insurance recovery attorneys, representing corporate policyholders in high-stakes litigation for more than 25 years. Using strategic, creative approaches in her trial and appellate practice, Linda assists her clients in the recovery of hundreds of millions of dollars in insurance assets. She is a strategic adviser to senior executives and in-house counsel on mitigating risk and maximizing insurance recoveries.
John Koss - John’s practice focuses exclusively on counseling clients, from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, on litigation readiness/information governance, e-discovery, and large data matters with a focus on commercial litigation, second requests, and government investigations in the life sciences, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare industries. John also directs and oversees Mintz’s Litigation Technology Department coordinating the firm’s vendor partnerships and internal discovery management functions. In both roles, John relies on his extensive experience both in legal practice and discovery project management to help clients. Prior to rejoining the firm in 2016, John led the Boston office of one of the nation’s leading legal services firms, where he worked with in-house legal departments and law firms to create effective and economical legal solutions – incorporating flexible staffing, reliable workflows, and technology – in a wide variety of practice areas including litigation, compliance, employment, corporate transactions, and contracts management. During his initial tenure at Mintz, John was a founding member of the firm’s Electronic Discovery Practice Group. He was also an active member of the firm’s Product Liability and Complex Tort Litigation Practice Group. John maintained a diverse litigation and counseling practice with a particular focus on serving as national trial, strategy, and discovery counsel for pharmaceutical/device and biotechnology clients involved in serial litigation. In this role, he also advised on information governance and the coordination of companywide and multinational discovery efforts. Outside of the office, John lectures, speaks and writes frequently on issues of e-discovery law, information governance, and data privacy. John teaches E-Discovery Law at Suffolk University Law School. John previously taught legal writing at Suffolk and Boston University School of Law.
Zachary Launer - Zachary Launer focuses primarily on natural gas and liquids pipeline regulatory work before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and state public utilities commissions. He handles both certificate and rate case proceedings, as well as transactional, compliance, and general regulatory counseling. Prior to joining Hogan Lovells, Zack worked at International Bridges to Justice where he helped run the JusticeMakers program. He then worked at the Human Rights Campaign as staff counsel involved in campaign finance issues, lobbying efforts, and day-to-day legal matters. While in law school, Zack was a managing editor of the Minnesota Law Review and a legal writing instructor.
Judge Robert Lee - Judge Lee received his J.D. with honors from the University of Florida where he was a Senior Editor on the Law Review and was awarded a teaching fellowship. Although his practice primarily involved commercial litigation, he received the Individual Attorney Support Award from Legal Aid of Broward County for pro bono work involving mental health issues. His wide community involvement has included the Broward Education Foundation; Broward United Against Discrimination; the Broward Human Rights Initiative; the Broward County Hispanic Bar Association; and the Stonewall National Museum and Archives. In 1997, the Florida Governor appointed Lee to the Broward County Court, where he has served in both the Criminal and Civil Divisions. As chair of the Broward County Canvassing Board, he presided over the historic 2000 Presidential Recount. In 2016, he was bestowed the Chief Justice Award for Judicial Excellence, as well as the President’s Award for Outstanding Service. In August 2018, he was re-elected in a contested race to serve another six-year term. Judge Lee has more than a dozen published articles appearing in various legal publications. He has presided over more than 350 jury trials and has more than 500 published legal decisions. Judge Lee currently serves as an Acting Circuit Judge and the Chair of the Civil Division of the Broward County Court. He serves by appointment of the Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court to the Judicial Management Council and the Florida Access to Civil Justice Commission, as well as being Chair of Education for the Conference of County Court Judges of Florida and a member of the Florida Court Education Council.
James Leipold - Jim is the Executive Director of the National Association for Law Placement (NALP), a position he has held since 2004. Prior to joining NALP, he worked at the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) for five and a half years. Prior to joining LSAC in 1998, he was the director of admission at Temple University School of Law, where he was also an instructor in legal writing and research. He is a magna cum laude graduate of Brown University and Temple University School of Law. He is one of the leading experts on the entry-level legal employment market and speaks and writes frequently on trends in legal employment for recent law school graduates.
Melissa Lennon - Melissa is the Assistant Dean of Career Services. Previously, she practiced law at Stradley, Ronon, Stevens & Young in Philadelphia for four years as a litigator, and eventually became the firm's Director of Associate Development. She has been at Temple's Career Services Office since 2005. Melissa has served in a variety of leadership roles, including a term on NALP's Board of Directors from 2013-2015 and as the organization's President from 2018-2019. She is a graduate of Temple Law School and Temple University Fox School of Business.
Eric Lesh - Eric Lesh is the Executive Director of The LGBT Bar Association and Foundation of Greater New York (LeGaL). Prior to joining LeGaL, Eric was the Fair Courts Project Director for Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and individuals living with HIV. In his role, Eric focused his efforts on eliminating bias in the legal system, increasing diversity of the judicial bench, and expanding access to justice for LGBT people and those with HIV. He has trained attorneys and judges across the country, briefed federal courts on issues ranging from juror discrimination to judicial misconduct, and assisted court users through Lambda Legal’s help desk and educational resources. Eric has written and presented educational programs for legal professionals on topics like: Addressing Racial, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Bias in Jury Selection and Emerging Transgender Legal Issues for Family Court Judges. In 2017, his publication, Justice Out of Balance: How Judicial Elections and a Stunning Lack of Diversity on State Courts Threatens LGBT Rights was featured by Adam Liptak in the New York Times. Eric’s articles have been published in the Family Court Review and Artificial Intelligence and Law, the Washington Post, The L.A. Times, and The Advocate. He has spoken on panels with state supreme court justices and federal judges. In 2017, he was recognized as one of the Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40 by the National LGBT Bar Association.
Dru Levasseur - M. Dru Levasseur serves as Deputy Program Officer for the National LGBT Bar, working to deepen the Bar’s programmatic work around the country and increase outreach to and education for constituencies including law schools and students, law firms, and corporations. Previously, Dru was Senior Attorney and Transgender Rights Project Director for Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of LGBTQ+ people and people living with HIV. During almost a decade at Lambda Legal, Dru served as counsel in landmark transgender rights impact litigation, contributed to important amicus briefs, and advocated on behalf of transgender people nationwide. Dru was also instrumental in the creation and development of Lambda Legal’s Transgender Rights Project in 2013, as well as Lambda’s Trans Toolkit. Prior to joining Lambda Legal, Dru was the first staff attorney at Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, and before that, served as a law clerk in the Massachusetts Superior Court. In 2007, Dru co-founded the Jim Collins Foundation, a trans-led national nonprofit that funds surgeries for transgender people in need. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts, and his law degree from Western New England University School of Law.
Jennifer L. Levi - Jennifer L. Levi is the director of GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD)’s Transgender Rights Project and a nationally recognized expert on transgender legal issues. She is one of two transgender attorneys leading the legal fight against President Trump’s transgender military ban in both Doe v. Trump and Stockman v. Trump. Levi’s precedent-setting transgender rights cases include: O’Donnabhain v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue (2010), which established that medical care relating to gender transition qualifies for a medical tax deduction; Adams v. Bureau of Prisons (2011), which successfully challenged a federal prison policy excluding medical care for 2019 transgender inmates who came into the system without a transition-related medical plan; and Doe v. Clenchy (2014), in which the first state high court ruled that a transgender girl must be fully integrated into her public elementary school as a girl, including having full and equal access to restrooms. In Doe v. MA DOC, Levi currently represents an incarcerated transgender woman seeking to be transferred to a women’s correctional facility who is challenging the exclusion of transgender people from the protections of the American with Disabilities Act. Levi was co-counsel in two landmark marriage equality cases, winning the freedom to marry for same-sex couples in Massachusetts (Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, 2003) and Connecticut (Kerrigan v. Department of Public Health, 2008), and recently secured a groundbreaking child-centered parentage ruling at the Vermont Supreme Court in Sinnott v. Peck (2017). Levi is a law professor at Western New England University, co-editor of Transgender Family Law: A Guide to Effective Advocacy (2012), and serves on the Legal Committee of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. She is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School and a former law clerk to the Honorable Judge Michael Boudin at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Transgender Law Institute
Rebecca Levin - Rebecca is a partner with Jerner & Palmer, P.C. whose practice is devoted to family law in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Rebecca has been counsel for non-biological intended parents in a number of contested parentage cases. Rebecca educates attorneys, judges and community members on family law issues affecting the LGBT community and has presented at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, New Jersey Judicial Education Program, Equality Forum, and other community organizations. Rebecca is the Programming Chair of the National LGBT Bar Association’s Family Law Institute, . She is the past chair of the LGBT Rights Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association. Rebecca serves on the Editorial Board of the New Jersey Lawyer Magazine and has been nationally recognized as one of the top 40 LGBT attorneys under 40.
Larry Levine - After graduating from University of California, Hastings College of the Law with honors, Professor Levine clerked for Judge Eugene F. Lynch (U.S. District Court, Northern District of California). He then was an associate with Morrison & Foerster in San Francisco for two years. Professor Levine was also an adjunct faculty member of UC Hastings College of Law before coming to McGeorge in 1985. Professor Levine has authored several books and articles on the subject of torts. He is the co-author of A Torts Anthology and is a co-author of the torts treatise, Understanding Torts, and a torts casebook, Tort Law and Practice. Professor Levine has been a frequent panelist, lecturer, and speaker on legal issues involving torts and sexual orientation. He has served on the State Bar Committee on Sexual Orientation Discrimination as well as the board of directors of the AIDS Legal Referral Panel of Northern California and Sacramento Lawyers for the Equality of Gays and Lesbians. He was the chairperson of the Law School Admission Council’s (LSAC) Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Issues Subcommittee and a member of LSAC’s Services and Programs committee. Professor Levine served on the Board of Directors of the National Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association and is a member of the American Law Institute. Professor Levine is a member of the American Law Institute. He has been a visiting professor of law at UC Hastings College of the Law, UC Davis and at New York Law School.
Karen Levit - Karen Levit is an Attorney for the Child at the Legal Aid Society of New York. She has worked in the Juvenile Rights Practice at Legal Aid for seven years, representing youth in Queens Family Court abuse and neglect proceedings. She continues to represent those young people when they become respondent parents while still in care on a case-by-case basis. She presented on \"When Adolescents Become Parents\" at the 2018 National Child Welfare, Juvenile Justice & Family Law Conference. She is also on the Secondary Traumatic Stress Committee at Legal Aid, providing trainings on the subject to staff, interns, and law students. Karen is involved in the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys, the union that represents Legal Aid lawyers, having previously served as an alternate Vice President for Queens and Manhattan and currently serving as a delegate for Queens. Karen holds a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She graduated with a B.A., magna cum laude, in English Literature and Jewish Studies from the City College of New York. In law school, she co-chaired the Feminist Working Group and arranged speaker events. She also interned at the Juvenile Law Center, researching issues including disproportionate minority contact with the juvenile justice system, emancipation laws by state, practice issues in representing juveniles with autism spectrum disorders, and education rights of juveniles in state custody or pre-adjudication proceedings in the juvenile justice system."}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":15233,"3":{"1":0},"10":0,"11":4,"12":0,"14":{"1":2,"2":0},"15":"Calibri","16":12}">Karen Levit, Esq., Staff Attorney, Legal Aid Society Karen Levit is an Attorney for the Child at the Legal Aid Society of New York. She has worked in the Juvenile Rights Practice at Legal Aid for seven years, representing youth in Queens Family Court abuse and neglect proceedings. She continues to represent those young people when they become respondent parents while still in care on a case-by-case basis. She presented on “When Adolescents Become Parents” at the 2018 National Child Welfare, Juvenile Justice & Family Law Conference. She is also on the Secondary Traumatic Stress Committee at Legal Aid, providing trainings on the subject to staff, interns, and law students. Karen is involved in the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys, the union that represents Legal Aid lawyers, having previously served as an alternate Vice President for Queens and Manhattan and currently serving as a delegate for Queens. Karen holds a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She graduated with a B.A., magna cum laude, in English Literature and Jewish Studies from the City College of New York. In law school, she co-chaired the Feminist Working Group and arranged speaker events. She also interned at the Juvenile Law Center, researching issues including disproportionate minority contact with the juvenile justice system, emancipation laws by state, practice issues in representing juveniles with autism spectrum disorders, and education rights of juveniles in state custody or pre-adjudication proceedings in the juvenile justice system.
Noah Lewis - Noah E. Lewis, Esq., is the founder and executive director of Transcend Legal, a national, New York City-based organization focused on eliminating barriers to insurance coverage for transgender-related health care. Noah previously worked for the Transgender Law Center, the National LGBTQ Task Force, and served as the staff attorney at Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund for five years. He is the Chair of the NYC Bar Association’s LGBT Rights Committee and is a past recipient of the Committee’s Arthur S. Leonard Award recognizing compelling commitment to LGBT equality through the law. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Noah is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and was the first openly transgender student to graduate from Harvard Law School where he worked to eliminate trans exclusions from the student and staff health plans.
Gregory Lewis -
Angela Lim - Angela is licensed in both Texas and California and started out her career clerking for a Bankruptcy Judge in Dallas, Texas. Her experience has also included practicing in law firms as well as providing counsel to large multi-national technology companies and small venture-backed firms. For the past seven years, she has been involved in venture backed companies focusing on Digital Health. She is currently at Grasshopper Ventures.
Karen Loewy - Karen L. Loewy is Senior Counsel and Seniors Strategist for Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV. Ms. Loewy is involved in all aspects of Lambda Legal’s impact litigation, policy advocacy and public education, with particular emphasis on issues affecting LGBT and HIV-positive seniors. Ms. Loewy joined the Lambda Legal team in 2013 after over a decade as an attorney for GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), where she engaged in LGBT impact litigation and policy work throughout New England.
L. James Lyman - L. James Lyman is currently Senior Counsel in the Division of Enforcement at the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, where he investigates possible violations of securities laws, and recommends Commission action when appropriate, either in federal court or before an administrative law judge. Prior to joining the SEC, James was an attorney at Arnold & Porter (now Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP), where he served as lead Plaintiffs’ counsel in Guzzo v. Mead—a pre-Obergefell case that brought marriage equality to Wyoming in October 2014. Finance Law Institute
Rear Adm. Carol Lynch - Rear Adm. Carol Lynch is a native of Fall River, Massachusetts. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, in 1981 and her Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School, Boston, Massachusetts, in 1984. She entered active duty in 1986. Her active duty assignments included Naval Legal Service Office (NLSO), Newport, Rhode Island, as legal assistance attorney and defense counsel; USS Lexington (AVT 16) as the legal officer; NLSO Pensacola, Florida, as the Personnel Services (Defense and Legal Assistance) Department head, the Claims Department head and the Command Services Department head. She also served as special assistant United States attorney (SAUSA) for the Northwest District of Florida. Lynch transitioned to the Navy Reserve component in 1993 and since then has served in a variety of Navy Reserve Law Program community management positions and Selected Reserve billets. She had two command tours with Navy Reserve (NR) Navy Judge Advocate General (NAVJAG) 108 in support of the Criminal Law Division of the Office of the Judge Advocate General (OJAG) and with NR Navy and Marine Corps Appellate Review Activity (NAMARA) Defense. Her post command tours were as staff judge advocate for Navy Region Southeast Reserve Component Command and as the Reserve Deputy Force judge advocate for Commander, Navy Reserve Forces Command and the Navy Reserve Law Program Military Justice Pillar lead. Her other reserve assignments were as executive officer, NR Civil Law Support Activity 108 in support of the Legal Assistance Division of OJAG, and with the Personnel Mobilization Team (PERSMOBTEAM) and NR Legal Service Office (LSO) Central. She assumed duties as deputy judge advocate general (reserve affairs and operations) and deputy commander, Naval Legal Service Command in October 2016. Her personal decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal (four awards), Navy Commendation Medal (two awards) and the Navy Achievement Medal (three awards). In civilian practice, she is counsel, Naval Education and Training Command, and is licensed to practice law in Florida and Massachusetts.
Laura Maechtlen - Laura J. Maechtlen is the National Chair of the Labor and Employment Department at Seyfarth Shaw LLP and is the Co-Chair of the Firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Action Tea practice is focused on employment litigation and includes the defense of class, collective and representative actions. Laura also has experience litigating against the Equa Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) in systemic actions, both at the early charge stage a large-scale EEOC pattern-and-practice litigation. In addition to her litigation practice, Laura also provides day-to-day counseling and advice to clients about the various law —ecting the employment relationship. Laura is a national leader on issues related to diversity and inclusion in the legal industry, and has held a variety of leadership positions through which she has advocated systemic improvement in the legal industry in the areas of diversity and inclusion. She currently serves as the Chair Emeritus of the Board of Directors for the California M Counsel Program, as well as the Executive Committee for Lambda Legal. She is a previous Latina Commissioner for the Hispanic National Bar Association, President of the National LGBT Bar Association, and Fellow for the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD). Laura speaks and publishes regularly on a variety of employment law and litigation topics, and issues regarding diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, and has bee quoted on those topics by the San Francisco Chronicle, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Reuters, The Recorder, Vogue, The Daily Journal, the Insurance Journal, CIO.com, Emplo Law 360, and others. She has also served as a contributing editor to multiple editions of The Fair Labor Standards Act (ABA) and The Developing Labor Law (BNA). Corporate Counsel Institute
Bendita Malakia - Bendita Cynthia Malakia is driven by her values of abundance, ambition, fearlessness, growth and significance, and draws on her experiences as a large law firm lawyer financing African projects, in-house counsel at International Finance Corporation and Goldman Sachs, a diversity consultant for legal departments, law firms and non-profits, a certified professional coach, and a terrorist attack survivor to catalyze change in individuals and institutions in a conservative industry. Bendita’s story reveals that attaining and succeeding in these positions involves (1) realism and the long game, (2) having a compelling story, (3) strategic investments in self and inspiring investments from others, and (4) perpetual preparation for the pivot.
Adeel Mangi - Adeel Mangi is a litigator, concentrating his practice in complex commercial disputes. He has particular experience in false advertising and pharmaceutical industry litigation. In 2018 and 2017, based upon work pioneered and led by Mr. Mangi, Patterson Belknap was awarded the “Legal Leadership Award” by the American Civil Liberties Union—New Jersey; the “Champions of Justice” award by the Muslim Bar Association of New York; the “Religious Liberty Award” (2018) and the “Landmark” litigation award (2017) by the New Jersey Muslim Lawyers Association; and the Trailblazer Award by the South Asian Bar Association of New Jersey. Mr. Mangi was also declared Pro Bono Attorney of the Year by the South Asian Bar Association of New York. Also in 2017, Mr. Mangi Chaired the Federal Bar Council’s annual Law Day Dinner celebrating the Rule of Law before some 850 attorneys and federal judges. Mr. Mangi has been recognized by numerous industry groups. In 2016, 2017 and 2018 Mr. Mangi was named to Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC’s Benchmark: America’s Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys’ “Hot List”. The list recognizes “the achievements of the nation’s most accomplished legal partners” ages 40 and under. The publication notes that peers refer to him as “meticulous and relentless,” and “an unflappable whiz at everything he does.” In 2015, Benchmark also listed Mr. Mangi as a 2016 “Future Star” for New York, which recognizes lawyers “seen as on the cusp of established stardom by the market, [who] play a vital role in illustrating a firm’s bench strength and its generational succession plan.” Mr. Mangi was previously named a “2014 Rising Star” by the New York Law Journal, which recognizes the most promising lawyers under the age of 40 who have demonstrated that they are top contributors to the practice of law and their communities; a “Rising Star” by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association’s Diversity & the Bar magazine, which selected 12 up-and-coming attorneys for 2014; and as one of the National Asian and Pacific American Bar Association’s “Best Lawyers Under 40” for 2014. Mr. Mangi is also a 2013 graduate of the Microsoft Litigation Group’s highly prestigious Trial Advocacy Academy. Mr. Mangi joined the Firm in 2000 upon his graduation from Harvard Law School with an LL.M. Mr. Mangi was at Harvard as a Kennedy Memorial Scholar. Prior to that time, Mr. Mangi qualified as a British Barrister at Law as a Member of the Honorable Society of Lincoln’s Inn, during which time his two-person team won the National Bar Providers Moot Court Competition. Mr. Mangi also holds a First Class Degree in Law from the University of Oxford (Pembroke College), where he held the Roger Bannister Scholarship for Academics and Sports and Domus scholarships. Mr. Mangi’s two-person team was also the winner of the Oxford University Inner Temple Moot Court Competition. Mr. Mangi serves on the Boards of Directors of the Legal Aid Society, the National LGBT Bar Association, and Muslims for Progressive Values, and on the Advisory Boards of the Alliance of Families for Justice and the Center for Security, Race and Rights. He previously served six terms on the Board of the Muslim Bar Association of New York.
Angie Martell - Angie Martell is the founder and managing partner of Iglesia Martell Law Firm, PLLC in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She has practiced law for over 29 years. In her holistic law practice, she works in a variety of areas, including family, mediation, peace-keeping circles, criminal, immigration, and business law, and also advocates for the LGBTQIA, Spanish-speaking, and Deaf communities. In 2014, she was the recipient of The Washtenaw County Bar Association’s Martin Luther King "I Have a Dream" Award for her work building trust between the community and the legal system, and for tireless devotion to securing fair and equal treatment for all individuals under the law. She also served as Co-Chair of Washtenaw County’s LGBTQ Rights section. She is a past Cooperating Attorney with LAMBDA Legal Defense and Education Fund and National Center for Lesbian Rights: co-wrote the amicus brief, In the Matter of Sharon Kowalski, Court of Appeals for the State of Minnesota. Angie is admitted to practice in New York, Michigan, and Massachusetts. Angie graduated with a Masters of Law from Harvard Law School and a Juris Doctor from the City University of New York Law School.
Joann Mazur Kielblock - Joann Mazur Kielblock is a Vice President and Corporate Counsel supporting Prudential’s Group Insurance business unit. In this role, she is responsible for advising the Group Life Insurance operations, including the Office of Servicemember’s Group Life Insurance (OSGLI), and PruBenefit Funding (Prudential’s corporate-, bank- and trust-owned life insurance business) relating to the delivery of products, services and benefits to group customers and their covered employees or members. Joann’s career with Prudential began in 2001 as a Law Clerk in the Individual Insurance Law unit while attending law school as an evening student. Upon graduation in 2003, Joann engaged in private practice in New York and New Jersey. Joann rejoined Prudential in 2007, as a Director and Corporate Counsel in the Group Insurance Law unit, and was promoted to Vice President and Corporate Counsel in 2010. From 2015 to 2017, Joann performed a two-year rotational assignment within the Federal Regulatory Law unit to work on the firm’s Resolution and Recovery Plans pursuant to the firm’s non-bank systemically important financial institution (SIFI) designation under Dodd-Frank. Immediately following her rotation, Joann worked in the Individual Life and Annuities law unit, advising the Individual Life and Annuities operations relating to the acquired blocks of business in individual life and variable annuities. In September 2017, Joann rejoined Group Insurance law. Joann is actively involved in Prudential’s inclusion and diversity efforts, including serving as Co-Chair of the Law, Compliance, Business Ethics and External Affairs (LCBE) Diversity and Inclusion Council from October 2012 to March 2015. Joann also participates in several pro bono clinics. For the past three years, Joann serves as Prudential’s liaison to the National LGBT Bar Association. Joann earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from New York University and has a law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law.
William D. McColl - William D. McColl, Esq., the Vice President for Policy and Advocacy for AIDS United, has been an advocate on behalf of the HIV/AIDS community, alcohol and other drug treatment and reform issues and criminal justice reform for over 20 years. He works on implementation of health care reform, strengthening Medicaid, Medicare and the Ryan White CARE Act, implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, syringe service program issues and ending HIV-specific prosecutions, increased punishment, and government-sponsored discrimination against people with HIV. Prior to joining AIDS United, Mr. McColl worked to shape national policies on syringe exchange, treatment instead of incarceration, and drug policy reform as the national affairs director at Drug Policy Alliance. As director of government relations and later executive director of NAADAC: The Association for Addiction Professionals, he worked on alcohol and substance abuse parity legislation and state level licensing issues. Earlier, he served in the U.S. Air Force as a Deputy Missile Combat Crew Member advancing to the rank of Captain in the U.S.A.F. Reserve. A native of Michigan, he earned his law degree at the University of Maryland School of Law where he wrote the first major law review article on drug courts. He also holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan and an M.S. in International Relations from Troy State University."}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":15104,"11":4,"12":0,"14":{"1":2,"2":0},"15":"Calibri","16":12}">William D. McColl, Esq., AIDS United William D. McColl, Esq., the Vice President for Policy and Advocacy for AIDS United, has been an advocate on behalf of the HIV/AIDS community, alcohol and other drug treatment and reform issues and criminal justice reform for over 20 years. He works on implementation of health care reform, strengthening Medicaid, Medicare and the Ryan White CARE Act, implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, syringe service program issues and ending HIV-specific prosecutions, increased punishment, and government-sponsored discrimination against people with HIV. Prior to joining AIDS United, Mr. McColl worked to shape national policies on syringe exchange, treatment instead of incarceration, and drug policy reform as the national affairs director at Drug Policy Alliance. As director of government relations and later executive director of NAADAC: The Association for Addiction Professionals, he worked on alcohol and substance abuse parity legislation and state level licensing issues. Earlier, he served in the U.S. Air Force as a Deputy Missile Combat Crew Member advancing to the rank of Captain in the U.S.A.F. Reserve. A native of Michigan, he earned his law degree at the University of Maryland School of Law where he wrote the first major law review article on drug courts. He also holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan and an M.S. in International Relations from Troy State University.
Amily McCool - Amily McCool is a queer ciswoman (she/her/hers) who has worked in the IPV field for almost 20 years. She has prosecuted IPV crimes in NC’s capital city, served as the Legal & Policy Director for NC’s statewide DV non-profit for 5 years, and currently represents IPV survivors in civil, criminal, and Title IX cases through private practice. Amily is one of the attorneys currently representing a queer IPV survivor in an challenge to NC’s discriminatory IPV statute at the NC Court of Appeals. In addition she is a certified instructor for NC’s law enforcement and trains law enforcement regularly on IPV intervention, including specifically on responding to IPV in the LGBTQ community. Amily is an aspiring anti-oppressionist and strives to center the varied survivor voices in her work. Amily attended North Carolina State University, graduating with a Bachelors in Psychology. She received both her Masters of Social Work and Law Degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She teaches Sexual Violence & the Law as an Adjunct Associate Professor at UNC-CH School of Law.
Susanna McDonald - Susanna McDonald is the Vice Present and Chief Legal Officer of the Association of Corporate Counsel.
Colleen McGarry - Colleen is a skilled litigation attorney who represents clients in a wide range of complex business and commercial disputes. She represents financial institutions, insurance companies, real property owners, developers, landlords, equipment lessors and other corporate entities in a variety of distressed commercial real estate matters, including bankruptcy and foreclosure proceedings involving hotels, residential and commercial development projects, and retail malls. She also advises commercial real estate owners in managing property tax appeals and other matters in the Minnesota Tax Court. In addition to her litigation practice, Colleen counsels individual clients regarding wills, trusts, and other vehicles of estate administration.
Brian McGinnis - Brian J. McGinnis is an Associate in the Labor & Employment Department of Fox Rothschild LLP. He is a magna cum laude graduate of Rutgers University School of Law and a former Executive Editor of the Rutgers University Law Review. A founding member of Fox Rothschild’s LGBTQ & Allies Initiative, Brian also serves on the Executive Committee of the Independence Business Alliance, the LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce for the greater Philadelphia region.
Sharon McGowan - Sharon M. McGowan is the Chief Strategy Officer and Legal Director of Lambda Legal, the country’s largest and oldest legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and individuals living with HIV. Relying on her litigation expertise and her experience in the Obama administration, Sharon leads the Legal Department’s talented team of over thirty attorneys and paraprofessionals who advocate for our community in courtrooms, statehouses, and other venues throughout the country. As Legal Director, Sharon oversees Lambda Legal’s efforts to resist any attempt by the Trump Administration – or any other opponent of LGBTQ equality – to thwart or roll back our community’s progress toward full formal and lived equality. Sharon joined Lambda Legal in February 2017 as its Director of Strategy, and established Lambda Legal’s Washington, D.C. office. Previously, McGowan served as the Principal Deputy Chief of the Appellate Section of the Civil Rights Division in Department of Justice. In addition to supervising attorneys working on a broad range of civil rights appellate matters in the U.S. Supreme Court and federal courts of appeals, McGowan advised Department of Justice leadership on high-profile and sensitive litigation and policy matters relating to sexual orientation and gender identity, and served as co-chair of the Division’s Lesbian, Gay Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) Working Group. McGowan served as a law clerk to the Honorable Norman H. Stahl, U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and as a law clerk to the Honorable Helen G. Berrigan, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. McGowan is a graduate of Harvard Law School and the University of Virginia.
Carrington “Rusty” Mead - Attorney Carrington Madison Mead has been practicing law, as a solo practitioner, since 2004. He is admitted to practice in Florida, and the Florida Northern and Middle District Courts of Florida. He received a bachelor’s in Sociology from the University of North Florida with a minor in accounting. His practices areas include: family, military & veteran’s benefits and compensation, estate planning, probate and guardianship law, with a concentration in military and LGBT families. Mr. Mead has been recognized by many organizations for his work for the less fortunate, and his advocacy, by multiple organizations both prior and after becoming an attorney. He is a vetted member of the Family Law Institute, co-sponsored by the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the National LGBT Bar Association. He is a regular trainer for the International Transgender Institute Association’s Board Certification in Transgender Therapy program, and speaks often at colleges and workplaces on legal issues involving the LGBT community. He lives in Jacksonville with his wife, and furry and feathered companions. He has a daughter and son-in-law, and when possible, loves a good weekend of camping and/or fishing.
Shawn Thomas Meerkamper - Shawn Thomas Meerkamper is a Senior Staff Attorney at Transgender Law Center and identifies as a genderqueer, anti-racist, social justice lawyer. They re-joined TLC after a short stint at the ACLU of Nevada, where they worked on issues ranging from LGBT prisoners’ rights to civil asset forfeiture. Previously, Shawn spent two years as a legal fellow at TLC where they were part of the team in Norsworthy v. Beard and Quine v. Beard—two cases that forced the California prison system to radically revise its policies regarding incarcerated transgender people—as well as In Re Change of Birth Certificate, which reduced barriers to gender-appropriate identity documents for rural transgender Indianans. Shawn is a graduate of George Washington University and UCLA School of Law’s Critical Race Studies program. In law school, they fought for formerly incarcerated people at A New Way of Life Reentry Project, undocumented workers at the National Day Laborers’ Organizing Network, and homeless newspaper vendors at the ACLU of Tennessee. They are the author of Contesting Sex Classification: The Need for Genderqueers as a Cognizable Class, which was published in the 2012 edition of the Dukeminier Awards Journal. Transgender Law Institute
Emily Meyer - Emily Meyer (she/her/hers) is an attorney in the Equality Ohio Legal Clinic. She graduated from the University of Dayton School of Law in 2008. After a number of years practicing intellectual property law in Cincinnati, including both transactional and litigation work, she returned to graduate school to pursue an M.A. in Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies from the University of Cincinnati. Emily is committed to LGBTQ equality as well as gender and racial justice and the intersections therein. She is a founding member of both the Cincinnati Women’s Fund’s Engagement Committee and the YP Board of Cincinnati Works, a local nonprofit working towards poverty reduction by connecting job seekers with employment training and opportunities. Emily is admitted to practice in the State of Ohio and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. She is based in Equality Ohio’s Cleveland office.
Richard Milstein - Richard C. Milstein is a renowned champion for equal justice and pro-bono legal services and the 2019 recipient of The Florida Bar Foundation’s Medal of Honor for his representation of disadvantaged individuals and vulnerable communities. A partner in Akerman's Tax Practice Group, he concentrates his practice on fiduciary litigation as well as standard, complex, and high-conflict trust, probate, estate, and guardianship litigation in addition to administration and family law matters. Richard provides life and estate planning advice to moderate and high-net-worth individuals and families focusing on innovative planning solutions for alternative families and same-sex couples. Richard is a past president of the Dade County Bar and the current chair of the Probate Committee. He is also a fellow of the American College and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). A sought-after speaker, Richard is a representative on three national think tanks dealing with the issues of guardianship and the development of legislation and protocols in various states. For his groundbreaking work as a legal professional and humanitarian, The Dade County Bar Association has designated an award in his honor, the "Richard C. Milstein Award of Excellence.”
Kevin Minoli - Kevin S. Minoli is a Partner with Alston & Bird, where he leads the firm’s Environment, Land Use & Natural Resources Group in Washington, D.C. Prior to moving to private practice, Kevin spent 18 years with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of General Counsel, where he served as both Acting General Counsel for the first year of the Trump Administration and as Principal Deputy General Counsel—EPA’s highest-ranking career attorney position — from 2013-2018. His responsibilities included providing legal counsel on environmental programs and operations nationwide, serving as EPA’s Designated Agency Ethics Official, and preparing several senior agency officials for congressional hearings as EPA’s lead on congressional oversight matters. Recently, Kevin was elected to the Board of Directors of the EPA Alumni Association. Throughout his career, Kevin has been a leader and champion of workforce diversity and inclusion efforts, particularly on workplace equality for LGBTQ+ employees. Kevin was instrumental in EPA’s decision to allow employees to voluntarily self-identify their sexual orientation and gender identity alongside other workforce demographic data used to ensure an equal opportunity workplace. His efforts have been recognized by EPA, with the Managerial Leadership Award and the Suzanne E. Olive Award for Exemplary Leadership in National Equal Employment Opportunity, and by the LGBT Bar Association, which included Kevin in its 40 Under 40 list in 2015.
Shannon Minter - Shannon Minter is the Legal Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), one of the nation’s leading advocacy organizations for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. Minter was lead counsel for same-sex couples in the landmark California marriage equality case which held that same-sex couples have the fundamental right to marry and that laws that discriminate based on sexual orientation are inherently discriminatory and subject to the highest level of constitutional scrutiny. Minter was also NCLR’s lead attorney in Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, a U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding student group policies prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and rejecting the argument that such policies violated a student group’s rights to freedom of speech, religion, and association. NCLR represented Hastings Outlaw, an LGBT student group who intervened to help defend the nondiscrimination policy. In 2009, Minter was named a California Lawyer of the Year by California Lawyer. In 2008, he was named among six Lawyers of the Year by Lawyers USA and among California’s Top 100 Lawyers by the legal publication The Daily Journal. He also received the 2008 Dan Bradley Award from the National Gay and Lesbian Bar Association for outstanding work in marriage cases and was the recipient of the Cornell Law School Exemplary Public Service Award. In 2005, Minter was one of 18 people to receive the Ford Foundation’s Leadership for a Changing World award. In 2004, he was awarded an Honorary Degree from the City University of New York School of Law for his advocacy on behalf of same-sex couples and their families. Shannon has also received the Anderson Prize Foundation’s Creating Change Award by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the Distinguished National Service Award from GAYLAW, the bar association for LGBT lawyers, law students, and legal professionals in Washington, D.C., Cornell Law School’s Exemplary Public Service Award, the Unity Award from Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom, the Advocacy Award from the San Francisco Bar Association, and the Justice Award from Equality California. Minter serves on the boards of Faith in America and the Transgender Law & Policy Institute. He has previously served on the American Bar Association Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. Minter received his J.D. from Cornell Law School in 1993. He is originally from Texas.
Sahar Moazami - Sahar Moazami is a New York State bar admitted attorney with a focus on international human rights law. Sahar is a first generation Iranian-American born in London but primarily raised in New York. They attended Boston University for their undergraduate degree, majoring in Political Science and minoring in American and Persian history. Upon graduation, Sahar volunteered with the AmeriCorps FEMA Corps program, traveling the United States for 10 months aiding disaster survivors. After completing the 10 month service position Sahar returned to New York to attend Fordham Law School. Sahar obtained her Juris Doctor from Fordham Law School in 2017. As a student at Fordham Law, they heavily engaged in student activism through leadership positions in a number of student groups including the Coalition of Concerned Students, the National Lawyers Guild, Advocates for Sexual Health and Rights, and Fordham OUTLaws. Sahar was also a member of the Stein Scholars for Public Interest Program and was a Crowley Scholar for International Human Rights.
Connie Montoya - Concepion (“Connie”) A. Montoya is a Board Member of the National Association of Women Lawyers and Co-Chair of its Diversity Committee. She is a 2000 graduate of Brooklyn Law School and a Partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP. Connie’s practice focuses on the areas of employment litigation and counseling as well as consumer class action defense. She is also a member of Hinshaw’s Diversity Committee. Connie is a founding member and an Immediate Past President of the Filipino American Lawyers Association of New York. Connie is a member of the Board of Directors of the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York. She is a former Co-Chair of the LGBTQ Network of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. She served as Co-Chair of the Litigation Committee of the Asian American Bar Association of New York for several years. In 2017, the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association of Brooklyn Law School presented her with the Distinguished Alumni Award. Connie was an Assistant Corporation Counsel in the Special Federal Litigation Division of the Office of the Corporation Counsel of the City of New York, where she received the “Municipal Affairs Award” in 2004 for outstanding achievement in the New York City Law Department, from the Municipal Affairs Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. Prior to law school, Connie obtained a Masters of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York, concentrating on feminist theology and ethics.
Kerene Moore - Kerene Moore is Supervising Attorney at Legal Services of South Central Michigan, where she has represented underserved Michigan residents in civil legal matters for the past 10 years. Kerene, a graduate of the University of Michigan, earned her Bachelors with distinction and honors prior to obtaining her Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School. Kerene has a strong commitment to public service and provides a voice to marginalized community members. She regularly advocates on behalf of survivors of domestic violence, undocumented immigrants, disabled persons, and other underrepresented groups. Kerene plays a leadership role in a number of community organizations, including serving as Co-Chair of the Washtenaw County Bar Association’s LGBT Rights Section, Vice President of the Jim Toy Community Center, and Supervising Attorney of the Center’s Know Your Rights Project. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Equality Michigan and was recently appointed to the City of Ann Arbor’s Human Rights Commission.
James Moore - Jim Moore is part of the O’Melveny and Myers Talent Development team serving as the firm’s Director of Career Development. Jim provides confidential personal guidance to O’Melveny associates and counsel regarding all aspects of career growth and development. Jim helps attorneys develop tools and strategies to make the most of their careers and provides meaningful support throughout their careers at O’Melveny and beyond. Jim brings ten years of large law firm experience to this position. Prior to joining O’Melveny as litigation counsel in 2008, he was an associate with Gray Cary (now DLA) and later Thelen in their Silicon Valley offices. He was honored in 2009 and 2010 as a “Rising Star” in intellectual property litigation in a survey conducted by Law & Politics Media Inc. During law school, Jim served as a legal intern with the Human Rights Campaign. Before becoming an attorney, Jim was an admissions counselor at the University of Rhode Island and Manhattan College. Jim received his J.D. from The George Washington University Law School in 2001 and graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Rhode Island in 1988 with a B.A. in Journalism.
Sarah J. Moore - Sarah Moore is a partner in the firm’s Cleveland office. She enjoys a robust practice that crosses industries in the private and public sectors and routinely incorporates the insights and best practices from this diversity in experience into her work. And, she thrives on handling highly sensitive and challenging issues and regularly works hand-in-hand with her clients addressing the full spectrum of labor and employment concerns.
Marshall Morales - Marshall Morales is an associate at Sidley Austin LLP in Washington, DC. His practice focuses on complex environmental litigation, enforcement and regulatory compliance. His experience includes matters involving the air emissions, chemicals, pesticides, and contaminated sites. He has worked on a range of litigation involving the Endangered Species Act and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. Marshall has extensive experience with resolving compliance issues facing petroleum refineries, chemical manufacturers, and other industrial facilities. He also represents innovation and technology companies facing environmental regulation of consumer and products. Prior to entering private practice, Marshall served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Washington State Attorney General’s Office Honors Program. Marshall is also a dedicated CrossFit athlete and competed in the 2019 CrossFit Open.
Aaron Morris - Aaron C. Morris is Immigration Equality’s Executive Director. Prior to becoming ED, Aaron led the organization’s law and policy programs. As such, he has supervised Immigration Equality’s legal services, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and lobbying efforts. Aaron first joined Immigration Equality as a Pride Law Fellow in the summer of 2004. After law school, he volunteered with the organization whenever he could, joining as a staff attorney in 2008. Aaron is a graduate of the American University’s Washington College of Law and the University of Oklahoma. Before joining Immigration Equality, he was an immigration staff attorney in the Office of Legal Affairs of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Aaron is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the LGBT Bar Association. In 2014, he was named by the LGBT Bar Association as one of the Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40. In 2017, he was honored with the Peter M. Cicchinio award for Outstanding Advocacy in the Public Interest.
Sable Nelson - Sable K. Nelson is a licensed attorney and public health policy expert, specializing in research, communications and training in healthcare policy and legal analysis. Prior to graduating from North Carolina Central University Law School in 2014, she received Bachelor of Arts degrees in both Political Science and Biology from Howard University in 2007. Since 2003, Sable has been engaged in local, state and federal HIV/AIDS, STI and Reproductive Justice advocacy campaigns, base-building, training and educational initiatives as well as technical/capacity-building assistance. Devoted to social justice issues, Sable served as an active member of the NAACP National Board of Directors. During her tenure, she chaired the National Youth Work Committee which set forth the framework for youth-related programming and policy initiatives for the NAACP. Sable has also served as Secretary and Journalist/Technologist for her local chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Passionate for politics, she has interned for Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) as well as in Governor Howard Dean’s (D-VT) office during his tenure as the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. As a 2008 Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholar, Sable served on the late Hon. Edward M. Kennedy’s (D-MA) Majority Health Policy Office of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. In 2013, she interned for Delegate Donna Christensen, then Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust.
Greg Nevins - Greg Nevins is Senior Counsel and the Director of Lambda Legal’s Employment Fairness Project. He works out of its Southern Regional Office in Atlanta. Among other cases, he has successfully argued Hively v. Ivy Tech Community College, 853 F.3d 339 (7th Cir. 2017) (en banc) (the first federal appellate court ruling in the nation that Title VII covers sexual orientation discrimination); Zarda v. Altitude Express, No. 15-3775, 2018 WL 1040820 (2d Cir., Feb. 26, 2018) (the second federal appellate court ruling in the nation that Title VII covers sexual orientation discrimination); and Glenn v. Brumby, 663 F.3d 1312 (11th Cir. 2011) (transitioning employee held to have suffered sex discrimination). Nevins also was a driving force in Lambda Legal’s successful amicus effort to get District Courts around the country to recognize sexual orientation discrimination as sex discrimination, see EEOC v. Scott Med. Health Ctr., P.C., 217 F. Supp. 3d 834 (W.D. Pa. 2016); Hall v. BNSF Ry. Co., No. C13-2160, 2014 WL 4719007 (W.D. Wash. Sept. 22, 2014); and most notably, the sprawling, rambling Title VII exegesis he filed as an amicus brief in 2013 in TerVeer v. Billington, 34 F. Supp. 3d 100, 116 (D.D.C. 2014), wherein can be found the arguments for coverage that we all hope will carry the day in the Supreme Court’s October 2019 Term. Nevins argued not only the two cases in the last five years in which the circuits were convinced to abandon their prior rulings against coverage, but also the one where a circuit said in effect “no thanks, we’re good with what we said on that subject in passing in 1979.” See Evans v. Georgia Regional Hospital, 850 F.3d 1248 (11th Cir.), cert denied, 138 S.Ct. 557 (2017). A Memphis native, he graduated from his hometown University of Memphis and also Harvard Law School.
Huu Nguyen - Huu is a deal lawyer, focusing his practice on commercial and corporate transactions in the technology space. He counsels and assists clients with artificial intelligence arrangements, complex commercial arrangements, strategic relationships, financial regulatory matters, privacy and security matters, licensing, outsourcing, cyber law, intellectual property rights and general technology issues. Huu is a vice-chair of the ABA’s committee on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (2018-2019). He is also co-editor of the Thomson Reuter’s Fintech Law Report. Prior to being an attorney, Huu was an AI programmer, and research scientist. Corporate Counsel Institute
Adam Nguyen - Adam Nguyen is a co-founder of eBrevia, a leading enterprise contract analysis software company that applies machine learning to more quickly and accurately extract key information from unstructured data. Prior to eBrevia, Adam was the Chief-of-Staff and Legal Officer of Vantage Properties, a 350-person real estate investment and management firm. Adam had practiced law at the law firms of Paul, Weiss and Shearman & Sterling, where he focused on private equity, hedge fund formation, and mergers and acquisitions — as well as at AQR Capital Management, a multi-asset investment management firm. He also clerked for the Hon. Judge Faith Hochberg, US District Court, NJ. Adam holds a BA from Columbia and a JD from Harvard Law School. Corporate Counsel Institute
Dale Noll - Dale Noll represents trustees, personal representatives, guardians, and beneficiaries in a wide variety of fiduciary issues, and assists them in their roles as fiduciaries in administering estates, guardianships, and trusts. A particular focus of his practice is the representation of corporate or individual fiduciaries, beneficiaries, and other interested parties in high conflict, complex, and high-profile guardianship, trust, and probate matters at the county probate court and appellate levels. Dale also has experience representing corporate entities and individuals handling issues related to trust administration, incapacity proceedings, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, and wills and trusts. Dale serves as president of the National LGBT Bar Association and has served in leadership positions in various local organizations.
Sumaya Noush - Sumaya M. Noush counsels health care clients on strategic and operational matters including transactions, corporate governance and regulatory compliance. She helps her clients navigate the daily challenges of running their operations while identifying opportunities for growth in today’s rapidly evolving and highly competitive health care market. Sumaya is also well-versed in both clinical and research ethics and routinely advises clients on biomedical ethics and related legal standards. Sumaya is an active contributor to the DBR on Data blog, where she regularly publishes material on a wide range of health care information privacy issues, including HIPAA enforcement efforts and government-issued cybersecurity guidance. Sumaya also authored the Illinois section of the American Health Lawyers Association’s current Health Care Fraud Law 50-State Survey. She currently serves on the 2019 Illinois Association of Healthcare Attorneys Membership Committee and Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Sumaya is admitted to practice law in Illinois, and she holds two Bachelors in Philosophy and Psychology, a Masters in Bioethics and Public Policy, and a J.D., all from Loyola University Chicago.
Judi O’Kelley - Judi joined the LGBT Bar’s team in 2017, and works on a broad range of programmatic initiatives including building the Bar’s law school affiliate program and supporting the work of the Family Law Institute. Judi brings over twenty years of legal and political experience working for equality within the LGBT community. While in law school, she worked against anti-gay ballot initiatives in Oregon; after graduating and entering private practice, she moved to Georgia and worked on behalf of local and national LGBT groups as a pro bono attorney, drafting and lobbying for successful non-discrimination protections and domestic partnership benefit programs for several Georgia municipalities, including Atlanta and Athens. In 2004, she served as President and Campaign Chair for the campaign for the Athens, Georgia area in opposition to Georgia’s constitutional amendment banning same-sex unions, and continued grass-roots organizing and local political work after the campaign. Judi also was the lead plaintiff from 2004-2006 in the case of Kelley v. Perdue, in which Lambda Legal, the Georgia ACLU, and the law firm of Alston & Bird sought to strike down Georgia’s anti-marriage amendment. Judi then spent over eleven years on the staff and in senior management of Lambda Legal in roles ranging from Southern Regional Director, to Director of Life Planning, to Deputy Director of Development, to Director of Leadership. Along the way she moved to Seattle, Washington, where she is involved with a number of local LGBT groups as the Bar’s West Coast outpost. Judi received her B.A. from the Colorado College in 1990. After receiving her J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law in 1996, she served as a law clerk for Judge James L. Oakes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and practiced appellate and employment law in Atlanta for Jones Day and two boutique law firms, before joining Lambda Legal in 2006. Judi has roots in the Washington, D.C. metro area as well as Juneau, Alaska, and is admitted to practice in DC, Alaska, and Georgia. She lives in Seattle with her spouse and twin teenagers, with whom she laughs, cooks, plays video games, and watches Star Trek.
Asaf Orr - As NCLR’s Transgender Youth Project Staff Attorney, Asaf works to safeguard the rights of transgender and gender-expansive youth to be affirmed and supported for who they are. By changing the life trajectories of transgender and gender-expansive youth through litigation, public policy, and advocacy, Asaf hopes to create a future where all children can thrive. For nearly a decade, Asaf worked to advance the rights of the little t in LGBT. During that time, he represented transgender youth and their families in a wide range of legal matters including discrimination in schools, child custody disputes, child abuse and neglect, and access to affirming medical and mental health care. He was the lead attorney in Student v. Arcadia Unified School District, which resulted in a historic resolution acknowledging that Title IX protects transgender kids from discrimination in schools and led to transgender student guidance released by the Obama Administration in May 2016. He also worked behind the scenes to increase inclusion of transgender athletes in all levels and types of sport; expanded access to transition-related care for Medicaid recipients, including puberty-delaying medications and facial feminization surgery; and supported attorneys representing affirming parents in custody disputes around the country. Asaf has authored a number of resources on issues affecting transgender youth. Most recently, he was a lead author of Schools in Transition: A Guide to Supporting Transgender Students in K-12 Schools, a publication that assists parents, school administrators, and other stakeholders to collaborate and create a school environment that affirms and supports transgender students. The publication was co-authored by a number of groups, including the National Education Association, Gender Spectrum, ACLU, and HRC. After graduating magna cum laude from Rutgers School of Law in Newark in 2008, Asaf clerked for The Honorable Virginia A. Long on the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
Badreddine Ouali - Badreddine Ouali is the Chairman and founder of Vermeg SARL, one of the largest software companies in Tunisia and abroad. The company focuses on financial software systems for central banks and insurance companies globally. Badreddine and Vermeg have instilled an international standard of human relations throughout his company including establishing one of the most accepting and safe environments for LGBT employees throughout the divisions of Vermeg. Badreddine has a degree in engineering and sits on the Boards of other companies in the Middle East, Europe and the United States.
Barry Parsons - Barry M. Parsons is Associate General Counsel in the General Litigation Department with Freddie Mac in McLean, VA. Barry litigates cases, advises clients, and manages outside counsel on a wide variety of legal matters including employment, contract, intellectual property, insurance, fraud, counterparty receiverships, and antitrust law. He also conducts internal investigations, prepares corporate policies, and advises the company on document retention and legal hold issues. Barry is Vice-Chairperson of the Legal Division’s Diversity and Inclusion Council, a member of the Legal Division’s Pro Bono Working Group, and for two years served as Co-Chairperson of Freddie Mac’s company-wide Pride Network. In 2011, he received the General Counsel’s Impact Award and, in 2012, was unanimously selected to be one of Freddie Mac’s first two fellows to the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. Barry joined Freddie Mac in 2010. Before joining Freddie Mac, Barry was a litigator with Crowell & Moring LLP in Washington, DC for nearly fourteen years. At Crowell, he served on several firm committees, led the firm’s LGBT group, and was the recipient of several firm citizenship awards and a pro bono award. Prior to joining Crowell & Moring, Barry was a judicial clerk for the Honorable William O. Bertelsman, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. Before attending law school, he worked as a business consultant for major systems consulting company and as a financial analyst for a mid-Atlantic telecommunications company. Barry is an advocate for advancing diversity in the legal profession. For five years he served on the Board of Directors for the National LGBT Bar Association and for four years was chairperson of its Corporate Counsel Group. Barry was a panelist speaker at the Association’s annual national conferences from 2010 through 2014. For several years he was a panelist speaker at the Minority Corporate Counsel Association’s (“MCCA”) annual national conference and has also served as a member of the Advisory Committee for MCCA’s Annual Meeting. For seven years, Barry was a member of Whitman Walker Clinic’s Legal Services Operating Committee. He previously served on the Washington, D.C. AidsWalk CORE Committee for Legal Services, has attended multiple diversity conferences, and represents pro bono clients in civil rights and, previously, in child custody cases. He regularly serves as a mentor to several law students. Barry received his J.D., with distinction from the George Mason University School of Law where he was Editor-in-Chief of the George Mason Law Review and a Dean’s Scholar. He also holds a M.B.A. from The American University Kogod School of Business and a B.S. in Economics from King’s College. His has three children and lives in Washington, DC.
Michael Pattarozzi - Michael Pattarozzi is an Assistant State’s Attorney with the Cook County State’s Attorney, Chicago, Illinois, the second largest prosecutor’s office in the nation. Michael has been a prosecutor for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office for over 16 years and is currently assigned to the Felony Trial Division as the First Chair in a felony court room advocating for victims of violent crimes in the southern Chicago suburbs. Michael is actively involved in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group., which is part of the larger Diversity and Inclusion Initiative of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office, and is an member of the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago (LAGBAC).
Michelle Peak - A veritable force of nature, Michelle Peak is the Head of Labor Relations at LSG Sky Chefs. She is a results-oriented leader with experience leading, developing and coaching managers in employee and labor relations matters as an executive, in rail and aviation industries. Michelle uses her keen intelligence, intuition and compassion to make complex, matrixed organizations embrace change. Having spent nearly two decades as a senior labor lawyer at Fortune 500 company as a queer woman of color, Michelle understands when to use a scalpel and when to use a sledgehammer.
Samuel Pearson-Moore - Samuel is the Deputy Assistant General Counsel for Regulations for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) , Office of General Counsel (OGC) and has worked at HUD for 7 years. Recently, Samuel was selected as a fellow for the President’s Management Council Interagency Rotation Program meant to identify emerging leaders and expand their leadership competencies. As part of that program, Samuel served for 6-months as a Senior Advisor in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ OGC. Samuel is also the Vice President of HUD’s LGBT Affinity Group, HUD FedQ. Prior to his work in the Federal Government, Samuel attended American University Washington College of Law (WCL) where he graduated cum laude and was a member of the Society of Dispute Resolution, an editor for the American University International Law Review, the president of the Lambda Law Society, and the Diversity Chair for the Student Bar Association. Prior to law school, Samuel worked for the Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest and graduated with a BA in Political Science from Augsburg College, in Minneapolis, MD. Samuel also served eight years in the United States Army Reserves, including a deployment to Iraq in 2003.
Xavier Persad - Xavier Persad serves as senior legislative counsel at the Human Rights Campaign, his focus includes state and municipal advocacy as well as conversion therapy related legislation. Xavier serves HRC’s Project One America as well as the legal department’s annual Municipal Equality Index publication. Xavier earned a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Central Florida. He obtained his law degree from Florida A&M University College of Law. Xavier also holds a Master of Laws degree in Human Rights Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Before joining HRC, Xavier obtained legal and policy experience on a wide range of issues during his tenures at the U.S. House of Representatives, the Caribbean Court of Justice, and the Center for International Law and Justice at Florida A&M University College of Law. Xavier is admitted to the Florida Bar.
Zorik Pesochinsky - Zorik Pesochinsky is a Market Development Lead for Thomson Reuters’ Global Large Law Firm business. In this role, he partners with law firm leaders to identify unmet customer needs, develop and test new product ideas, and drive co-development of those new products with law firms. Previously, he was a Senior Product Manager for Practical Law. His job was to shape the long term content and product growth strategy for Practical Law. Prior to joining Thomson Reuters, Zorik was a Legal Fellow at GMHC. He is a graduate of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
Krista Peterson - Krista Peterson is an Assistant State’s Attorney at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in Chicago, Illinois, a position she has held for 16 years. Ms. Peterson is currently assigned to the Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Unit of the Felony Trial Division, and has been for the past six years. Ms. Peterson was hired by the State’s Attorney’s Office in 2002 upon graduating from DePaul University College of Law and has held positions in Criminal Appeals, Misdemeanors, Felony Review and Preliminary Hearings. Ms. Peterson has devoted over half of her career to the prosecution of domestic violence cases. Ms. Peterson is a member of the National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Bar Association and the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago. Ms. Peterson is a founding member of WISE (Women’s Insight and Support through Education), an Employee Resource Group at the State’s Attorney’s Office and leads their Mentorship Committee. Ms. Peterson holds the office of Vice President of the State’s Attorney’s Office’s LGBT+ Employee Resource Group. Prior to law school, Ms. Peterson attended Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Minor in Creative Writing and was Co-Captain of their Division I Softball Team. Ms. Peterson lives just outside of Chicago with her wife of thirteen years and their two daughters.
Ashwin Phatak - Ashwin is an Appellate Counsel at the Constitutional Accountability Center. Before joining CAC, Ashwin was an Attorney-Adviser at the Office of Legal Counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice. Ashwin also served as a law clerk for Judge Patricia A. Millett on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and Judge Beverly B. Martin on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Ashwin graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2014, where he served as the Developments in the Law editor on the Harvard Law Review and argued in the finals of the Ames Moot Court Competition. He received his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from Tufts University in 2009.
Casey Pick - Casey Pick serves as a Senior Fellow for Advocacy and Government Affairs at the Trevor Project. Casey leads the Trevor Project’s work in advancing policies and positions that support LGBTQ youth in crisis by executing the Trevor Project’s advocacy agenda on the federal, state, and local level and in the executive, legislative and judicial branches. Casey’s role focuses not just on LGBTQ issues, but also on mental health and suicide prevention overall, with a major focus on leading The Trevor Project’s efforts to end conversion therapy.
Anthony Pinggera - Anthony Pinggera is a law fellow in the western regional office of Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and everyone living with HIV. His work focuses on the legal representation of people living with HIV across a broad spectrum of needs. In addition to his litigation work, he is also an active participant in state policy efforts to reform laws criminalizing conduct based on HIV status. He serves as co-counsel in Harrison v. Mattis, representing an 18-year armed forces veteran denied a position as a JAG officer as a result of the U.S. military’s blanket prohibition on enlistment or promotion of people living with HIV. He is also part of the team representing 93 people living with HIV whose statuses were revealed by a private health services contractor in California in Doe v. A.J. Boggs & Co. In all his work, Anthony seeks to eliminate laws and practices that stigmatize people living with HIV and perpetuate discrimination against them.
Jenny Pizer - Jenny Pizer is Senior Counsel and Director of Law & Policy for Lambda Legal. A leader in the LGBTQ civil rights movement for three decades, Jenny litigates to protect family relationships; to obtain fair conditions in health care, employment, and education; and to challenge misuse of religion to discriminate. She also drafts legislation, advises policymakers, and works with community advocates to advance LGBT freedom and equality. In 2014, Jenny was lead counsel in Majors v. Jeanes, which invalidated Arizona’s marriage ban. In prior years, she represented same-sex couples seeking marriage in California and Washington, and challenging the federal Defense of Marriage Act. In 2008, she won a unanimous California Supreme Court victory for a lesbian patient denied care due to her doctors’ religious objections. From 2011-2012, Jenny was Legal Director of the Williams Institute, a public policy research center at UCLA School of Law. She previously directed Lambda Legal’s Marriage Project and initiated its focus on healthcare fairness. She is a graduate of NYU School of Law and Harvard College. Jenny currently serves on the board of OutRight Action International (f/k/a the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, “IGLHRC”). She also provides educational seminars and consultation to Chinese lawyers advancing legal protections for LGBTQ people in China. She has taught courses on American and comparative sexual orientation and gender identity law in Amsterdam and Barcelona, and at multiple American law schools, and previously served as a technical consultant to the government of Nepal on marriage for LGBTI persons.
Karyn Polak -
Dimitri Portnoi - Dimitri Portnoi is a member of the most recent partner class at O’Melveny & Myers LLP. Dimitri has previously been recognized by the National LGBT Bar Association as one of the Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40 and serves on the Board of Governors of the Los Angeles LGBT Bar Association. Dimitri practices in a variety of areas of complex litigation practice, from water law and international law to complex commercial disputes and products liability. Dimitri has also worked on a wide-ranging set of pro bono matters expanding LGBT rights and equal treatment at the state and federal level.
Milo Primeaux - Milo Primeaux, Esq. (he/him) is a queer transgender attorney and long-time trans rights advocate. He operates a virtual solo sliding-scale civil rights practice for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers living outside of NYC, and is the founder and CEO of Just Roots Consulting, LLC. Milo serves on the Richard C. Failla LGBTQ Judicial Commission of the New York Courts and chairs the Monroe County Bar Association’s LGBT Committee. He is a graduate of CUNY School of Law.
Christopher Primiano - Chris is responsible for leading Karyopharm’s operations, business development and legal departments and has been with the Company since March 2014. Prior to joining Karyopharm, Chris worked at multiple international law firms and led internal legal and business development departments. He was a Counsel at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, a full-service multinational law firm, and he served as Vice President, Corporate Development, General Counsel and Secretary of GlassHouse Technologies, Inc., an information technology consulting company, where he led global legal operations and managed asset and subsidiary acquisition and sale activity. Chris began his career at Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian LLP, a global law firm focused on venture capital and the emerging technology marketplace. Chris received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy and English from Georgetown University, a Master of Business Administration from the Boston College Carroll School of Management and a Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School.
Jenn Protas - Jenn Protas is a shareholder at Hoge Fenton and helps employers navigate California’s numerous employment laws and defends employers with an eye toward successful, yet cost-effective resolution. Her practice focuses on matters related to wage and hour advice and litigation, employee leave issues, personnel management, HR investigations and trainings, and defense of wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination, and retaliation litigation. In addition, Jenn has substantial experience drafting employer policies, handbooks, confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements, separation agreements, and settlement agreements. Her practice also includes housing discrimination matters, and general litigation, including business disputes. Jenn is a frequent public speaker and regularly presents seminars and trainings on such employment issues as: annual legal updates, complex leave issues, complying with California wage and hour laws, and effective management of employees. She also provides legally-mandated anti-harassment trainings (AB 1825) and fair housing trainings at clients’ sites.
Fabiana Quaini - Fabiana Quaini is the principal at the Quaini law firm in Argentina. She was born and raised in Buenos Aires, and received her LLB law degree in Buenos Aires in 1984, followed by her LLB law degree in France in 1987, and her LLM international law degree in France in 1989. She specialized in international family law; international child abduction, ART and surrogacy, LGBT rights. She is a member of The Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys as well as a member of the International Academy of Family Lawyers. She is further listed in Reunite and in the US Embassy list lawyers in Argentina.
Gavin Quinn - Gavin Quinn is an Assistant State’s Attorney at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in Chicago, Illinois, a position he has held for 3 years. Gavin is currently assigned to the Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Unit handling primarily misdemeanors, and has been for the past two years. Gavin was hired by the State’s Attorney’s Office in 2016 upon graduating from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and has held positions in the Financial Crimes/Public Corruption Unit, the Criminal Appeals Unit, and the Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Division. Gavin is a member of the National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Bar Association and a board member of the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago. Gavin is also holds the position of Social Chair/Community Engagement Chair as part of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office’s LGBT+ Employee Resource Group.
Karl C. Riehl - Karl C. Riehl is the Director of Practice Management at Epstein Becker Green. In this role, Karl manages the Employment, Labor & Workforce Management and Business Litigation practices. Included in his responsibilities are practice operations, the administration and oversight of all associate development programs as well as all aspects of the firm’s recruiting efforts and summer program. Karl is co-chair of the EBG LGBTQ+ Outreach Group and a member of the National Diversity & Professional Development Committee. Prior to joining EBG, Karl worked in professional development and recruiting at Patton Boggs and Dewey & Leboeuf. Karl also worked in the Career Services & Admissions offices at Seton Hall University School of Law and was an adjunct professor at the undergraduate campus. Karl is currently on the Board of Directors for NALP and has been a frequent speaker at NALP conferences most recently presenting the recruitment foundations course at the NALP Newer Professionals Forum. Karl has also been on the Board for LeGaL, the LGBT Bar Association & Foundation of Greater New York for the past ten years including serving as its President and Treasurer. LeGaL is one of the first bar associations of the LGBT legal community in the country and remains one of the largest and most active. Additionally, he served on the Board of Advisors for the New Jersey Law & Education Empowerment Project (NJ LEEP) and was on The Essex County (NJ) LGBTQ Advisory Committee. Karl is a graduate of Seton Hall University School of Law and Susquehanna University and is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources by HRCI. Karl has over 20 years of experience in legal recruitment, professional development & training, practice development and diversity and inclusion programming.
Elizabeth (Biz) Reilly - Elizabeth is currently a law clerk for the City of Chicago's Drug and Gang Enforcement Section, and has previously also worked in the city's Felony Trial Division and Domestic Violence Division. In addition, Elizabeth is also the Director of Digital Marking for the Center for Domestic Violence Policy. She is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago and the Chicago-Kent College of Law at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Kylee Reynolds - As a Legal Fellow for Lambda Legal’s Fair Courts Project, Reynolds works to advance an independent, diverse and well-respected judiciary that upholds the legal rights of LGBTQ people and individuals living with HIV, while ensuring equal access to justice for everyone. She conducts background research and engages in strategic advocacy addressing federal judicial nominees and to advance laws and policies related to judicial diversity, judicial selection, and safeguarding the courts from the harmful influences of money and politics. She also works on producing training and publication materials about the importance of judicial diversity and elimination of bias on the bench, and explores with the Fair Courts Project litigation opportunities to support judicial independence, challenge judicial bias, and advance other critical court issues. Prior to coming on-board as a Legal Fellow, Reynolds interned with Lambda Legal’s Legal Department in Summer 2017, working extensively with the Transgender Rights and Fair Courts projects. Before this internship, Reynolds served as a judicial intern for President Judge Pamela Ruest in the Centre County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. Kylee Reynolds was awarded the Miller Pro Bono Advocate Award and a Public Interest Law Fund Fellowship for her commitment to public service, along with a full-tuition merit scholarship from Penn State Law. Reynolds graduated from Penn State Law in 2018. During her time at Penn State, she was the President of our American Constitution Society Student Chapter, an E-board member of Outlaw, and an officer of the Honor Society. She wrote for the Penn State Journal of Law and International Affairs. Reynolds graduated cum laude with English distinction honors from North Park University in Chicago in 2013, receiving a Bachelor’s in English and Secondary Education.
Ethan Rice - Ethan Rice is a Senior Attorney with the Fair Courts Project at Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the rights of LGBT people and people affected by HIV. The Fair Courts Project focuses its work on issues of judicial independence, judicial diversity, access to justice, and combating bias in the legal system. Ethan works to support state-based fair courts groups combating attacks on the independence of their judiciaries and to educate judges, attorneys, and court staff on LGBT competency. His work also addresses anti-LGBT bias in jury selection and among jurors. He has filed amicus briefs in numerous cases addressing anti-LGBT bias in the legal system itself. Prior to coming to Lambda Legal, Ethan served as a staff attorney at the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF). Before joining TLDEF, he was a child welfare attorney in Florida for four years. As a graduate fellow at FSU College of Law, Ethan researched and co-authored, Juvenile Life without Parole for Non-Homicide Offenses: Florida Compared to the Nation. The article was cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in Graham v. Florida in its decision finding sentences of life without parole for juveniles unconstitutional when imposed for non-homicide crimes. Ethan received a B.A. in International Relations from Florida International University and his J.D. from Florida State University College of Law. He is licensed to practice law in New York and Florida.
Brad Richter - Brad J. Richter is a partner and chair of the trusts and estates department at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, resident in Fried Frank’s New York office. Mr. Richter’s practice focuses on all aspects of private client representation, including sophisticated tax and estate planning, administration of large estates and trusts, succession and business planning, and formation and operation of charitable foundations. He represents high net worth individuals, entrepreneurs, the fiduciaries of estates and trusts, charitable organizations, family business owners, bankers and financial services personnel, private fund sponsors and principals, and others. He also represents clients engaging in litigation with the IRS or with third parties before the Surrogate’s Court on contested tax and probate matters. Mr. Richter received his JD, cum laude, from New York University School of Law, where he was a member of the NYU Law Review. He graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College. He is admitted to the bar in New York and Massachusetts. Mr. Richter is a member of the American Bar Association (Real Property, Probate & Trusts Law Section; Taxation Section), New York State Bar Association (Trusts and Estates Law Section; Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Section), New York County Lawyers Association (Estates, Trusts and Surrogate’s Court Practice Section; previous: Committee on Pro Bono), and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York (previous: Committee on Estate and Gift Taxation, Committee on Surrogate’s Courts).
Vincent Rizzo - Vincent Rizzo is currently an attorney at Hinshaw & Culbertson and focuses his practice in litigation at both the federal and state level, with a particular emphasis in the areas of government and labor and employment. He has extensive experience representing entities and employees in Title VII and Section 1983 discrimination claims. He has litigated countless cases to resolution including successfully trying several federal civil jury trials to defense verdict and obtaining multiple summary judgments. Before joining Hinshaw, Vincent was an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago Department of Law for nearly five years. In that capacity, he represented the City of Chicago in municipal prosecutions, administrative appeals and litigation involving discrimination claims. He is a current board member of the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago and has been a member since law school. He also is a member of the Judicial Evaluation Committee and in this capacity, serves a vital part in investigating and providing substantive recommendations regarding judicial candidates and sitting judges seeking retention. He is also the current co-chair of the LGBTQ section of the Cook County Bar Association, and has led the way on many of its endeavors this year. Additionally, he is a committed member of Hinshaw’s LGBTQ affinity group, and promotes inclusion within the firm on a daily basis. He recently presented two CLEs, both on the Supreme Court’s decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop. During law school, Vincent was a public interest law intern for the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and also interned for the general counsel of Accident Fund Insurance Company. In addition to his academic accomplishments, he was a teaching assistant for Legal Research, Writing and Advocacy; Torts; and Street Law. Vincent was also an active member of his law school’s International Law Review and participated in the Commercial Arbitration Competition and the National Animal Law Appellate Moot Court Competition. Hon. Beth Robinson – Justice Beth Robinson received a B.A. from Dartmouth College in 1986 and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1989. She clerked for the Honorable David B. Sentelle of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (1989-1990), practiced in the law firm of Langrock Sperry & Wool for 18 years (1993-2010), and served as counsel to Governor Peter Shumlin for one year (2011). Robinson served as co-counsel in and argued Baker v. State, the landmark 1999 case that led to Vermont becoming the first state to enact civil unions. She was also subsequently involved in the 2009 legislative battle to enact same-sex marriage, chairing Vermont Freedom to Marry. Governor Shumlin appointed her to the Vermont Supreme Court as an associate justice on November 28, 2011.
Beth Robinson - Justice Beth Robinson received a B.A. from Dartmouth College in 1986 and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1989. She clerked for the Honorable David B. Sentelle of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (1989–1990), practiced in the law firm of Langrock Sperry & Wool for 18 years (1993–2010), and served as counsel to Governor Peter Shumlin for one year (2011). Robinson served as co-counsel in and argued Baker v. State, the landmark 1999 case that led to Vermont becoming the first state to enact civil unions. She was also subsequently involved in the 2009 legislative battle to enact same-sex marriage, chairing Vermont Freedom to Marry. Governor Shumlin appointed her to the Vermont Supreme Court as an associate justice on November 28, 2011.
Jim Rogers - Jim Rogers serves as chief legal officer for Cars.com. In this position, Rogers is responsible for all areas of the company’s legal and compliance functions, including all relevant aspects of strategic initiatives and acquisitions. Before joining Cars.com in 2016, Rogers served as senior vice president and general counsel for Orbitz Worldwide, where he oversaw legal, compliance, corporate communications and government relations. Prior to Orbitz, Rogers was senior vice president and general counsel for TLC Vision. From 1981 until 2010, Rogers practiced law in the Washington, D.C. office of Latham & Watkins, where he ran a broad-based corporate practice counseling clients in the technology sector across a variety of legal and business issues. Prior to Latham & Watkins, Rogers served as a law clerk to both the Hon. Charles Clark of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the Hon. Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Rogers earned his law degree from Columbia Law School, a master’s degree in public administration from Princeton and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Yale University.
Matthew Rose - Matthew is the Director of US Policy & Advocacy at Health GAP and a longstanding HIV and social justice activist. He brings over a decade of experience in community engagement, federal health policy, HIV science, and advancing health equity. Prior to joining Health GAP, Matthew served as the Policy and Advocacy Manager for the National Minority AIDS Council, where he worked on federal appropriations and authorization legislation related to HIV and health disparities affecting people of color. He also oversaw the development program for the National HIV Biomedical Prevention Summit, one of the leading conferences on HIV biomedical implementation in the United States. Matthew is currently the community co-chair of the Microbicide Trials Network and a member of the Vaccine Advocacy Resource Group (VARG)—an independent, advocate-led, global team of AIDS prevention research advocates that plays a critical role as liaison in the highly complex field of HIV vaccine research. He serves on the Board of Directors for the AIDS Treatment Activist Coalition (ATAC), a national coalition of AIDS activists—many living with HIV/AIDS—working together to end the AIDS epidemic by advancing research on HIV.
Jill Rose Quinn - Jill Rose Quinn has an extensive legal background, having worked in both the public and private sectors. She has a lifelong dedication to community service. After completing her law degree at John Marshall in 1983, she went on to work for the Village Attorney of Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Jill later became an Arbitrator in DuPage County in 1990 and Cook County in 1993. Jill’s private practice experience includes working at general legal practices, where she handled a wide variety of case types. Throughout her career, she handled over 4,000 cases and performed appellate work. Jill formed her own practice in 1997 on the Northwest side and focused on helping neighborhood residents with financial challenges, family law matters, small business operations, probate and estate planning. She has always found it gratifying to put her clients at ease by developing thoughtful plans and solutions, and ultimately achieving a fair legal outcome. Throughout her life Jill has believed in giving back to others. Before moving to Chicago, she served as a community organizer in economically disadvantaged areas in Houston and Des Moines. There she worked to form neighborhood action groups dedicated solving problems such as lack of zoning and dangerous traffic; as well as addressing utility and taxation issues. Her compassion for others and sense of fairness is what helped inspire Jill to practice law. She grew up in the age of enhanced consciousness about civil rights. In grade school, she realized that many people were not treated equally under the law because of their race, religion or nationality. Jill decided then that she wanted to be a lawyer in order to fight for all people’s rights and equality. Jill is also one of the few transgender legal professionals in Chicago. While she is proud of the progress our society has made, Jill knows there remains a long way to go. Being transgender has taught Jill firsthand what it is like to be marginalized and the vital importance of treating all people with fairness, decency and compassion. Her perspective will be a true asset to the bench, and her service as judge will help every person in our community have a court system in which they can have the utmost confidence. Today, Jill is just as active in the community. She is a member of the National LGBT Bar Association and Chicago LGBT Chamber of Commerce. Jill lives on the northwest side, is engaged to her partner Stephanie, and has a daughter, Gina. She is also an avid runner who has completed five marathons.
Judge Kristin Rosi - Judge Kristin L. Rosi has been on the bench since 2007 and serves as the Chief Administrative Law Judge for the California Department of Insurance. Judge Rosi is also a Mental Health Hearing Officer for the Alameda County Superior Court and is a Senior Adjunct Professor at Golden Gate University. Judge Rosi is an active member of the National Association of Women Judges, serving as the Co-Chair of Administrative Judiciary Committee and the LGBTQ Committee. She also sits on the Board of the International Association of LGBTQ Judges, serving on their Education committee. Judge Rosi also holds a position on the Executive Committee of the American Bar Association’s National Conference of Administrative Law Judiciary and is the Conference’s Editor to the ABA’s Judicial Record. Judge Rosi holds an A.B. from Smith College in Women’s Studies and Psychology, a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where she was a Public Interest Scholar, and will receive her Master’s in Judicial Studies from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2019. Judge Rosi lives in the Bay Area and has a six year old son.
Daniel Rubens - Danny Rubens is a partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP and is a member of the firm’s Litigation Group and Supreme Court and Appellate Practice. He has served as lead drafter on dozens of briefs in appellate tribunals across the country, including the U.S. Supreme Court, and has presented oral argument in state and federal courts. His work has covered a wide range of subject areas, including securities, bankruptcy, intellectual property, arbitration, and complex commercial litigation. Danny maintains active pro bono practice focusing on LGBTQ rights, criminal law, and immigration matters. Before joining Orrick, Danny served as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Chief Judge Robert A. Katzmann of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and Judge Jed S. Rakoff of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Following his clerkships, he was selected to represent the American Inns of Court as a Temple Bar Scholar in London.
Justin Rush - As Public Policy Director at True Colors United, Justin leads the organization’s work to enact administrative and legislative policy change at the federal, state, and local level to prevent and end LGBT youth homelessness. Before joining the team, Justin served as a Manager of Policy & Legislative Affairs at NASTAD (National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors). It is through this role that Justin provided technical assistance to ensure internal health department policy compliance with federal guidance while simultaneously working to push the organization’s policy positions through state agencies, legislatures, build strategic partnerships, nurture external partnerships, and support existing HIV and Hepatitis advocacy efforts within states and in Congress. Justin received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law leading to clerkships at the Cook County (Chicago) State’s Attorney’s Office – Juvenile Justice Bureau and the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office – Policy & Research Division. Additionally, Justin brings nearly a decade of rich public affairs and communications experience after serving as Press Secretary and Community Liaison for the New York State Senate, during which time he implemented the East Harlem LGBT Task Force working to reduce stigma in local communities, support access to treatment and care in East Harlem and the South Bronx, and advocate for equitable policies for New York City’s LGBT community.
Scott Ruskay-Kidd - Scott Ruskay-Kidd serves as a Senior Staff Attorney for Judicial Strategy in the U.S. Legal Program. In this role, Scott works on developing new legal theories, managing strategic alliances, and organizing amicus efforts to strengthen the jurisprudence protecting reproductive rights. Scott began his career as a clerk to the Honorable Robert P. Patterson, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and the Honorable Robert D. Sack of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. After clerking, Scott practiced litigation at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP and Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP and received multiple awards for his pro bono work. Scott graduated with an A.B. from Harvard University, magna cum laude, where he was a Harvard National Scholar (awarded to the top 5% of the entering class), a John Harvard Scholar, a Carol K. Pforzheimer Fellow for his research in women’s studies, an Institute of Politics Public Service Fellow, and an editor of the nation’s oldest college literary magazine. Scott received a J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was a James Kent Scholar, published author, Senior Editor of the Columbia Law Review, and intern with the NOW Legal Defense & Education Fund and the New York Civil Liberties Union’s Reproductive Rights Program. Scott is admitted to the Supreme Court, the Second Circuit, the Tenth Circuit, the Southern District of New York, the Eastern District of New York, and the District of Colorado.
Richard Saenz - Richard Saenz is a Senior Attorney and the Criminal Justice and Police Misconduct Strategist at Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those living with HIV. Currently, Richard is leading Lambda Legal’s response to the Trump Administration’s changes to the federal Bureau of Prisons Transgender Offender Manual. Richard is lead counsel in Dorn v. Michigan Department of Corrections, a challenge to a Michigan Department of Corrections policy directive alleging violation of federal disability law because it unlawfully discriminates against incarcerated people living with HIV. In addition, Richard was a lead member of the litigation team in Hicklin v. Precythe, a successful challenge to Missouri’s Department of Corrections “freeze frame” policy denying appropriate health care to transgender people in its custody, in one of the first court decisions to rule specifically that “freeze-frame” policies are unconstitutional as they are in violation of the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. Richard has been named a Hispanic National Bar Association’s Top Lawyers Under 40 and a National LGBT Bar Association’s Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40. He received his Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law, where he was a Stein Scholar for Public Interest Law and Ethics. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University.
David Sakowitz - David Sakowitz concentrates his practice in securities, international corporate finance transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate matters. David has extensive experience with advising on the issuance of high-yield debt, equity, and equity-linked securities in SEC-registered, Rule 144A, Regulation S, and private placement transactions. He has been involved in public and private offerings in Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the United States, including initial public offerings, rights offerings, and debt-for-equity exchanges. David also counsels domestic and foreign private issuers regarding ongoing compliance with SEC and New York Stock Exchange reporting obligations. Additionally, David advises clients regarding public disclosure obligations and corporate governance issues. David is an adjunct professor at the Cornell University School of Law, where he teaches its course on securities regulation.
Kenneth Sanchez - Ken Sanchez is a Director of Business Development for Bliss Lawyers for Southern California and Western States where he engages with in house legal departments and law firms to help ensure their talent team is aligned with their business goals. He does this by expanding opportunities for the lawyers in Bliss’ network and ensures consistency with the company’s mission and values. Prior to joining Bliss, Ken has held business development roles at Reed Smith, Thomsen Reuters and Bloomberg LP. He is a graduate of Boston College Law School and Fordham University where he studied political science and Spanish language and literature. Ken is a native New Yorker and currently lives in Los Angeles.
Hema Sarang-Sieminski - Hema Sarang-Sieminski is a Senior Attorney at the Victim Rights Law Center. She provides local and national training and technical assistance to enhance access to civil legal services for sexual assault survivors. Additionally, she provides direct representation and supervision, with a focus on immigrant and LGBTQ communities. Hema has worked with survivors of partner abuse and sexual violence for over fifteen years in a variety of capacities including private immigration practice, community engagement in LGBTQ communities with The Network/La Red, and as a Staff Attorney at the Immigration Unit of Greater Boston Legal Services. Hema has dedicated her career to creating opportunities for wholeness and dignity for survivors and is committed to approaches to ending sexual violence that address and challenge the intersections of various forms of oppression. Hema is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and a Steering Committee member of the Massachusetts Women of Color Network and Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC). Hema was named Best LGBTQ Lawyers Under 40 by the LGBT Bar Association. Hema received her BA from the University of Pennsylvania and her JD in 2005 from Northeastern University School of Law.
Bridget Schaaff - Bridget (“B”) Schaaff, Esq. is the 2018-2019 If/When/How Reproductive Justice Federal Policy Fellow at the National LGBTQ Task Force. Bridget works primarily on administrative and legislative advocacy related to healthcare, immigration, education, employment, and more. Bridget is passionate about employment and labor protections, especially for LGBTQ people. Bridget has published law review articles on rights of workers in the sharing economy and health benefits for transgender and nonbinary employees. During law school, Bridget worked at the Oregon Department of Justice, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and the Oregon House of Representatives, and as a tutor in the Legal Research and Writing Program at the University of Oregon School of Law. Bridget graduated from the University of Oregon School of Law in May 2018, with a concentration in Public Law and Policy. Bridget graduated summa cum laude from Flagler College with a major in Communication and a minor in Political Science.
Paula Schauwecker - Paula Schauwecker is a Principal at Beveridge & Diamond, P.C. in New York, NY. Paula represents industrial manufacturing and refining companies in toxic torts, product liability suits, and suits brought under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and other similar statutes. She is sought after for her consensus-building skills in joint defense or other multi-party groups. Paula specializes in cases concerning groundwater contamination and impacts to drinking water wells. She is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Pace Law School where she has taught courses in Land Use Law, Environmental Litigation, and Toxic Torts and she is on the editorial board for Natural Resources & Environment, the flagship publication of the American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy & Resources. Paula served as the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion principal and Diversity & Inclusion Committee Co-Chair. She currently serves as the Corporate Secretary for the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. An avid golfer, Paula is a member of the LPGA Amateur Golf Association, a non-profit organization that supports women’s and girls’ leadership development through golf. Paula was the first woman and first openly LGBT attorney elected to shareholder in the Firm’s New York City office; she was also the first openly LGBT shareholder elected to Beveridge & Diamond’s firm-wide Management Committee. Paula served on the Board of Directors of the Victory Institute, the educational organization that supports training LGBT individuals to run for public office.
Murray Scheel - Murray Scheel is a senior staff attorney at Whitman-Walker Health in Washington, DC, the nation’s oldest medical-legal partnership, dedicated to queer and HIV health. He focuses on legal services and policy initiatives to address the needs of elderly individuals who are trans, lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, or genderqueer or living with HIV/AIDS. He came to Whitman-Walker Legal Services in 2013 from the firm of Karp, Wigodsky, Norwind, Kudel and Gold, where he served as a senior associate in civil litigation. Before private practice, he clerked for the Honorable Judge Kramer on the DC Superior Court and the Honorable Vanessa Ruiz on the DC Court of Appeals. During law school, he spent a summer internship with the National Lawyers Guild and the San Francisco Human Rights Commission developing draft protocols for the proper treatment of transgender prisoners in the local jails. Scheel graduated with honors from George Washington University Law School in 2003. He is a member of the Maryland and District of Columbia Bars.
Rebekah Scherr - Rebekah Scherr is an associate in Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP's Corporate Department and a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions practice group. Rebekah’s practice is focused on advising U.S. and multinational clients on a range of antitrust and competition issues, with an emphasis on merger notification compliance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act and globally. Rebekah also counsels clients in various industries with respect to general compliance with antitrust laws.
Bianca Scherr - Bianca Scherr is an Assistant District Attorney at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. As a member of the Trial Division, Bianca prosecutes felony offenses including robberies, assaults, grand larcenies, and domestic violence cases. She is also a member of the office’s Human Trafficking Response Unit. Bianca graduated from UConn School of Law in 2016. In her prior life, Bianca covered crime, politics, and other local news as a reporter and anchor in Anchorage, Alaska and Burlington, Vermont, and served as Press Secretary to Governor Peter Shumlin of Vermont.
Scott Schoettes - Scott A. Schoettes, who lives openly with HIV, is Counsel and HIV Project Director at Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization dedicated to making the case for equality on behalf of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and people living with HIV, through impact litigation, education and policy work. Schoettes litigates impact cases involving discriminatory denial of employment and services based on a person’s HIV status, as well as on HIV criminalization and access to care. He also does amicus work on issues of import to people living with HIV, notably co-authoring multiple friend-of-the-court briefs submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court. On the policy side, Schoettes was point-person for Lambda Legal’s work on the repeal of the HIV travel ban, is committed to ending the ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men, and works on the legislative reform of laws criminalizing conduct based on HIV status.
Joseph Schuster - Joseph Schuster has extensive experience in consumer finance law, especially consumer credit cards, consumer and small business loan agreements, consumer deposit accounts, and payments. Experience with all aspects of a federally chartered national bank. Experienced attorney and skilled on regulations relating to consumer lending, anti-money laundering, privacy, and marketing. His areas of expertise include: Consumer Finance Laws and regulations including: Truth in Lending Act (Regulation Z); Truth in Savings Act (Regulation DD); Gramm Leach Bliley Act (Regulation P); Fair Credit Reporting Act (Regulation V); Telephone Consumer Protection Act; Bank Secrecy Act (Anti-Money Laundering); Expedited Funds Availability Act (Regulation CC); Servicemember Civil Relief Act (SCRA); Equal Credit Opportunity Act (Regulation B) Tax reporting and registrations Privacy policies and notices Marketing Review Debt Sales Debt Collection Contract Negotiation Consumer dispute resolution State Law Tracking and Analysis Credit and Debit Terms and Conditions Online Application and Account Management.
Katie Sgarro - Katie is a social entrepreneur and LGBTQ advocate. She is the co-founder and president of AsylumConnect, a tech nonprofit providing the first digital platform for LGBTQ asylum. For her work on AsylumConnect, Katie was selected as the winner of MCC15’s Millennium Peace Prize at the UN, named to the Clinton Foundation’s CGI U Alumni Honor Roll of social innovators and a Mogul Influencer (2017), and a Washington Post’s WP BrandStudio Influencer in the nonprofit sector (2018). In 2019, she became a Roddenberry Fellow and joined Urban Justice Center’s Social Justice Accelerator. She has been a featured speaker on LGBTQ rights and public good technology, and her work has appeared in national outlets including The HuffPost, Forbes.com, The Advocate and The Hill. Katie received a B.A. cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania and a M.S. in management from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Elisabeth Sheff - Dr. Elisabeth Sheff is a sociologist, expert witness, professor, and consultant. The foremost worldwide expert on polyamorous families with children, Dr. Sheff has conducted the only longitudinal study of these families to date. As the CEO of Sheff Consulting, Dr. Sheff provides expert testimony on legal cases pertaining to polyamory, BDSM, and other sex and gender minority issues. Sheff has a PhD in Sociology (CU Boulder, 2005), is certified as a Sexuality Educator by the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT), and served for five years as a Court Appointed Special Advocate in Fulton County Juvenile Court (Atlanta, Georgia). Dr. Sheff has published extensively on BDSM, consensual nonmonogamies, and issues relevant to sex and gender minorities.
Judy Shepard - In October 1998, Judy and Dennis Shepard lost their 21 year-old son, Matthew, to a murder motivated by anti-gay hate. Matthew’s death moved many thousands of people around the world to attend vigils and rallies in his memory. Determined to prevent others from suffering their son’s fate, Judy and Dennis decided to turn their grief into action and established the Matthew Shepard Foundation to carry on Matthew’s legacy. The Foundation is dedicated to working toward the causes championed by Matthew during his life: social justice, diversity awareness & education, and equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. Judy Shepard is the founding president of the Matthew Shepard Foundation Board of Directors, and served as its first executive director as well, from 1999 to 2009. In her continuing role as board president, she travels across the nation speaking to audiences about what they can do as individuals and communities to make this world a more accepting place for everyone, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, sex, gender identity and expression, or sexual orientation. Speaking from a mother’s perspective, Judy also authored a 2009 memoir, “The Meaning of Matthew,” exploring the family’s journey through the prosecution of Matthew’s assailants, the ensuing media coverage, and their continuing work to advance civil rights. Originally trained as a teacher, Mrs. Shepard holds a Bachelor of the Arts degree in Secondary Education from the University of Wyoming where she later pursued some post-graduate studies. She and Dennis continue to make their home in Casper, Wyoming.
Randall (Randy) Shorr - Randy is an attorney in solo practice in Cleveland, Ohio. His law practice focuses on the representation of nonprofit and for-profit developers, housing authorities and lenders in affordable housing and other community development projects throughout Ohio and neighboring states. Randy received JD (cum laude) and MBA degrees from Case Western Reserve University, where he served as an Articles Editor of the Case Western Reserve Law Review. He was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1986, and established his solo practice in 1994. He has served on the Cleveland Landmarks Commission and on the boards of various nonprofit organizations. Randy has been a frequent speaker at affordable housing conferences and seminars, and currently serves as the liaison between the ABA Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development Law and Diversity Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.
Kathy Silver - Kathy heads Jackson Walker’s Energy Litigation Marketing Group and is a Hiring Partner in the Houston office. A litigation attorney who focuses primarily on commercial litigation and oil and gas litigation, Kathy has distinguished herself as a skilled trial lawyer who is absolutely dedicated to her clients’ success. Kathy has represented numerous large and small companies in complex commercial and contract disputes, both as plaintiffs and defendants. For example, Kathy has defended a chemical company in high-profile commercial disputes, including defending a significant matter brought by the Mexican national oil company against several U.S. energy and chemical companies related to claims of conversion of millions of dollars of alleged stolen hydrocarbons. She has handled lawsuits involving contractual and fiduciary duties between joint venturers in a natural gas field; duties owed by operators and working interest owners under joint operating agreements; express and implied covenants in oil and gas leases; royalty disputes; disputes regarding the purchase and sale of hydrocarbons, drainage claims; failed production tubing in a gas well; claims of lease termination, trespass, fraud, fraudulent inducement, and slander of title; and an arbitration involving post-closing accounting and title issues related to the purchase of oil and gas properties. In addition, Kathy has developed experience in health care litigation, representing a managed care company in benefit disputes and in disputes with health care providers related to allegations of underpayment of provider claims and breach of in-network contracts. Kathy also has developed experience in employment litigation and recently tried an employee theft case and two federal lawsuits involving claims brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Kathy’s approach to litigation combines thorough preparation with a deep understanding of both the legal aspects of the case and her clients’ business objectives. She has been described as a “quick study” who leaves nothing to chance in preparing for trial. Prior to joining Jackson Walker, Ms. Silver was in the Trial Department of Baker Botts, where her practice focused on oil and gas litigation, commercial litigation, and pharmaceutical litigation.
Ames Simmons - Ames Simmons is a queer trans man serving as Equality NC’s Policy Director. He provides vision and strategic direction for Equality NC’s policy and advocacy agenda with the North Carolina General Assembly and the state’s executive branch and administrative agencies. He also works with local governments and federal policymakers to achieve Equality NC’s mission of equity and safety for all LGBTQ North Carolinians. His work is rooted in community-based efforts prioritizing anti-violence, anti-oppression and transgender justice. Ames attended Agnes Scott College in Decatur, GA, graduating with a B.A. in Political Science and Spanish, and Emory University Law School, where he earned a juris doctor degree. He previously served for almost two decades as in-house counsel at a healthcare consulting company based in Atlanta.
Matthew Skinner - Matthew Skinner is the Executive Director of The Richard C. Failla LGBTQ Commission of the New York State Courts, where he works closely with senior court system leadership in efforts to promote equal participation in and access to the courts and legal profession by all persons regardless of sexual orientation. gender identity, or gender expression. Prior to assuming his current position with the state court system, Skinner led The LGBT Bar Association and Foundation of Greater New York (LeGaL), litigated at Proskauer Rose LLP, and clerked for the Honorable Richard K. Eaton at the U.S. Court of International Trade. He graduated from Albany Law School and the University of Notre Dame.
Chalia Stallings-Ala'ilima - Chalia Stallings-Ala’ilima is an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division of the Washington State Attorney General’s Office (AGO), enforcing state and federal anti-discrimination laws. Ms. Stallings-Ala’ilima litigates Attorney General-initiated matters—including as co-counsel for Washington State, Plaintiff-Intervenor in Karnoski v. Trump; prosecutes cases for the Washington State Human Rights Commission; works on AGO amicus briefs—including G.G. v. Gloucester Cty. School Board (4th Cir. and U.S. Supreme Court) and Texas v. United States (N.D. Tex.); and enforces Fair Chance Act and Pregnancy Accommodation state laws. Ms. Stallings-Ala’ilima co-chaired the AGO’s Diversity Advisory Committee and authored the Affirmative Civil Rights Enforcement chapter, in National Association of Attorneys General State Attorneys General Powers and Responsibilities, 4 th edition. Ms. Stallings-Ala’ilima received the AGO’s William V. Tanner and Excellence awards, and Washington State Bar Association’s Achieving Professional EXcellence (APEX) in Diversity award. Ms. Stallings-Ala’ilima graduated from the University of Washington School of Law.
Megan Stanley - Megan Stanley is the Interim Director of the Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations (CHR), and joined the CHR in April of 2018. She has over 10 years of progressive experience in social policy and advocacy, ranging from direct service to policy research and analysis, with a focus on low-income and vulnerable populations. Her areas of expertise include program design, technical assistance, and evaluation. Megan holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Public Administration from Northwestern University.
Edward Stein - Edward Stein is a Professor of Law at Cardozo School of Law in New York City and the Director of the Gertrud Mainzer Program in Family Law, Policy, and Bioethics. He holds a B.A. from Williams College, a J.D. from Yale Law School, and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from M.I.T. He has been a visiting professor at UCLA Law School and UC-Hastings School of Law and was the Maurice R. Greenberg Visiting Professor of Law at Yale Law School. Before arriving at Cardozo, he taught philosophy at Yale University, NYU, Williams College, and Mount Holyoke College. He also clerked for Judge Dolores Sloviter on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Stein’s research interests include legal and philosophical topics related to families, sexual orientation, bioethics, cognition and science. He has written extensively on these and other legal, philosophical, and scientific topics and is the author of two books, The Mismeasure of Desire: The Science, Theory and Ethics of Sexual Orientation and Without Good Reason: The Rationality Debate in Philosophy and Cognitive Science, both published by Oxford University Press, and the editor of an anthology, The Forms of Desire: Sexual Orientation and the Social Constructionist Controversy, published by Routledge.
Michael Stevens - Michael W. Stevens is a Senior Associate in Seyfarth Shaw LLP’s San Francisco office and a member of the Labor & Employment department. Michael practices large-scale, complex litigation, advising and representing clients in all stages of litigation from pleadings through trial. His practice focuses on employee benefits litigation, where he represents employers, plan sponsors, and benefits plans in disputes with providers and beneficiaries. Michael graduated cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center, and was recently selected by the National LGBT Bar Association as one of 40 Best LGBT Attorneys Under 40.
Chase Strangio - Chase Strangio is a Staff Attorney with the ACLU’s LGBT & HIV Project. Chase’s work includes impact litigation, as well as legislative and administrative advocacy, on behalf of LGBTQ people and people living with HIV across the United States. Chase has particular expertise on the treatment of transgender and gender non-conforming people in police custody, jails, prisons and other forms of detention. Prior to joining the ACLU, Chase was an Equal Justice Works fellow and the Director of Prisoner Justice Initiatives at the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, where he represented transgender and gender non-conforming individuals in confinement settings. In 2012, Chase founded the Lorena Borjas Community Fund, an organization that provides direct bail/bond assistance to LGBTQ immigrants in criminal and immigration cases. Chase is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law and Grinnell College.
Tristan Sullivan-Wilson - Tristan Sullivan-Wilson is the Georgetown Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellow at HIPS in Washington, DC. At HIPS, Tristan advocates for local policies that promote the health, rights, and dignity of individuals and communities impacted by sexual exchange and/or drug use due to choice, coercion, or circumstance. This work includes facilitation of the Sex Worker Advocates Coalition, which advocates for the decriminalization of adult consensual sex work in the District of Columbia. Tristan is a 2018 graduate of Northeastern University School of Law, where she was the Executive Articles Editor of the Northeastern University Law Review and concentrated on poverty law and economic justice. In law school, she served as Research Assistant to Professor Wendy Parmet, focusing on public health law and to Professor Emeritus Steve Subrin, focusing on American legal history and development. Tristan has held legal internship positions with the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, the National Institute for Reproductive Health, and the National Women’s Law Center.
Krisztina Szabo - Krisztina Szabo (she/her/hers) is a Staff Attorney at Whitman-Walker Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center that specializes in HIV and LGBTQ care and offers wrap-around legal services to achieve optimal health outcomes. Krisztina represents clients on a variety of legal issues, including access to healthcare and public benefits, such as SSI/SSDI, Medicaid, Medicare, and other public assistance programs. Krisztina also facilitates transgender clients access to gender-affirming care through appealing insurance coverage denials, filing administrative complaints, and challenging discriminatory employee health benefits. In addition, Krisztina helps transgender clients with name and gender on their ID documents, and also offers representation in employment or public accommodation discrimination cases. Prior to joining WWH, Krisztina worked at Ayuda and at the National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project, where she assisted and advocated for immigrant survivors of violence. Krisztina received her law degree from Charleston School of Law and graduated with distinction from the American University Washington College of Law’s and Government LLM Program. She is a member of the Virginia and District of Columbia Bars.
Ria Tabacco Mar - Ria Tabacco Mar is a senior staff attorney with the national ACLU’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender & HIV Project. Her work includes fighting attempts to use religion to discriminate against LGBTQ people at school, at work, and in public places. Ria was part of the ACLU’s litigation team in Miller v. Davis, the challenge to Kentucky clerk Kim Davis’s refusal to issue marriage licenses after the Supreme Court’s marriage equality decision, and Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, the case of the same-sex couple refused a wedding cake because they are gay. Ria has been recognized on The Root 100 annual list of the most influential African Americans ages 25 to 45 and as one of the Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40 by the National LGBT Bar Association. Prior to joining the ACLU, Ria served as Assistant Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, where she participated regularly as amicus curiae on cases involving marriage equality and was a member of the Board of Directors of the New York Civil Liberties Union. Ria served as a law clerk to Judge Victor Marrero of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and to Judge Julia Smith Gibbons of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. She also worked as a litigation associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. Ria graduated from New York University School of Law and Harvard College.
Aaron Tax - Aaron Tax is the Director of Advocacy for SAGE, where he advocates for LGBT-inclusive federal aging policies that account for the unique needs of LGBT older adults. Until June 2011, Aaron served as the Legal Director at Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), the leading organization challenging “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) in Congress and in the courts. He started there as a staff attorney in 2006, and for nearly five years at SLDN, he took part in a multifaceted approach to advancing the civil rights of LGBT service members through law, policy, outreach, and education. As the Legal Director, Aaron was responsible for running the legal services program at SLDN, the only organization providing free legal services to service members impacted by DADT and related forms of discrimination, including those who are HIV positive and/or transgender.
Shannon Taylor - As an Oklahoma City family law attorney, Shannon has built a reputation of providing compassionate guidance and representation for adoption, guardianship, probate/estate administration, child custody, divorce, estate planning and other family law matters. The combination of her life experiences, work history, and education give her a unique perspective and genuine understanding of the complexities of her clients’ needs. Shannon focuses on helping clients navigate their legal situations with compassion, empathy, and attentiveness. When appropriate, she favors mediation, negotiation, collaborative law, and other dispute resolution techniques to help clients swiftly and amicably resolve their legal matters. However, when warranted, she is also a willing and capable advocate in the courtroom. After graduating from Putnam City West High School, she attended Oklahoma City University on a Bishop’s Scholarship, majoring in religion. She left OCU to explore life, got married, and had two children. Following divorce, Shannon returned to OCU, and graduated in 1998. OCU School of Law followed from 2001 – 2005. While in law school, Shannon worked as a full time legal assistant, and later, as a Licensed Legal Intern. She enjoyed solo practice for six years, then spent a year researching and writing for a small firm. She returned to solo practice in 2018. Shannon is also a mediator, certified by the Oklahoma Supreme Court in 2005, and enjoys serving as a Guardian ad Litem for children and incapacitated adults. Shannon enjoys spending time with her wife and family, cycling, rowing, gardening, and most other outdoor activities. She gratefully attributes much of her success to the help of her parents and children, as well as her children’s father and his wife.
Jorge G. Tenreiro - Jorge G. Tenreiro is a Senior Trial Counsel in the Division of Enforcement of the SEC, New York Regional Office. Mr. Tenreiro has significant experience litigating various matters brought by the agency, including fraudulent offerings, pump and dump schemes, and matters in the digital asset space, including by filing and leading the litigation in the SEC’s first two ICO scam cases. Prior to joining the SEC in December 2013, Mr. Tenreiro was a law clerk for the Honorable Julio M. Fuentes for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and a law clerk to the Honorable Allyne R. Ross of the Eastern District of New York. From October 2006 to August 2007 and from September 2008 to August 2012, Mr. Tenreiro was an associate in the litigation department of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton LLP. Mr. Tenreiro is a 2006 graduate of Yale Law School where he was awarded the William K.S. Wang Prize for best performance in contracts and Harlan Stone Prize for Moot Court competition semi-finalists. In May 2003, Mr. Tenreiro obtained his B.A., magna cum laude with distinction in Economics and Mathematics from Yale University. He was Phi Beta Kappa and also received the Henry M. Nodelman Scholarship for Excellence in Sciences. Throughout his career, Mr. Tenreiro has devoted significant time to matters of interest to the LGBTQ community. As a law student, Mr. Tenreiro joined a suit in the District of Connecticut against the Department of Defense’s enforcement of the Solomon Amendment, requiring law schools to permit military recruiters on campus despite the military’s anti-gay “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. In 2009, Mr. Tenreiro was co-counsel in lawsuit securing a victory at summary judgment under the ADA on behalf of an HIV+ teenager denied admission to a basketball summer camp on the basis of his HIV-status. In 2011, Mr. Tenreiro authored an amicus brief in support of the law school in the Supreme Court case Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, which recognized the school’s ability to impose rules barring discrimination against LGBTQ individuals on law school student groups. In 2012, Mr. Tenreiro co-authored a brief in support of a disabled veteran’s request for same-sex spousal benefits before the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. From 2015 to 2018, Mr. Tenreiro served as a member of the LGBT Committee of the New York City Bar. Finance Law Institute
Kellye Testy - Kellye Y. Testy is the president and chief executive officer of the Law School Admission Council, a not-for-profit organization that’s committed to promoting quality, access, and equity in law and education worldwide by supporting individuals’ enrollment journeys and providing preeminent assessment, data, and technology services. Named the nation’s second most influential leader in legal education in 2017, Dean Testy joined LSAC after leading the University of Washington School of Law for eight years as the school’s fourteenth dean and the first woman to hold that post. Dean Testy also served as a professor and dean of Seattle University’s School of Law where she founded several key programs, including the Access to Justice Institute and the Korematsu Center for Law & Equality. Known throughout academic and legal communities for her dedication to the rule of law and its commitment to justice and equality, Dean Testy served as president of the American Association of Law Schools (AALS) in 2016. She is a member of the American Law Institute and has served on the Board of Governors of the Society of American Law Teachers, as well as several committees and initiatives of the ABA Section on Legal Education, among many other Boards and organizations. Dean Testy is a first-generation college graduate who is proud to have obtained both her undergraduate degree (Journalism) and her law degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, her hometown.
Morgan J. Tilleman - Morgan J. Tilleman is senior counsel and a business lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP and is a member of the Insurance & Reinsurance Industry Team and the Health Care Industry Team. His practice is concentrated on corporate and regulatory insurance and reinsurance law and on the intersection of health care and insurance.
Harper Jean Tobin - As Director of Policy, Harper Jean leads NCTE’s advocacy with Congress and federal agencies and oversees NCTE’s state policy work. She also serves on the board of HIPS, an organization that promotes rights, health and safety for those involved in sex work, sex trade, or drug use in the DC area. Harper Jean previously worked at the Federal Rights Project of the National Senior Citizens Law Center (now Justice in Aging). A Kentucky native, she received degrees in law and social work from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and attended Oberlin College.
Travis Torrence - Travis Torrence serves as Global Litigation Bankruptcy & Credit Team Lead at Shell Oil Company. Travis graduated from Yale Law School in 2005 and received his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, in Communication and Political Science from Tulane University. Prior to joining Shell, Travis was a senior associate at Fulbright & Jaworski LLP (now known as Norton Rose Fulbright), where he chaired the Houston office’s Recruiting Committee and served as a founding member of the firm’s Diversity Advisory Council. Before working at Fulbright, Travis served as a law clerk for the Honorable Edward C. Prado of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Travis has been honored by Texas SuperLawyers as a Rising Star in the area of Bankruptcy & Creditor/Debtor Rights and the Houston Business Journal as a “40 Under 40” honoree and a finalist in its Best Corporate Counsel Awards. Travis currently serves on the board of directors of the National LGBT Bar Foundation and Texas Bar Foundation, and is the Chair of the Houston Bar Foundation. He is also a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for Tulane University’s School of Liberal Arts and the Yale Law School Fund Board. He is a former member of the executive committee of the board of directors State Bar of Texas and President of The Arthur L. Moller/David B. Foltz, Jr. American Inn of Court and the Bo’s Place board of directors. He has also served as Co-Chair of the Texas Minority Counsel Program. Travis is a former champion of Dancing With The Houston Stars and has been featured, along with several NFL players (including JJ Watt and Kareem Jackson) and local leaders, as a “celebrity model” for fashion shows during galas to benefit programs conducted by Bo’s Place. Travis has also chaired numerous philanthropic events, including the World AIDS Day Luncheon, the Victory Fund Champagne Brunch, the Montrose Center’s Out For Good Gala, and the Camp For All Gala. Travis previously worked as an on-air personality for B-97 FM; New Orleans’ #1 Hit Music Station.
Wayne Turner - Wayne Turner (he/him/his) is a senior attorney in the National Health Law Program’s (NHeLP) Washington, DC office, and also teaches a seminar class on LGBT Health Law and Policy at Georgetown Law School. Wayne focuses on consumer protections in Medicaid managed care, eligibility using Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) methodologies, prescription drug access, and nondiscrimination protections in health care. Wayne is the principal author of several NHeLP guides for advocates and legal services providers, as well as NHeLP’s HIV/AIDS discrimination complaint filed with the HHS Office for Civil Rights. Before making the transition to a legal career, Wayne spent more than a decade as an HIV/AIDS activist and is a founding member of the direct action group ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) in Washington, DC. He also served as the primary organizer of DC’s medical marijuana Initiative 59, which was approved by 69% of District voters in 1998. Wayne earned his B.A. at Reed College and graduated magna cum laude from the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. In law school, Wayne worked as a fellow in the HIV/AIDS Legal Clinic, where he prepared living wills and standby guardianships for clients with HIV/AIDS and their children. Wayne is featured in the 2011 PBS documentary, Out in America, in which he describes the impact of the AIDS pandemic on the LGBT community through his personal account of serving as a caregiver and ultimately losing his life-partner Steve Michael, to the disease.
Joseph Vardner - Joseph P. Vardner is a Director and the Antitrust Compliance Officer for Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. He designed and oversees the bank’s antitrust, anti-competitive, and anti-tying compliance programs. Prior to joining Wells Fargo, Mr. Vardner worked at a top global law firm and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. At the DOJ, Mr. Vardner represented the United States at trial in its challenge of a provision in agreements between a credit card network and merchants. He was also on the litigation team for its challenge to the merger between AT&T and T-Mobile. He was awarded the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award and twice awarded the Antitrust Division’s Award of Distinction. At all three organizations, he served on the board of their LGBT diversity programs and is currently the finance chair of Wells Fargo’s PRIDE team member network. He lives in Washington, D.C. with his fiance and their two kittens.
Judge Javier Vargas - The Honorable Javier E. Vargas has been a Judge of the Family Court of the State of New York, Kings County, since December 2015. Prior thereto, Judge Vargas served with distinction for the New York State Unified Court System since 1993 in various capacities, including as Senior Court Attorney at the New York State Court of Appeals; Principal Law Clerk in N.Y.S. Supreme Court and the Appellate Division; Chief Court Attorney for the Supreme Court’s Appellate Term; and, most recently, as a Civil Court Judge assigned to the Housing Part in Bronx County between 2013 and 2015. Judge Vargas received his B.S. from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, his J.D. from SUNY School of Law, and an LL.M. from New York University School of Law in 1993.
Ronald Vaske - Ron Vaske focuses on matters involving banking, payment systems, and commercial transactions. He provides advice to banks, service providers, program managers and financial services companies in nearly all areas of their business, including compliance, regulatory supervision and enforcement, privacy, data security, and third party relationships. He also advises on issues related to emerging payment systems and the implementation of new financial products. Ron regularly assists clients in relationships with financial institutions and third party service providers. Several of the clients he advises serve the under-banked and subprime markets. Ron is an authority on the CARD Act and the Truth in Lending Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act; The Electronic Funds Transfer Act; The Dodd-Frank Act; and the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Arun Venkataraman - Arun Venkataraman is Senior Director, Head of International Affairs, advancing Visa’s global government engagement strategy on a range of international policy issues including digital economy, trade, tax and sanctions. Prior to joining Visa, he was Trade & Investment Policy Advisor at Steptoe & Johnson LLP, where he counseled multinational firms and other organizations on e-commerce, intellectual property rights, and U.S. and foreign trade policies. Arun has more than 15 years of experience advising officials at the highest levels of government on trade and economic policy, including in the Office of the US Trade Representative and the US Department of Commerce, and as a Legal Officer in the World Trade Organization. As the first ever Director of Policy at the US Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, Arun helped shape the US government’s responses to critical challenges faced by firms in the US and in markets around the world, including China and India, and led the International Trade Administration’s efforts to conclude negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership and secure passage of Trade Promotion Authority legislation. Prior to serving at the Department of Commerce, Arun spent several years in policy and legal roles at the Office of the US Trade Representative. Arun led the development and implementation of US-India trade policy as the Director for India, and, as Associate General Counsel, represented the United States in litigation before the World Trade Organization and in negotiations on international trade agreements. Arun also served as a Legal Officer for the Appellate Body Secretariat of the WTO, advising the seven Members of the Appellate Body on a wide range of issues raised in appeals of trade disputes between countries. Arun holds a J.D. from Columbia Law School, a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and a B.A. in International Relations and French Literature from Tufts University.
Vince Vetri -
Farhaad Virani - Farhaad Virani is currently Associate General Counsel at Amazon Studios where he oversees the legal team supporting development of Amazon’s original scripted series and feature films, including Comedy, Drama, Genre, Kids, and Young Adult programming, as well as local-language content for India, Japan, Europe and Latin America. Prior to his time at Amazon Studios he supported Amazon’s music business in Seattle, and prior to that he was a transactional real estate attorney working in the wine industry, clean tech, and commercial real estate in San Francisco and Houston. Farhaad currently serves on the board of directors of Outfest Film Festival and the ACLU of Southern California. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 2004 and Rice University with a B.A. in Economics in 2001.
Denise Visconti - Denise M. Visconti currently serves as the Office Managing Shareholder of the San Diego Office of Littler Mendelson, the largest law firm in the world exclusively devoted to representing management in employment, employee benefits and labor law matters. In addition to running Littler’s San Diego office, Denise maintains an active law practice. She handles a broad variety of employment litigation matters, which includes defending clients in class action litigation, representative actions, private attorney general matters, as well as single-plaintiff actions. Denise also regularly provides advice and counseling to both large and small organizations and their human resources teams in all aspects of the employment relationship, including wage and hour issues, reductions in force, policies and procedures, performance management issues, and termination decisions. Denise regularly provides advice and counseling to clients regarding gender identity and gender expression-related issues, gender transitions in the workplace, and various issues relating to domestic partnerships and same-sex couples. Denise also has extensive experience conducting pay equity audits for all types of employers, from start-ups to Fortune 50 companies, and helped develop the Littler Pay Equity Assessment™, including counseling employers on a broad range of state and federal issues related to pay equity, from compliance, to updating policies and job descriptions, to training managers and recruiters, and more. Denise received her J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law. She also has a B.S. and M.S. in Applied History and Political Science from Carnegie Mellon University.
Emily Walpole -
Jen Warner - Jen serves as Columbia Sportswear Company’s Vice President of Legal. Jen is a collaborative senior executive with a focus on strategic business solutions. Jen regularly spe writes on the topics of leadership, diversity, legal operations, and personal development. She is also a previous recipient of the National LGBT Bar Association Best LGBT L Under 40 Award. Prior to joining Columbia, Jen served as Chief Development Officer of AsheWorks, Inc. She also served as Global Chief Compliance Officcer and General Counsel Americas o Logistics, Inc. (NYSE: XPO) and as Vice President of Compliance and Deputy General Counsel of Con-way, Inc. (NYSE: CNW). Along with other earlier in-house and law Jen received her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law where she was a Dillard Fellow and her B.A. from the University of Utah. Corporate Counsel Institute
Melanie L. Webber - Melanie Webber is a partner in the firm’s Cleveland office and serves as co-chair for the firm’s Women’s Initiative and Leadership Counsel. She represents and advises clients in all aspects of employment law, including harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and leave-related complaints. Over her career, she has represented employers on traditional labor issues – such as union organizing campaigns, unfair labor practice charges and labor arbitrations – before administrative agencies that include the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Ohio Civil Rights Commission (OCRC).
Jillian Weiss - Jillian Weiss is Of Counsel to Outten & Golden LLP, and a member of the firm’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer Workplace Rights (LGBTQ) Practice Group. Prior to joining the firm in 2019, Dr. Weiss was Executive Director of the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, a Professor of Law & Society at Ramapo College, and in private law practice. She received her B.A. from Yeshiva University in 1983, her J.D. from Seton Hall University in 1986, and her Ph.D. (Law & Society) from Northeastern University in 2004. Dr. Weiss co-litigated the first transgender employment rights cases with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice. She has published several law review articles on transgender legal issues, was the first transgender member of the Board of Directors of Lambda Legal, and is a member of the Committee on Labor & Employment for the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. She was the longtime Chair of the annual Transgender Law Symposium, and founding Executive Director of the National Transgender Bar Association. Dr. Weiss has also consulted with major corporations, public agencies and educational institutions regarding gender identity policies, including Harvard University, Boeing and New York City. She has received several awards for her advocacy for the LGBTQ community, including the New York State LGBT Bar Association’s Community Vision Award and the Arthur Leonard Award for Service from the LGBT Rights Committee of the New York City Bar Association. Transgender Law Institute
Jacob Westlund - Jacob Westlund assists banks and financial institutions with a range of matters involving consumer financial services, payments products, third-party relationships, data privacy, commercial lending, and other regulatory compliance challenges. Jacob approaches his clients’ needs with full awareness of the challenging regulatory environment in which financial institutions operate and the importance of efficient, reliable legal services. Jacob’s experience includes the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), Electronic Funds Transfer Act (EFTA), Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) privacy requirements, Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and a wide range of other state and federal laws and regulations affecting banking and the provision of financial products and services. In particular, Jacob advises banks and program managers on new regulatory requirements applicable to prepaid cards and accounts. Jacob also has assisted banks with drafting compliant consumer-facing disclosures, notices, and other documentation; UDAP/UDAAP issues; application of state and federal money transmitter requirements to Fintech and other novel business models; BSA/AML, financial crimes, and sanctions obligations; and review of GLBA privacy materials. Jacob also has assisted with transactions among various participants in the payments ecosystem, as well as in the commercial and syndicated lending contexts. Prior to joining Ballard Spahr, Jacob served at a large national bank where he was responsible for conducting a rigorous, enterprise-wide assessment of top compliance and risk issues. The assessment evaluated the effectiveness of senior leadership – including the board of directors, senior management, and top-level committees – as well as the bank’s governance, strategy-setting, and overall risk management infrastructure. This background allows Jacob to approach his clients’ concerns from an experienced and risk-oriented perspective grounded in the real-world, business implications of legal advice.
T. Christopher Wharton - T. Christopher Wharton is an attorney and senior partner at Wharton O’Brien, PLLC. Chris’s practice focuses on family law, criminal defense, and LGBTQ advocacy. Chris graduated magna cum laude from Westminster College with a Bachelor of Arts in history and political science. He received his J.D. in from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law. Chris opened his own practice in 2012, where his work in the areas of family law and LGBTQ advocacy has gained local and national attention. In 2013, Chris helped lead a team of attorneys in submitting amicus briefs to the United States Supreme Court for Hollingsworth v. Perry and United States v. Windsor. In January 2018, Chris argued before the Utah Supreme Court that a judge in Ogden, Utah erred when he denied two transgender Utahns gender-marker changes. The Utah Supreme has yet to issue a decision in that case. In addition to law practice, Chris is also a member Salt Lake City Council. Chris’ pronouns are he/his.
Amy Whelan - Amy Whelan has been a Senior Staff Attorney at the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) since 2011 and works on NCLR’s full range of litigation, policy, and public education work. Amy litigates complex civil cases around the country regarding marriage equality, employment discrimination, Title IX, family law, access to healthcare, prisoners civil rights, the First Amendment, and other constitutional matters. Before joining NCLR, Amy was a lawyer at the San Francisco firm of Rosen, Bien, Galvan & Grunfeld LLP (RBGG). There, she represented individuals, organizations, and classes of people in litigation before federal and state courts and administrative agencies, principally in the area of civil rights. In 2008 and 2009, Amy was a member of the trial team in Coleman/Plata v. Schwarzenegger, a combined lawsuit challenging the California prison system’s unconstitutional provision of medical and mental healthcare. A unanimous three-judge panel ruled in favor of the prisoners in that case and the United States Supreme Court affirmed that decision on May 23, 2011. Amy received her Bachelor’s Degree from Princeton University and her Juris Doctorate from Northeastern University School of Law.
Joey White - Joseph White joined Office Depot in 2009 and is Vice President, Associate General Counsel in transactions. Joseph received his undergraduate degree (BS), summa cum laude, from the College of Charleston in 1996 and his JD degree, magna cum laude, from the University of South Carolina in 1999, where he served on the South Carolina Law Review. Prior to joining Office Depot, Joseph was an attorney with the law firms of Dewey Ballantine, LLP, Kilpatrick Stockton LLP, and Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, LLP and served as in-house counsel for Compass Group, The Americas Division, where his practice concentrated in mergers & acquisitions and general corporate and contract law. Joseph is licensed to practice law in New York and Florida (Authorized House Counsel). He is a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel and serves on the National Legal Industry Council of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.
Keola Whittaker - Keola is a senior associate at McGuireWoods, where he represents financial institutions and Fortune 500 corporations in complex business cases. He is known for his extensive oral advocacy experience. In law school, he was ranked the top speaker in the United States and the third best speaker in the world in the Jessup International Moot Court Competition and was hired by the Wharton School to assist students with their oral advocacy and presentation skills. As a lawyer, he has argued countless motions and has taken cases to trial in state and federal courts. The ABA Business Law Section awarded Keola the Business Law Fellowship, and he serves on the section's Business and Corporate Litigation Committee. Keola serves on the board of OutRight Action International, and also has volunteered for Lambda Legal, The Trevor Project, Equality California and Immigration Equality. The National LGBT Bar Association, of which he is a member, named him one of the "40 Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40" in 2014. He also is a member of the National Hispanic Bar Association. Originally from Hawaii, Keola's name means "the life" in Hawaiian.
Stephanie Williams -
Melanie Wilson - Dean Melanie D. Wilson, the Lindsay Young Distinguished Professor of Law, began her tenure as dean of the College of Law in 2015. Wilson earned a JD (magna cum laude and Order of the Coif) from the University of Georgia School of Law. She holds a bachelors degree in journalism with a minor in business, also from the University of Georgia. She previously served as professor of law, associate dean for academic affairs, and director of diversity and inclusion at the University of Kansas School of Law. Before entering academia, Wilson clerked for a federal district court judge and enjoyed thirteen years of law practice in both the private and public sectors, including six years as an assistant United States attorney and four years as an assistant attorney general for the state of Georgia. As an academic, Wilson enjoys both teaching and scholarship. She received the Howard M. and Susan Immel Award for Teaching Excellence at the University of Kansas School of Law in 2011 and was named Outstanding Woman Educator of 2015 by the University of Kansas. She also co-authored three books on criminal procedure and has published more than a dozen articles and essays addressing prosecutorial ethics and the Fourth and Sixth Amendments.
Daniel Winterfeldt - Daniel is a partner in Reed Smith’s Global Capital Markets practice. Currently based the London office, Daniel’s practice focuses on representing US, UK, European and Asian investment banks and corporate issuers in a wide range of securities transactions, including Rule 144A and Regulation S equity and debt offerings; Category 3, Regulation S transactions for US companies listing in the United Kingdom; rights offerings; exchange offers; equity-linked securities offerings; initial public offerings and secondary and follow-on offerings of equity securities, including SEC-registered transactions. Daniel founded the Forum for US Securities Lawyers in London in 2006 to address US securities issues in the London market across law firms, banks and intermediaries. The Forum was short-listed by the British Legal Awards in 2009 for ‘Law Firm Innovation’. The Forum was 'Highly Commended" by the FT Innovative Lawyers Awards in 2016 in the category ‘Innovation in Navigating Regulation’. Daniel is also the founder and chair of the InterLaw Diversity Forum, which seeks to promote meritocracy and inclusion for diverse groups in the legal sector. The InterLaw Diversity Forum was "Highly Commended" by the FT Innovative Lawyers Awards in 2016 for 'Innovation in Human Resources". Daniel was named the "Legal Innovator of the Year" at the FT Innovative Lawyers Awards in 2012 for his work in capital markets and diversity and inclusion.
Jessica Witte - Jessica Witte is an associate at Thompson & Horton in the Austin office. She focuses her practice on the representation of schools, colleges, and other public entities and has particular expertise in the areas of employment law, special education laws, and Title IX. Prior to joining Thompson & Horton, Ms. Witte served as a judicial law clerk for the Hon. Debra H. Lehrmann, Justice on the Supreme Court of Texas, and as a judicial law clerk for the Hon. J. Scott Hacker, Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Ms. Witte was also previously an attorney with Kramer, Levin, Naftalis & Frankel LLP, where she practiced white collar criminal defense, employment defense, and complex commercial litigation in New York City. While in law school, she interned for the United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights and participated in litigation before the United States Supreme Court through the University of Pennsylvania Law School Supreme Court Clinic. Before attending law school, Ms. Witte taught elementary school special education as a Teach for America Corps Member in New York City. Prior to teaching, Ms. Witte was a lobbyist to the Missouri State Legislature on public higher education access and affordability. Jessica received her J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Law School where she served as Senior Editor of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, was a Levy Scholar, received Legal Writing Honors, and received the Exceptional Pro Bono Service Award. Jessica also holds a master’s degree in Science in Teaching from Pace University.
Jaime Wojdowski - Jaime Wojdowski is a Lead Human Rights Officer/EEO Investigator at the DC Office of Human Rights (OHR), where she investigates claims of discrimination under the DC Human Rights Act. Jaime spearheaded OHR’s #SafeBathroomsDC project, which enforces DC’s regulation requiring public single-stall restrooms to be gender inclusive. Jaime also helped to create the LGBT cultural competency training currently required of all DC government employees. Before joining OHR in 2011, Jaime served as a law clerk for the Senior Judges Chambers in the DC Superior Court and completed a post-graduate fellowship at the Alliance for Justice, where she researched the civil rights records of nominees to the federal appellate bench. Jaime currently serves as a volunteer attorney for the Whitman-Walker Clinic’s Name and Gender Change Clinic, assisting transgender individuals in changing their name and gender markers on identity documents, and frequently volunteers for other LGBT organizations throughout DC. In her spare time, she plays on soccer teams year-round, does yoga, travels the world to film live music, takes care of her feline furchild, visits her girlfriend in Denmark, and tries to learn Danish. Jaime graduated magna cum laude from the Georgia State University College of Law in 2007 and is barred in Georgia and DC. She received her B.A. in Communications in 2003 from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, GA.
Tobias Barrington Wolff - Tobias Barrington Wolff writes and teaches in the fields of civil procedure and complex litigation, the conflict of laws, federal jurisdiction, and constitutional law. He is co-author (with Linda Silberman and Allan Stein) of Civil Procedure: Theory and Practice (Aspen, 3d ed 2009) and his recently published articles include Civil Rights Reform and the Body (Harvard Law & Policy Review), Redeeming the Missed Opportunities of Shady Grove (with Stephen Burbank) (University of Pennsylvania Law Review), and Federal Jurisdiction and Due Process in the Era of the Nationwide Class Action (University of Pennsylvania Law Review). Wolff has served as counsel or counsel for amici curiae in many civil rights cases seeking equal treatment under law for LGBT people. He won the A. Leo Levin Award for Excellence in an Introductory Course in 2009.
Shin-Ming Wong - Ming Wong is the Supervising Helpline Attorney at the National Center for Lesbian Rights where he also coordinates their Poverty Law work. He obtained his JD at U.C. Hastings in 2007, with a focus on Public Interest law. He serves on the board of the Pride Law Fund, which funds projects – a number of which have been housed at legal aid organizations – that serve and advocate for LGBTQ people and those living with HIV and AIDS. He previously served on the Executive Committee of the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, an organization committed to protecting human rights over property rights, and providing legal support to communities and mass movements for change. Ming is an immigrant to the U.S. and lives in Oakland, California. Claudia Work – Claudia Work is a 1992 graduate of the University of New Mexico School of Law and has practiced in Arizona and New Mexico. Her practice focuses primarily on civil litigation and all aspects of family law, including protecting and enforcing the rights of unmarried opposite and same sex couples and their children at all stages of their relationships. Ms. Work frequently works as a Court Appointed Advisor and a Best Interests Attorney in Family Court. A frequent local and national CLE presenter, Ms. Work serves on the National Family Law Advisory Council for the National Center for Lesbian Rights and is a founding member of the Family Law Institute for the National LGBT Bar Association. She currently serves on the Executive Council of the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Arizona, the Continuing Legal Education Committee of the State Bar of Arizona, is a former member and past Chair of the Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity of the State Bar of Arizona and a past member of the Committee on the Rules of Professional Conduct. Ms. Work is a member of the Arizona Bar Association, National and Arizona LGBT Bar Associations, the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts Arizona Chapter, and is currently admitted to practice in the State of Arizona and the Ninth Federal District Court.
Colin Wright - Colin S. Wright is Senior Intellectual Property Counsel with Landis+Gyr, a maker of smart utility meters. Until recently, he served as Senior Counsel for Technology & Cybersecurity at Change Healthcare, a provider of healthcare software and data services. Previously, he worked as in-house counsel at McKesson, where he championed the creation of OPEN, McKesson’s LGBTQ Employee Resource Group. In 2014, for his work at McKesson and in the Atlanta community, Colin was given the Out & Proud Corporate Counsel award by the National LGBT Bar Association. Colin is admitted to practice law in Georgia and Washington D.C. and is also a registered Patent Attorney. He holds a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech and a J.D. from the University of Georgia, and lives in Atlanta with his husband, Toby.
Jason Wu - Jason Wu is a staff attorney at The Legal Aid Society (NYC), where he represents low income communities of color to preserve and expand affordable housing. He is currently a Trustee, and was previously the LGBTQ Caucus Representative (2013-2017), of the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys – UAW 2325. He is a graduate from UCLA School of Law, with a specialization in Critical Race Studies. In his spare time, he serves on the Steering Committee for GAPIMNY, an all-volunteer, membership-based Queer & Trans API community-based organization in NYC that promotes movement building through an intersectional lens. In 2018, he was recognized by The National LGBT Bar Association as one of the “Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40.”
Ezra Young - Ezra Young is a nationally recognized civil rights attorney based in New York City. Ezra's work centers on trans rights, with a focus on rights of recognition, employment protections, and health care and insurance coverage issues. Ezra has represented trans clients in several ground-breaking Title VII cases, including, Jamal v. Saks (S.D. Tex.), Chavez v. Credit Nation Auto Sales (11th Cir.), EEOC v. Lakeland Eye Clinic (M.D. Fla.), EEOC and Brittany Austin v. Deluxe Financial Services (D. Minn.), Schawe-Lane and Lane v. Amazon.com.KYDC LLC (E.D.Ky.), United States and Rachel Tudor v. Southeastern Oklahoma State University et al. (W.D. Okla. and 10th Cir.), and Texas et al. v. United States et al. and Rachel Tudor (5th Cir.), and Darin B. v. OPM (EEOC 2017). In November 2017, Ezra served as lead trial counsel in the nation’s first transgender sex discrimination federal jury trial, ultimately securing a historic $1.165 damages award. Ezra has also represented transgender patients in insurance appeals cases, including Lauderdale v. Unitedhealthcare (HHS 2016), the first case in which the Medicare Appeals Council ordered a health plan to cover vaginal reconstruction surgery for a transgender woman. Ezra currently serves on the board of the Jim Collins Foundation and was a founding board member and is an immediate past co-chair of the National Trans Bar Association. Ezra received his BA in Philosophy from Cornell University and his JD from Columbia Law School. While a law student, Ezra served as Executive Managing Editor of the Columbia Journal of Gender and Law and Online & Consulting Editor of the Columbia Journal of Race and Law. From 2012 to 2014, Ezra was a Post Doctoral Scholar at Columbia Law School, focusing on trans rights, Critical Race Theory, and intersectionality. Ezra's studies were supervised by renowned scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw. Concurrently, Ezra served as research director of the Columbia Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies and legal director of the African American Policy Forum. From 2014 to 2016, Ezra served as an associate at a small plaintiffs’ side firm. From mid-2016 through mid-2017, Ezra served as director of impact litigation at the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc. Ezra currently maintains a boutique private practice.
Sean Young - Sean J. Young is the Legal Director of the ACLU of Georgia and is active in litigating cases involving the First Amendment, voters’ rights, reproductive justice, criminal justice, and other civil rights and civil liberties issues. Since he joined the ACLU of Georgia, the Legal Department has filed a lawsuit challenging Georgia’s ban on abortion, prevented 160,000 voters from being wrongfully removed from the active voter rolls, blocked discriminatory polling place closures throughout Georgia, won the First Amendment right of protestors to carry signs into the Gold Dome during the legislative session, and filed a first-in-the-nation lawsuit challenging a flawed methodology used by the police to throw innocent people in jail on the erroneous belief that they have been smoking marijuana. Prior to joining the ACLU of Georgia, he was an attorney for the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project at the organization’s national office in New York.Young has also served as a judicial law clerk at both the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and was an associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. He is a 2006 graduate of Yale Law School and a 2002 graduate from Duke University. Young was awarded 2019 Attorney of the Year by the Daily Report, Georgia’s leading legal newspaper, and received the Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40 Award – Class of 2019 by the National LGBT Bar Association & Foundation.
Alfred Zaher - Alfred Zaher is a partner and chair of Montgomery McCracken’s Intellectual Property Department. He also serves as the firm’s Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer. Alfred focuses his practice on patent, trademark and trade secret litigation, licensing and counseling. He has experience representing clients before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the U.S. Copyright Office.He counsels companies in the biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, electronics and software industries. Having close relationships with Chinese officials and law firms, Alfred has a particular focus on managing clients’ patent and trademark portfolios in China, including securing and prosecuting infringers in the Chinese court system. In his role as the firm’s Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Alfred is responsible for overseeing, implementing, and providing leadership to Montgomery McCracken’s diversity initiatives. Prior to his legal career, Alfred was a research engineer and electrical engineer with more than 10 years of technical experience with companies like The Boeing Company and Litton Industries. "}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":15233,"3":{"1":0},"10":0,"11":4,"12":0,"14":{"1":2,"2":0},"15":"Calibri","16":12}">Alfred Zaher is a partner and chair of Montgomery McCracken’s Intellectual Property Department. He also serves as the firm’s Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer. Alfred focuses his practice on patent, trademark and trade secret litigation, licensing and counseling. He has experience representing clients before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the U.S. Copyright Office.He counsels companies in the biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, electronics and software industries. Having close relationships with Chinese officials and law firms, Alfred has a particular focus on managing clients’ patent and trademark portfolios in China, including securing and prosecuting infringers in the Chinese court system. In his role as the firm’s Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Alfred is responsible for overseeing, implementing, and providing leadership to Montgomery McCracken’s diversity initiatives. Prior to his legal career, Alfred was a research engineer and electrical engineer with more than 10 years of technical experience with companies like The Boeing Company and Litton Industries.
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
A Comparative Discussion on the Intersectionality of American, Civil and Islamic Jurisprudences and its Impact on Everyday Life (Sponsored by VERMEG)
A Comparative Discussion on the Intersectionality of American, Civil and Islamic Jurisprudences and its Impact on Everyday Life (Sponsored by VERMEG)
Imam Daayiee Abdullah - Imam Daayiee Abdullah, Executive Director of MECCA Institute (Muslim Education Center for Creative Academics), a Muslim think tank and online Islamic theological seminary teaches an inclusive Quranic liberation theology through its Muslim Chaplaincy program. MECCA Institute opened in August 2017. In 2020, MECCA shall open its Islamic continuing education department providing courses for Muslims and non-Muslims living in modern, multifaith and secular societies. Imam Daayiee lectures nationally and internationally on progressive Muslim concepts, intra-faith and interfaith networking, and the development of inclusive and progressive revisions of Islamic theological thought and Islamic law utilizing the UN Declaration of Human Rights as its filter. He actively promotes understanding and awareness of issues of race, gender and sexual equality as understood in the UNDHR within and beyond Muslim communities. Imam Daayiee continues to provide pastoral counseling for Muslim youth, adults, their families, and friends. He performs same-sex, opposite sex and interfaith marriages for Muslims and non-Muslims of diverse backgrounds.
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
A Comparative Discussion on the Intersectionality of American, Civil and Islamic Jurisprudences and its Impact on Everyday Life (Sponsored by VERMEG)
A Comparative Discussion on the Intersectionality of American, Civil and Islamic Jurisprudences and its Impact on Everyday Life (Sponsored by VERMEG)
Diana Adams - Diana Adams is Executive Director of Chosen Family Law Center, Inc, a nonprofit serving LGBTQ, polyamorous, platonic and non-nuclear families and offering professional training on cultural competency & legal skills for serving these communities. Diana is also Owner of Diana Adams Law & Mediation, PLLC, a boutique LGBTQ family law and mediation firm based in New York City and Frankfurt, Germany, serving primarily same-sex couples, platonic co- parents, polyamorous families, and non-nuclear families. Diana is Director of the Euro LGBT Family Law Institute, sponsored by the National LGBT Bar and National Center for Lesbian Rights, connecting top lawyers in LGBTQ family law in Europe with leaders in the US and worldwide, in an effort to create a worldwide legal support movement for LGBTQ families. www.ChosenFamilyLawCenter.org www.DianaAdamsLaw.net Find her on Twitter & Facebook @DianaAdamsEsq.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
The Right to Parent: Advanced LGBT+ Family-Building & Assisted Reproductive Technology
The Right to Parent: Advanced LGBT+ Family-Building & Assisted Reproductive Technology
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
From the Middle to the Center: Visibilizing Bisexuality and Non-Binary Sexual Orientations in the Discourse Around LGBTQ+ Access to Justice
From the Middle to the Center: Visibilizing Bisexuality and Non-Binary Sexual Orientations in the Discourse Around LGBTQ+ Access to Justice
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Consensual Non-Monogamy, Polyamory, and Polyparenting
Consensual Non-Monogamy, Polyamory, and Polyparenting
Toby Adams - Toby Adams is the Executive Director of Intersex & Genderqueer Recognition Project (IGRP), the first, & leading, organization in the United States to address the rights of people to identify as non-binary on government issued documents. A leader in nonbinary & intersex rights, bisexual visibility, & marriage equality for over a decade, Toby co-authored BiLaw’s amicus brief in the Obergefell Supreme Court marriage case in 2015 & received the BALIF 2018 Legal Services Award for her work with IGRP. Toby received her J.D. with Distinction from University of Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 2012 and her M.B.A. from San Jose State University in 1995. Prior to beginning her legal career Toby was a Project Manager at Hewlett-Packard. Toby lives in California with her spouse & daughter & is blessed to have three genderqueer family members.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Intersex & Nonbinary Considerations in Law & Policy
Intersex & Nonbinary Considerations in Law & Policy
Libby Adler - Professor Adler is a professor at Northeastern University, where she holds a joint appointment with the School of Law and the College of Social Sciences and Humanities. She teaches Constitutional Law, Sexuality, Gender and the Law, Family Law and Administrative Law. Professor Adler has written extensively on sexuality, gender, family and children, including foster care, and draws heavily from queer and critical theory. Her book, Gay Priori: A Queer Critical Legal Studies Approach to Law Reform, was published in April 2018 by Duke University Press. She is also a co-editor of the casebook Mary Joe Frug's Women and the Law (4th ed.), and has written about contemporary legal issues arising out of Nazism. Professor Adler has served as a visiting professor at Harvard Law School, where she taught Women and the Law, and at the University of Frankfurt, where she taught a course on contemporary legal fallout from the Nazi labor program. She received the Northeastern University Excellence in Teaching Award in 2007-2008. Prior to joining the permanent faculty, Professor Adler served Northeastern as a visiting professor in 1999-2000 and as a part-time lecturer in 1998-1999, while also a visiting researcher and graduate fellow at Harvard Law School. In the 1990s, she practiced as a policy attorney for the Massachusetts child support enforcement agency, drafting legislation and regulations.
Aziza Ahmed - Professor Ahmed is an internationally renowned expert in health law, criminal law and human rights. Her scholarship examines the legal, regulatory and political environments regarding health in US domestic law, US foreign policy and international law. She teaches Property Law, Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights, and International Health Law: Governance, Development and Rights. Professor Ahmed has been selected as a fellow with the Program in Law and Public Affairs (LAPA) at Princeton University for 2017-2018. She is combining a sabbatical and her fellowship, spending the academic year developing her work on law, feminism and science into a book with particular emphasis on how women’s health advocates shaped the AIDS response. She has also written extensively about abortion and reproductive health. Professor Ahmed’s scholarship has appeared in the University of Miami Law Review, American Journal of Law and Medicine, University of Denver Law Review, Harvard Journal of Law and Gender, Boston University Law Review (online) and the American Journal of International Law (online), among other journals. Prior to joining the School of Law, Professor Ahmed was a research associate at the Harvard School of Public Health Program on International Health and Human Rights. She came to that position after a Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellowship with the International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ICW). Professor Ahmed has also consulted with various United Nations agencies and international and domestic non-governmental organizations. Professor Ahmed was a member of the Technical Advisory Group on HIV and the Law convened by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and has been an expert for many institutions, including the American Bar Association and UNDP. In 2016, she was appointed to serve a three-year term on the advisory board of the Northeastern University Humanities Center. In addition to her BA and JD, Professor Ahmed holds an MS in population and international health from the Harvard School of Public Health.
Gavin Alexander - Gavin Alexander is an associate in the Boston office of Ropes & Gray LLP, and he presently serves as a Co-Chair of the Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association. His practice focuses on representing investment advisers, hedge funds, private equity funds, and institutional investors on a variety of transactional and regulatory matters. Gavin represents private fund advisers on all aspects of their businesses, from initial formation, Advisers Act registration, and marketing and launching both open-end and closed-end funds, to a wide range of compliance and operational matters, and to eventual sales and wind-downs. Gavin also regularly advises institutional investors on co-investments and secondary transactions. Gavin received his B.A. in Theater and Mathematics from Wesleyan University in 2007, and he graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2012. Before joining Ropes & Gray, Gavin completed a judicial clerkship with Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Gavin was recently named as one of the Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40 (Class of 2017) by the National LGBT Bar Association.
Community Building Workshops: August 7, 2019 | 7:45 am - 9:00 am
LGBT Bar Affiliates' Problem Solving Work Session: Programs, Events, and Fundraising
LGBT Bar Affiliates' Problem Solving Work Session: Programs, Events, and Fundraising
Community Building Workshops: August 8, 2019 | 7:45 am - 9:00 am
LGBT Bar Affiliates' Problem Solving Work Session: Compliance, Administration, and Communications
LGBT Bar Affiliates' Problem Solving Work Session: Compliance, Administration, and Communications
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
LGBTQ State & Local Bar Affiliate Congress Caucus
LGBTQ State & Local Bar Affiliate Congress Caucus
Richard Alonso - Richard Alonso is director of United States Regulatory Affairs at Husky Energy in Dublin, OH. He focuses on compliance with the Clean Air Act, including complex permitting issues. Prior to this role, Alonso was in private practice and advised clients on a whole range of Clean Air Act compliance and enforcement issues with state and federal agencies. Prior to building a private practice, Rich served as the Chief of the Stationary Source Enforcement Branch at the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. In this role he was EPA’s second-ranking official for Clean Air Act enforcement. Before assuming that position, he served in the Water Enforcement Division at the EPA. Richard has nearly 10 years of service with the enforcement office at EPA, dealing primarily with the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. During this time, he managed and negotiated Clean Air Act enforcement cases. Rich was also instrumental in cases relating to defeat devices and engine certification requirements under the Clean Air Act’s Title II mobile source program.
Logan Anderson - Logan N. Anderson is an associate in the Health Sciences Department of Pepper Hamilton LLP, resident in the Philadelphia office. Mr. Anderson concentrates his practice on the representation of pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers in products liability and consumer fraud litigation, government investigations, and qui tam litigation involving the Anti-Kickback Statute and False Claims Act. He has a BBA in Finance from Temple University and his JD from Villanova University School of Law.
Law Student Career Planning Programming (NALP) and Continental Breakfast (Sponsored by Walmart Legal): August 9, 2019 | 8:00 am - 10:15 am
Career Planning Program
Career Planning Program
Christine Henry Andresen - Christine Henry Andresen is the Managing Attorney at CHA Law Group in Austin, Texas. Christine helps people make babies. She is a family attorney with niches in adoption and assisted reproductive technology (ART) legal issues, and LGBTQ legal issues including legal work with polyamorous families. She also represents clients in divorce, child custody, and child welfare litigation, collaborative law, and does wills and estate planning. Christine has belonged to the national LGBT Bar’s Family Law Institute since 2013 and is the Vice-President of the Austin LGBT Bar. She is an ART Fellow of the Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys. Christine has three kids, two poodles, and a college professor husband. Her law degree is from Boston University School of Law, she has studied at New York University and the London School of Economics, and her undergraduate degree is from Vassar College.
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Transgender Parents and Children in Custody Proceedings
Transgender Parents and Children in Custody Proceedings
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Consensual Non-Monogamy, Polyamory, and Polyparenting
Consensual Non-Monogamy, Polyamory, and Polyparenting
Buddy Apple - Buddy Apple, Esq. | Dallas Buddy joined Wegman Partners in 2018. Buddy focuses on recruiting and placing attorneys in Texas and the Southeast. He enjoys getting to know his candidates and helping them find the right place to succeed in their practice. Buddy began his legal career by practicing securities litigation with an AmLaw 100 Firm in Dallas, and then practiced with a Dallas commercial litigation boutique for 8 years. This experience helps Buddy better understand the realities of the legal market and the aspirations and concerns of his candidates. Buddy grew up in a small town north of Dallas before receiving a B.A. in International Studies, summa cum laude, in 2004 from the Croft Institute for International Studies and the Sally McDonnell-Barksdale Honors College at the University of Mississippi, where he was a member of both Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi. Buddy received his J.D., cum laude, from the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University in 2007, where he served as an Articles Editor on the Computer Law Review and Technology Journal. Buddy is a board member and past President of Preservation Dallas, and has been appointed to more than one City of Dallas cultural task force. Buddy is a member and supporter of Lambda Legal, and actively serves with his church. He is married to a BigLaw partner at a Dallas firm, with whom he enjoys traveling internationally, cheering on Ole Miss football in the Grove, and corralling their 95-pound Bloodhound, Lucy.
Lateral Program: August 9, 2019 | 8:30 am - 10:00 am
Making The Move: Best Practices for Lateral Candidates
Making The Move: Best Practices for Lateral Candidates
Gabriel Arkles - Gabriel Arkles is a senior staff attorney with the ACLU's LGBT and HIV Project. His work includes protecting transgender people from discrimination and fighting the criminalization of HIV. While at the ACLU, Gabriel has brought challenges to an anti-trans ballot initiative in Montana; defended trans youth in Maryland and Oregon when anti-trans advocates challenged school policies that gave trans students equal access to facilities; and challenged state policies that denied trans people equal access to identity documents in Alabama and Ohio. He is also on the team representing Aimee Stephens, a transgender woman fired from her job as a funeral director because of her sex. Gabriel has authored many pieces about gender, race, and disability, especially in the context of prisons and the military. His articles have appeared in NYU Law Review, Northeastern Law Journal, NYU Journal of Legislation and Public Policy, Seattle Journal for Social Justice, CUNY Law Review Footnote Forum, Southwestern Law Review, Temple Political and Civil Rights Law Review, NYU Journal of Law and Social Change, Scholar and Feminist Online, The Writing Instructor, Sexuality Research and Social Policy, and Signs. His news analysis and opinion pieces have appeared in TruthOut and CBS. His essays also appear in books, including The Unfinished Queer Agenda After Marriage Equality; Affirmative Psychological Practice with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Clients; Socially Just Generalist Practice: Putting Theory Into Action; LGBT America Encyclopedia; Trans Bodies, Trans Selves; and Voices of Resistance: Muslim Women on War, Faith, and Sexuality. Gabriel received the Dukeminier Award for best sexual orientation law review article in 2009 and the Sylvia Rivera Law Project Award for outstanding pro bono service in 2010. Prior to joining the ACLU, Gabriel worked at the Sylvia Rivera Law Project for six years. While there, he represented low-income trans and gender nonconforming people of color on many issues, particularly prison conditions. He also taught legal skills to law students for seven years, first at NYU School of Law and then at Northeastern School of Law. 2019 Transgender Law Institute
Charlie Arrowood - Charlie Arrowood, Esq. is Transcend Legal’s Director of Name & Gender Recognition. They assist transgender clients with name and gender marker changes in New York, and work to obtain health insurance coverage for transgender health care nationwide. Charlie is also Of Counsel to Argentino Family Law & Child Advocacy’s New York practice, and serves as Community Mobilization Coordinator at Pride for Youth in Bellmore, NY, where they oversee the Nassau County chapter of the NYS Ending the Epidemic (ETE) Coalition. They are Vice Chair of the Nassau County Bar Association’s LGBTQ Committee and provide professional and attorney trainings primarily focused on working with transgender clients, colleagues, and youth. Charlie is a Long Island native, parent of two, and a graduate of Tulane University (B.A. in History, 2009) and New York Law School (2013), where they focused on issues of employment discrimination and dispute resolution/mediation.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Intersex & Nonbinary Considerations in Law & Policy
Intersex & Nonbinary Considerations in Law & Policy
Judge John Arrowood - Judge John S. Arrowood was the first openly LGBTQ person to win a state-wide race in the South when he won his race to remain on the North Carolina Court of Appeals in 2018. Judge Arrowood is a North Carolina native. After obtaining his law degree at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, he clerked, and served as a staff attorney and head of the Court of Appeals Central Staff. He then relocated to Charlotte, where for a total of 26 years he practiced with the firm of James, McElroy & Diehl, P.A. doing complex civil litigation, employment and administrative law. Judge Arrowood was initially appointed as a Special Superior Court Judge in 2007 by Governor Michael Easley. Later that year Gov. Easley appointed him to the Court of Appeals. When Judge Arrowood lost his election to retain the seat, he returned to his old firm. In 2017, Governor Roy Cooper reappointed Judge Arrowood to the Court of Appeals. In 2018 he was elected to a full eight year term and was the leading vote-getter in the State last year. Judge Arrowood has served as the Chair of the Equality NC PAC, served for many years on the board of the Gay and Lesbian (now LGBTQ) Victory Institute and still serves on the board of One Victory.
Nathan T. Arrowsmith - Nathan is a native of Los Alamos, New Mexico and has lived in the Phoenix area since 2003. Nathan is a three-time Sun Devil, most recently graduating magna cum laude from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at ASU in 2013. Before joining Osborn Maledon, Nathan worked as a law clerk for the Honorable David G. Campbell of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona and taught second grade for 3 years in Phoenix’s Roosevelt School District as a 2007 Teach for America corps member. While in law school, Nathan was a judicial extern for the Honorable Patricia A. Orozco of the Arizona Court of Appeals, and a legal intern for the Arizona State Senate Rules Office. Nathan currently serves on the national board of his fraternity, Sigma Phi Beta, and has previously served as its President and Chairman. Nathan has also served as the board chair for CASA Academy, a local charter school dedicated to ensuring that low-income students in grades K-3 are on the path to college.
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
"But I am on the Birth Certificate!": Understanding the Interplay of Birth Records, Marital Presumption of Parentage, Adoption Proceedings and Contested Parentage Cases in a Post-Pavan Era
"But I am on the Birth Certificate!": Understanding the Interplay of Birth Records, Marital Presumption of Parentage, Adoption Proceedings and Contested Parentage Cases in a Post-Pavan Era
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Red State Rebuttal - Advocating for LGBTQ Clients in Conservative Regions
Red State Rebuttal - Advocating for LGBTQ Clients in Conservative Regions
Captain Shane Bagwell - Captain (CPT) Shane Bagwell is currently a Trial Defense Counsel for the U.S. Army Trial Defense Service – Pacific Region at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. Among numerous other duties, CPT Bagwell is tasked with representing Soldiers facing administrative separation from the U.S. Army. Prior to transferring to Hawaii, CPT Bagwell served as an Assistant Staff Judge Advocate, focusing on administrative and ethics law, served on the Baltimore Police Commissioner’s LGBT Advisory Council, and served as the National Capital Region Leader for OutServe-SLDN.
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Open and Authentic Service: Update and Strategies re Transgender Service Members
Open and Authentic Service: Update and Strategies re Transgender Service Members
Justin Becker - Justin Becker has experience in a variety of international trade legal issues, including anti-dumping and countervailing duty proceedings, national security reviews, and trade policy work. His experience includes major investigations and reviews before the Department of Commerce (DOC) and investigations before the International Trade Commission (ITC). He has appeared before the Court of International Trade and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and has argued before a Chapter 19 NAFTA panel. Justin also counsels U.S. and foreign clients on national security and international legal issues, including transactions reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). Prior to joining Sidley, Justin worked for the DOC in the Office of the Chief Counsel for Trade Enforcement and Compliance. In this role, he provided legal advice to the Office of Enforcement and Compliance in the International Trade Administration concerning the administration of both U.S. and international anti-dumping and countervailing duty laws. He gained experience working on matters before the U.S. Court of International Trade, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the World Trade Organization’s dispute settlement panels. He also clerked for the Honorable Robert Hinkle of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida He currently serves as a co-chair of Sidley’s DC diversity committee and dedicates a portion of his practice to pro bono matters, and in particular LGBT-related matters.
Aaron Belkin - Since 1999, Aaron Belkin has served as Founding Director of the Palm Center, which the Advocate named as one of the most effective LGBT rights organizations in the United States. He designed and implemented much of the public education campaign responsible for helping end the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in 2011. Aaron summarized the keys to successful advocacy in the book, How We Won: Progressive Lessons from the Repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which Arianna Huffington praised as a “best practices guide for civil rights fights.” Research by Aaron and the Palm Center has been covered by the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Associated Press and others, as well as by television and radio stations across the world. Aaron has written and edited more than thirty scholarly articles, chapters and books, the most recent of which is a study of military masculinity published by Oxford University Press. Transgender Law Institute
Beth Bernstein Connors - Beth Bernstein Connors is a partner in Blank Rome LLP’s Real Estate practice group. She concentrates her practice on commercial real estate matters, focusing on acquisitions, dispositions, commercial leasing, financing, and joint ventures. She represents a broad array of local and national clients, including real estate owners and developers, landlords, large and small retail and office tenants, and lenders. Beth was honored by Super Lawyers in 2018 as a “Rising Star” in real estate law. She previously served as a member of Blank Rome’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee and currently serves as co-chair of the BR Pride affinity group. She is also a member of the Firm’s Recruiting Committee and Pro Bono Coordinating Committee. Outside of the Firm, Beth is a board member of Inspiration Brownsville, Inc., a nonprofit organization focused on improving the backdrop for public education in the Brownsville, Brooklyn community. During law school, Beth served as executive editor for the UCLA Law Review and an editor of the UCLA Women’s Law Journal. She received her J.D. from the UCLA School of Law and her B.A. from Wesleyan University.
Ru Bhatt - Ru Bhatt is a Partner in the Associate Practice Group and has been a member of Major, Lindsey & Africa's New York office since 2008. Ru specializes in placing attorneys of all levels in top-tier national, international, regional and boutique law firms. He also places attorneys in prominent in-house positions at companies and financial institutions. Ru distinguishes himself by taking pride in acting as a career counselor and a strong advocate for his candidates by helping them identify opportunities that are consistent with their diverse career goals. In his free time, Ru follows his passion for music as a DJ and is actively involved in fundraising efforts for local and national LGBT charity organizations.
Lateral Program: August 9, 2019 | 8:30 am - 10:00 am
Making The Move: Best Practices for Lateral Candidates
Making The Move: Best Practices for Lateral Candidates
Nishan Bhaumik - As a Staff Attorney in Immigration Equality’s Pro Bono Program, Nishan works to expand and enhance our asylum work for LGBTQ and HIV-positive immigrants. He mentors pro bono attorneys and also assists with client representation in immigration proceedings at all levels. Prior to joining Immigration Equality, Nishan was an Equal Justice Works Fellow at the New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project (AVP), providing legal support to immigrant LGBTQ survivors of violence. He assisted with the direct representation of clients in New York City and policy advocacy on a local, state, and national scale. At AVP, he worked with coalition partners to focus on cutting-edge immigration relief for LGBTQ individuals. Before working at AVP, he was a Holley Law Fellow at the National LGBTQ Task Force where he worked on issues around religious exemption legislation and was also a law clerk at Lambda Legal, where he worked on issues around marriage equality as well as stop-and-frisk. He is a graduate of CUNY School of Law and a graduate of UC Davis in International Relations and Mandarin Chinese.
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Saving LGBTQ Asylum in the Age of Divided Politics: The Case for Lawyers & Technology (Sponsored by Thomson Reuters)
Saving LGBTQ Asylum in the Age of Divided Politics: The Case for Lawyers & Technology (Sponsored by Thomson Reuters)
Wesley Bizzell - Wesley Bizzell serves as Assistant General Counsel, External Affairs and Director of Political Law and Ethics Programs for Altria Client Services LLC (“ALCS”). Mr. Bizzell provides in-house legal counsel on matters relating to the political, legislative, and lobbying activities of Altria Group, Inc., its services companies, including ALCS, and its operating companies, including Philip Morris USA Inc., U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. LLC, John Middleton Co., and Ste. Michelle Wine Estates Ltd. In this role, Mr. Bizzell is responsible for ensuring that Altria and its companies comply with all laws and regulations regarding federal, state, local, and international campaign finance, government ethics, gifts to government officials, lobbying disclosure and reporting, and charitable giving. Overseeing a comprehensive compliance system covering the regulation of government affairs, Mr. Bizzell provides advice and guidance on political law compliance for more than 75 jurisdictions. Mr. Bizzell also heads the legal team that supports Altria’s public policy activities, providing services related to legislative and regulatory drafting and interpretation. Mr. Bizzell is a member of Altria’s Compliance Leadership Team and its Anti-Corruption Compliance Working Group. Mr. Bizzell is an authority on political compliance law and is active in the compliance legal community. He is co-chair of the Conference Board’s Committee on Corporate Political Spending, a committee of leading American corporations dedicated to accountability, education, and engagement on issues of corporate political activity. In addition, he is a faculty member for the Practicing Law Institute’s annual Corporate Political Activities conference. He serves on the Publications Committee and is co-chair of the Conference Committee for the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (“COGEL”), a professional organization of government officials with responsibilities or interests in governmental ethics, elections, campaign finance, and lobby laws. He also is a member of the California Political Attorneys Association. Mr. Bizzell has lectured on political compliance law issues at many venues, including the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics’ Corporate Compliance Institute, the Conference Board’s Symposium on Corporate Political Spending, the COGEL Annual Conference, the annual Heartland Governmental Ethics Conference, the American Conference Institute’s National Forum on Corporate Lobbying and Political Activities, and the Practicing Law Institute’s annual Corporate Political Activities conference. He has also conducted numerous webinars on political law issues for the Public Affairs Council, the Conference Board, the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics, and other entities. Mr. Bizzell’s articles on the topics of political compliance law and lobbying have appeared in Corporate Counsel, Corrections Today, American Jails, the COGEL Guardian, Corrections.Com, and Metropolitan Corporate Counsel. Previously, Mr. Bizzell was an attorney in Winston & Strawn LLP’s Federal Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs Practice Group. His career also includes more than six years on Capitol Hill, where he served as an aide to Arkansas Senators David Pryor and Dale Bumpers and handled matters involving the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Social Security Administration, Department of Education, and Department of Labor. Additionally, he has served in the Office of General Counsel and the Privatization and Special Projects Branch of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Department of Justice, where he focused on a myriad of issues involving privatization and government procurement. While at Winston & Strawn, Mr. Bizzell provided significant representation on political compliance, government affairs, legislative, and regulatory matters to Fortune 500 companies in the corrections, automotive, banking, pharmaceutical, agricultural, and technology-oriented industries, as well as trade associations, non-profit organizations, and local and territorial governments. He has served as outside ethics counsel to the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, provided legal counsel to the election campaigns of gubernatorial and congressional candidates, represented corporate clients in enforcement actions before the Federal Election Commission, and conducted internal investigations related to corporate political activities. Mr. Bizzell is extremely active in promoting diversity and inclusion within the legal and corporate communities. He is a member of the Altria Law Department’s Diversity Committee, was a co-founder of and serves on the steering committee for Altria’s LGBT Employee Resource Group, and is a board member for the National LGBT Bar Foundation. In addition, Mr. Bizzell volunteers as a mentor for the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity’s (“LCLD”) Law School Mentoring Program and was selected as a 2014 LCLD Fellow. He has spoken on diversity issues at many venues, including the International Bar Association. Mr. Bizzell graduated with a B.A. in justice, magna cum laude, from the American University in Washington, D.C. and received a Master of Social Work with a focus in public policy from the Catholic University of America. He received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and served as an editor for the Georgetown Law Journal. He was a member of the inaugural class of the Stanford Graduate School of Business’ LGBTQ Executive Leadership Program. He is a member of the Maryland and District of Columbia bars.
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Heterosexism, Global Business Travel and LGBTQ Rights
Heterosexism, Global Business Travel and LGBTQ Rights
How to Go In-House: August 14, 2020 | 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm
Career Advice for Law Students and Laterals from Seasoned In-House Counsel
Career Advice for Law Students and Laterals from Seasoned In-House Counsel
VIP/Top Sponsor Panel (By Invitation Only): August 12, 2020 | 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
VIP/Top Sponsor Panel (Sponsored by White & Case LLP)
VIP/Top Sponsor Panel (Sponsored by White & Case LLP)
Sean Bland - Sean Bland is a Senior Associate at the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University Law Center and works on HIV/AIDS law and policy initiatives. At the O’Neill Institute, Sean manages diverse projects to assist policymakers and HIV community stakeholders assess policy options for sustaining and adapting the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and implementing the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and high impact HIV prevention. He also leads projects related to the deployment of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among communities of color and adolescents and the impact of laws and policies on the health and safety of people who engage in sex work. Sean holds a Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and German Studies from Yale University.
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
PrEP, TelePrEP, and Long-Acting PrEP: Legal and Policy Issues in the Current and Future HIV Landscape
PrEP, TelePrEP, and Long-Acting PrEP: Legal and Policy Issues in the Current and Future HIV Landscape
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Federal HIV Policy: Contradictions, Opportunities and Challenges
Federal HIV Policy: Contradictions, Opportunities and Challenges
Andy Blevins - Andy Blevins is the Executive Director of OutServe-SLDN (Servicemembers Legal Defense Network), the nation’s leading association for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) military and veteran communities. A key member of the organization’s staff for the past several years, Andy originally joined the organization as the founding Chapter Leader for Guam and the Marianas Islands before working with the national conference and legal departments. Prior to joining OutServe-SLDN, Andy served as a law clerk for Military Disability Lawyer, LLC and the child advocacy section of Oregon’s Justice Department. He also had the opportunity to work as the First Lady’s scheduling and advance associate under the Obama White House. A Navy veteran, Andy spent most of his career working as a cryptologic technician in Guam, where he would ultimately end up reaching out to OutServe-SLDN for assistance while being investigated under the now-defunct “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” military law. Andy studied law and business administration at Willamette University’s College of Law and Atkinson Graduate School of Management, as well as writing, with an emphasis in community-based pedagogy, at the University of Colorado. While in graduate school, Andy helped to found, and eventually serve as the Editor-in-Chief, for the Pacific Northwest’s first law journal focused exclusively on social justice and equity issues. He also had the honor of being named the first runner-up for the National LGBT Bar Association's 2017 Student Leadership Award, a Shepherd Scholar through OGALLA: The LGBT Bar Association of Oregon, and the Atkinson Graduate School of Management's first ReachingOut MBA Scholar. In his free time, Andy likes to spend as much time as possible with his partner, Kai, and their fur-child, a dachshund and basset hound mix aptly named “Sir Reginald, the Earl of Puppydom.” Ever proud of his partner’s Army career, he can’t help but ALWAYS root for Navy! Transgender Law Institute
Hon. Christopher R. Bowen - Christopher R. Bowen has been a Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Contra Costa since December 2010. H has completed rotations in the court’s Criminal and Family Law Divisions, including two years as Family Law Supervising Judge. He is currently in a criminal trial assignment. From 1994 to 2010 he was an attorney in the Contra Costa County Office of the Public Defender. His practice included juvenile dependency and juvenile delinquency cases and 13 years of criminal jury trials. Judge Bowen serves as a Director of the International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts / California Chapter. He presents frequently on issues related to domestic/intimate partner violence, restraining orders, and cross-over issues with family law and criminal law.
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Redefining Intimate Partner Violence & Sexual Violence for Trans, Queer & HIV-Affected Communities
Redefining Intimate Partner Violence & Sexual Violence for Trans, Queer & HIV-Affected Communities
Michele Brachter Goodwin - Michele Bratcher Goodwin is a Chancellor’s Professor at the University of California, Irvine and founding director of the Center for Biotechnology and Global Health Policy. She is also faculty in the Stem Cell Research Center; Gender and Sexuality Studies Department; Program in Public Health; and the Department of Criminology, Law, & Society. She is an elected member of the American Law Institute as well as an elected Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and the Hastings Center. Professor Goodwin has been a Visiting Professor at the University of Chicago and University of Virginia law schools. Professor Goodwin’s scholarship is hailed as “exceptional” in the New England Journal of Medicine. She has been featured in Politico, Salon.com, Forbes, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, Chicago Sun-Times, NPR, and HBO’s Vice News, among others. A prolific author, her scholarship is published or forthcoming in The Yale Law Journal, Harvard Law Review, Cornell Law Review, NYU Law Review, California Law Review, and Northwestern Law Review, among others. Goodwin’s publications include five books and over 80 articles, essays and book chapters as well as numerous commentaries. Trained in sociology and anthropology, she has conducted field research in Asia, Africa, Europe and the United States, focusing on trafficking in the human body for marriage, sex, organs, and other biologics. In addition to her work on reproductive health, rights, and justice, Professor Goodwin is credited with forging new ways of thinking in organ transplant policy and assisted reproductive technologies, resulting in works such as Black Markets: The Supply and Demand of Body Parts (2006) and Baby Markets: Money and the Politics of Creating Families (2010). Professor Goodwin is at the forefront of national and international health policy discourse. She was a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Committee on Issues in Organ Donor Intervention Research and appointed an observer by the United States National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (for the revision of the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act). She has advised or given testimony before state and federal policymakers. She chaired several sections of the Association of American Law Schools, served as a trustee of the United States Law and Society Association, and was elected secretary general of the International Academy of Law & Mental Health as the first woman. Goodwin has long recognized the transformative power and value of education and access. Following earning her juris doctorate, she moved south and guided one of the largest southern school districts in the United States through desegregation, equity and inclusion efforts across 52 K-12 schools and more than 35,000 students. A nationally recognized advocate for civil liberties and civil rights, Goodwin serves on the executive committee and national board of the American Civil Liberties Union. Goodwin has won national awards for excellence in scholarship, outstanding teaching and committed community service. Gov. Paul Patton of Kentucky commissioned her as a colonel, the state’s highest title of honor. In 2018 she was bestowed the Sandra Day O’Connor Legacy Award by the Women’s Journey Foundation. That same year, Goodwin was named teacher of the year by the Thurgood Marshall Bar Association. She is a highly sought after voice on civil liberties, civil rights, reproductive rights and justice, and cultural politics. Prior to teaching law, she was a Gilder-Lehrman Post-Doctoral Fellow at Yale University. Previously, she was the Everett Fraser Professor at the University of Minnesota.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
The Intersection of LGBTQ Rights and Reproductive Rights in the Newly Configured Supreme Court
The Intersection of LGBTQ Rights and Reproductive Rights in the Newly Configured Supreme Court
Kylar W. Broadus - Kylar W. Broadus is Founder of the Trans People of Color Coalition and an advocate whose advocacy work spans decades. Broadus was formerly a tenured Professor of Business Law at Lincoln University in Missouri with over 20 years’ experience, and ran his own law practice in Columbia Missouri since 1997, serving all kinds of clients, including transgender, lesbian, gay and bisexual clients. He previously served as Senior Policy Counsel at the National LGBTQ Task Force, Operations Manager at the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, and Director of the Transgender Civil Rights Project from 2013 to 2015. In 2012, Broadus made history as the first openly transgender person to testify before the U.S. Senate, speaking in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). He currently serves on the board of Freedom for All Americans, an appointment he has held since 2016. He previously served on the National Black Justice Coalition Board, and served as board chair from 2007 to 2010. In 2013 he was featured in OUT Magazine and was recently featured in the documentary “The Trans List” appearing on HBO. Broadus has worked for decades on behalf of people of color and LGBT people for justice and fairness. His goal and mission is that all people be treated fairly and equally. Broadus is a graduate of Central Methodist University where he obtained a B.S. in Business Administration. He then obtained his law degree from the University of Missouri Columbia School of Law. He wrote the first of its kind article on employment discrimination in 2006, “The Evolution of Employment Discrimination Protections for Transgender People,” which is used in gender and women’s studies classes throughout the country. He currently serves on the William’s Institute Faculty Advisory Counsel. He is well quoted in the media on issues involving transgender rights and speaks regularly on these issues across the country. Transgender Law Institute
Benjamin Brooks -
Daniel Bruner - Daniel Bruner is Senior Director of Policy at Whitman-Walker Health in Washington, DC. He joined Whitman-Walker in 1995 and served as Director of Legal Services from 2004 through 2014. Prior to joining Whitman-Walker, Dan was a partner at a Washington, DC law firm, and volunteered with HIV and LGBT organizations. Between 2000 and 2005, he taught HIV law and public health law at American University’s Washington College of Law. Dan is rated “AV-Preeminent” for legal ability and ethical standards (the highest rating possible) by Martindale-Hubbell’s nationally recognized peer review rating system. He has received awards from the LGBT Bar Association of DC, the Washington Council of Lawyers, and the ABA’s AIDS Coordinating Committee, and is a past Co-Chair of the DC Consortium of Legal Services Providers. Dan received his law degree (magna cum laude) and Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Michigan. He is author of the “Forward” in David W. Webber et al., AIDS AND THE LAW (4th ed. 2007), and (with the law firm Sidley Austin) of the revised chapter on HIV and Public Health Law in the 5th Edition of that treatise. He has given numerous presentations on HIV and LGBT law.
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
PrEP, TelePrEP, and Long-Acting PrEP: Legal and Policy Issues in the Current and Future HIV Landscape
PrEP, TelePrEP, and Long-Acting PrEP: Legal and Policy Issues in the Current and Future HIV Landscape
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Medicare for All - what's in it (or should be) for LGBTQ persons?
Medicare for All - what's in it (or should be) for LGBTQ persons?
Sasha Buchert - Sasha Buchert (she/her) is a Senior Attorney at Lambda Legal working in their new Washington D.C. office. Before joining Lambda Legal, Sasha served as Staff Attorney and Policy Counsel at Transgender Law Center where she engaged in litigation and policy advocacy that was focused on helping transgender and gender-nonconforming people find meaningful employment, obtain competent health care coverage and secure accurate identity documents. Before joining Transgender Law Center, Sasha worked for Basic Rights Oregon, the largest LGBT rights advocacy organization in the state. Sasha was the first openly transgender person to be appointed to an Oregon state board, and from 2012-13, she served as the chair of the Oregon State Hospital Advisory Board. She holds a J.D. from Willamette University. Sasha served proudly in the United States Marine Corps.
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Open and Authentic Service: Update and Strategies re Transgender Service Members
Open and Authentic Service: Update and Strategies re Transgender Service Members
Joan Burda - Joan M. Burda has a solo law practice concentrating in estate planning and LGBTQ issues in Lakewood, Ohio. She is the author of the award-winning book, Estate Planning for Same-Sex Couples, Third Edition (ABA 2015) as well as Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Clients: A Lawyer’s Guide (ABA 2008) and An Overview of Federal Consumer Law (ABA 1998) — out of print but a real page turner. Joan writes about LGBT legal issues, estate planning and other topics for various online and print publications. She is a featured speaker on LGBT legal issues at national and international conferences and workshops. Joan is a member of the American Bar Association, the Ohio State Bar Association, the National Lesbian and Gay Bar Association and the American Society of Journalists and Authors. She is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Law at Case Western Reserve University School of Law and teaches LGBT Legal Issues and Wills, Trusts and Future Interests. In her spare time, she reviews books for the New York Journal of Books. Joan graduated from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree, which means she took what she wanted and skipped all the boring classes. She received her law degree from Pepperdine University School of Law – a school located on a bluff overlooking Malibu–not at all conducive to studying so it’s a good thing the first two years were in a converted warehouse in Anaheim. Speaking of which – during law school, Joan worked as a security officer (aka a mouseifer) at Disneyland. She lives in Lakewood, Ohio with her spouse, Betsy.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Federal Benefits for LGBT Spouses/Partners and Children
Federal Benefits for LGBT Spouses/Partners and Children
Lisa R. Burke - Lisa R. Burke currently serves as the Minority Concerns Program Coordinator for the New Jersey Judiciary and as a SOGI/LGBTQ Resource Navigator at the New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts. She began her public sector career in the Bail Unit in Hudson Vicinage in 1990 and joined the staff of the Administrative Office of the Courts in 2004 following six years in higher education administration. She has extensive academic and professional background in diversity issues, the delivery of related trainings, and the development of SOGI/LGBTQ-focused diversity and inclusion-informed best practices in the courts. Some of her areas of academic and professional expertise and interest including gender, race, culture, sexuality, age, religion, ability, and human rights and the intersections of these sometimes seemingly conflicting aspects of identity and experience. Lisa is an active and engaged member of the NJSBA and enjoys involvement in several sections and committees. A published author of both academic and creative works, she also has experience as a PK-16 teacher and expertise in adult education, having designed, developed, and taught a variety of college-level courses and court-based professional development and continuing legal education (CLE) trainings. She has presented nationally and published on the global HIV/AIDS pandemic, human rights across cultures, gender in complex humanitarian crises, law-related education, communication in cyberspace, and LGBTQI and SOGI access to justice issues. Among her many professional endeavors, Lisa is a member of the National Consortium on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts and the New Jersey State Bar Association. As an NJSBA member she is active and engaged in a number of sections and committees including the LGBT Rights Section, Minorities in the Profession Section, Immigration Law Section, and the Government, Public Sector, and Public Interest Legal Professionals Special Committee. A graduate of New Jersey City University and Columbia University, she also has undertaken post-graduate courses through the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs certificate program in diversity and inclusion and is currently pursuing additional advanced studies through the Washington University at St. Louis School of Law.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
From the Middle to the Center: Visibilizing Bisexuality and Non-Binary Sexual Orientations in the Discourse Around LGBTQ+ Access to Justice
From the Middle to the Center: Visibilizing Bisexuality and Non-Binary Sexual Orientations in the Discourse Around LGBTQ+ Access to Justice
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
SOGI Issues in the Courts: What Courts Are Doing to Assure Procedural Fairness and Advance Access to Justice for LGBTQ+ Court Users
SOGI Issues in the Courts: What Courts Are Doing to Assure Procedural Fairness and Advance Access to Justice for LGBTQ+ Court Users
Marla Butler - Marla is a partner in the Atlanta office, and she represents clients in the medical, semiconductor, power, networking and other high-tech industries in high-stakes commercial litigations, arbitrations and trials. She helps clients proactively take on commercial threats, monetize their patent assets and/or defend against lawsuits that threaten their businesses. She conducts critical early case evaluations and assessments to help clients quickly assess risk, which helps them predict important outcomes and see a fuller range of strategic options. Marla earned her BA degree from Cleveland State University and her JD from Florida State University.
Law Student Career Planning Programming (NALP) and Continental Breakfast (Sponsored by Walmart Legal): August 9, 2019 | 8:00 am - 10:15 am
Career Planning Program
Career Planning Program
Eliza Byard - Eliza is the Executive Director of GLSEN, an organization recognized worldwide as a leader in the fight for educational equity and LGBT issues in K-12 schools. Eliza joined GLSEN as Deputy Executive Director in 2001, and led the growth of GLSEN’s public education and advocacy efforts; youth leadership development programs; professional development for educators; research and program evaluation capacity; and in-school programming. During Eliza’s tenure, GLSEN’s work has spurred a significant decline in anti-LGBT harassment and violence in schools, and established a new professional norm of support for LGBTQ youth among educators, school administrators, and school staff in the United States. A mission-driven executive, Eliza designs and executes high-leverage investments for systems-level change. As a speaker, fundraiser, and ambassador for educational equity, youth development and LGBTQ equality, she has brought people from disparate communities and politics together to find common cause, and secured tens of millions of dollars from diverse individual, corporate, and institutional funders for transformative programs, advocacy, and public education. Eliza has served on numerous boards and commissions, and is currently a Trustee of the America’s Promise Alliance. She holds a PhD in U.S. History from Columbia University.
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Pushing Back Against "No Promo Homo" Laws and Other Restrictions on LGBTQ-Affirming Curricular Content
Pushing Back Against "No Promo Homo" Laws and Other Restrictions on LGBTQ-Affirming Curricular Content
Anna Cabbot - Anna is a Staff Attorney at the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies (CGRS). Before joining CGRS, she taught in the Asylum and Human Rights Clinic at the University of Connecticut School of Law where law students represent refugees seeking asylum in the United States. Prior to joining the UConn faculty, Anna was the Managing Attorney at Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center in El Paso, TX and the Legal Services Coordinator for Asylum Access in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, where she assessed the legal needs of the urban refugee population and designed a legal services program.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Protecting LGBTQ Lives By Restoring the Rule of Law to the US Immigration System
Protecting LGBTQ Lives By Restoring the Rule of Law to the US Immigration System
Christine Capuyan - Christine Capuyan Superpower: Self-awareness and relationship-building. Background: Christine started her legal career before law school as a venture fund paralegal at Gunderson Dettmer (a boutique California-based corporate law firm). After law school, she practiced patent litigation and also handled complex commercial litigation and government investigations for around 6 years at WilmerHale (a Boston and D.C.-based global firm). She then transitioned from litigation to tech transactions at White & Case (a New York-based global firm) where she practiced for around 1 year, and then transitioned to her current firm, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (a California-based tech law firm), where she continues to do tech transactions (e.g., IP licensing, IPOs, and mergers & acquisitions) for tech companies of all sizes from garage start-ups to Google. Topic: Life at a large tech-based firm; transitioning practices at the big-law level and lateraling to different big firms that are based on the different coasts.
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Intersectional Lesbian Lawyers and Their Superpowers - Crushing it in the Private Sector
Intersectional Lesbian Lawyers and Their Superpowers - Crushing it in the Private Sector
Mary Anne Case - Mary Anne Case is the Arnold I. Shure Professor of Law at the University of Chicago. A graduate of Yale College and the Harvard Law School, Mary Anne Case studied at the University of Munich; litigated for Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in New York; and was professor of law and Class of 1966 Research Professor at the University of Virginia before joining the Law School faculty. She has also served as a visiting professor at New York University for the 1996-97 academic year and spring 1999, Bosch Public Policy Fellow at the American Academy in Berlin in spring 2004, Crane Fellow in Law and Public Affairs at Princeton University for the 2006-07 academic year, Samuel Rubin Visiting Professor at Columbia Law School in spring 2013, and Fernand Braudel Fellow at the European University Institute in spring 2016. The subjects she has taught include feminist jurisprudence, constitutional law, regulation of sexuality, marriage, family law, sex discrimination, religious freedom, and European legal systems. She is the convenor of the Workshop on Regulating Family, Sex, and Gender. While her diverse research interests include German contract law, theological anthropology, and the First Amendment, her scholarship to date has concentrated on the regulation of sex, gender, sexuality, religion, and the family; and on the early history of feminism.
Brian Castro - Brian Castro is an attorney, advocate, and entrepreneur based in Washington, DC. His passion is helping businesses innovate and succeed in heavily regulated environments. Serving as a regulator, policy maker, Obama Administration official, and counsel to diverse businesses of all sizes, Congress, and the Judiciary, Brian has developed a lasting appreciation for the unintended burdens that outdated regulations put on business growth and innovation, and has garnered experience in creating transformative policies that strike the right balance. A results-driven executive with experience leading complex organizations in the public and private sectors, Brian has served as a government official in the U.S. Small Business Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, and U.S. Congress; co-founded and led a startup technology company in becoming one of the first FINRA and SEC-licensed crowd funding portals authorized under the JOBS Act of 2012; protected voting rights and advocated for voters as New Hampshire Voter Protection Director for the Obama-Biden 2012 campaign; and counseled clients in the financial services, technology, and government contracting sectors for nearly two decades. In government, Brian shaped U.S. policy on economic development, procurement, innovation, and regulatory reform in Congress and the Executive Branch; led a national office with a multi-million dollar budget and millions of stakeholders in all 50 states and U.S. territories; and led strategic transformation, organizational design, and innovation integration across information technology, human capital, budget, and financial operations. Brian has served on several non-profit boards and commissions, including the ABA Presidential Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities, National LGBT Bar Association, Capital Area Asset Builders, and the Standing Committee for Pro Bono Legal Services of the D.C. Circuit Judicial Conference. A Maryland native, Brian earned a B.S. in Industrial & Labor Relations from Cornell University, and a J.D. from the Duke University School of Law.
Sunu Chandy - Sunu P. Chandy is the Legal Director of the National Women’s Law Center. She oversees the Center’s litigation efforts, providing strategy across the NWLC to create better outcomes for women and girls at school, the workplace, and the healthcare sector. She helped to create the Center’s Legal Network for Gender Equity and build the policies and procedures guiding the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund. She also provides guidance for the Center’s policy positions towards greater workplace equality. Until August 2017, Sunu served as the Deputy Director for the Civil Rights Division with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she led civil rights enforcement including in the areas of language access, auxiliary aids and services for individuals with disabilities and sex discrimination cases under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. Before that, Sunu was the General Counsel of the DC Office of Human Rights (OHR) and in that role oversaw the agency’s legal decisions following civil rights investigations of discrimination in employment, education, housing and public accommodation matters. Previously, Sunu was a federal attorney with the U.S. Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for 15 years and litigated cases including based on sexual harassment and other forms of sex discrimination, as well as race, national origin, disability, age and religion based discrimination cases. At EEOC, Sunu led several outreach and training initiatives including as a member of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAPPI) Regional Working Group. Sunu began her legal career as a law firm associate representing unions and individual workers in New York City at Gladstein, Reif and Megginniss, LLP. Sunu earned her B.A. in Peace and Global Studies/Women’s Studies from Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, her law degree from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston and more recently, she completed her MFA in Creative Writing (Poetry) from CUNY/Queens College. Sunu has served on the boards of directors of several organizations including the Audre Lorde Project, the South Asian Women’s Creative Collective and LeGal (the LGBTQ attorneys’ organization in New York City). Sunu currently serves on the board of directors for the Transgender Law Center and for Split This Rock, a national social justice poetry organization.
Leigh Chapman - Leigh M. Chapman is director of the voting rights program, overseeing projects that advocate voting protections for marginalized people. Previously, Chapman was Senior Policy Advisor at Let America Vote, where she advised the organization on election law and policy issues at the state and federal levels. Before that, she was appointed director of policy for the Pennsylvania Department of State by Governor Tom Wolf, where she managed the department’s policy and regulatory development process in coordination with the Governor’s Office of Policy in the program areas of charities, corporations, elections and professional licensure. Chapman began her civil rights career at Advancement Project where she served as a staff attorney in the Voter Protection Program. Chapman graduated from the University of Virginia earning a B.A. in American Studies and History and received her J.D. from Howard University School of Law.
Alana Chazan - Alana Chazan is a family law attorney who focuses on the needs of LGBTQ families in Los Angeles, at her law firm, Chazan Family Law. Prior to private practice, Ms. Chazan was an Equal Justice Works Fellow, who spent three years developing family law, domestic violence and immigration legal services for low-income LGBTQ survivors, while at the Los Angeles LGBT Center and at Bay Area Legal Aid. Ms. Chazan’s writings on sexuality and the law have been published in numerous law review publications. Ms. Chazan also holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from the New School for Social Research.
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
"But I am on the Birth Certificate!": Understanding the Interplay of Birth Records, Marital Presumption of Parentage, Adoption Proceedings and Contested Parentage Cases in a Post-Pavan Era
"But I am on the Birth Certificate!": Understanding the Interplay of Birth Records, Marital Presumption of Parentage, Adoption Proceedings and Contested Parentage Cases in a Post-Pavan Era
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Transgender Parents and Children in Custody Proceedings
Transgender Parents and Children in Custody Proceedings
Arli Christian - As State Policy Director at the National Center for Transgender Equality, Arli works with state and local advocates to modernize ID document gender change policies, remove insurance exclusions for coverage of transition-related care, and improve other state-level protections for transgender people. Arli is dedicated to improving and expanding access to legal services for trans communities through NCTE’s Trans Legal Services Network. Arli is an attorney admitted to practice in New York and D.C. and received a J.D. from American University Washington College of Law in 2013 and a B.A. from Wesleyan University in 2004. Prior to law school Arli worked at an immigration law firm in San Francisco and a socially responsible investment organization in Maryland. Arli speaks English and Spanish and grew up in New York City.
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Breaking ID Barriers: Progress in ID Policy Work and Litigation
Breaking ID Barriers: Progress in ID Policy Work and Litigation
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Efficient Resolution of Trans Issues without Expensive Lawyering and Litigation
Efficient Resolution of Trans Issues without Expensive Lawyering and Litigation
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Intersex & Nonbinary Considerations in Law & Policy
Intersex & Nonbinary Considerations in Law & Policy
Currey Cook - M. Currey Cook is the Director of the Youth in Out-of-Home Care Project and Counsel with Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and everyone living with HIV. Cook advocates across the country for LGBTQ youth and youth living with HIV in child welfare and juvenile justice settings and youth experiencing homelessness via impact litigation, law and policy reform and education. Before joining Lambda Legal in 2013, Cook was the Co-Director of the Bronx office of The Children’s Law Center New York, served as a consultant to The National Juvenile Defender Center in Washington, D.C , worked in Burundi on an American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative to assist with reintegrate former child soldiers into the community, and was a visiting professor for the Child Advocacy Clinic at Rutgers Law School Newark. Prior to moving to New York in 2008, Cook lived in Anchorage, Alaska and was an attorney with the Office of Public Advocacy (OPA) for twelve years. Cook worked as a juvenile defense attorney and guardian ad litem and later as supervising attorney of OPA’s Child Advocacy Section. Cook was the recipient of the Alaska Bar Association Pro Bono Service Award for a Public Sector Attorney in 2006 and a Light of Hope Award for his advocacy on behalf of abused and neglected children in Alaska.Cook has served as chair of the New York City Bar Association’s Family Court and Family Law Committee and is currently a board member of the National Association of Counsel for Children. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.A. in Journalism (Broadcast News) and received his law degree from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia in 1994.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
LGBTQ Youth Homelessness: Strategies for Reducing over-Representation and Addressing Systemic and Day-to-Day Legal Challenges (Sponsored by Hanson Bridgett LLP)
LGBTQ Youth Homelessness: Strategies for Reducing over-Representation and Addressing Systemic and Day-to-Day Legal Challenges (Sponsored by Hanson Bridgett LLP)
Abigail Coursolle - Abigail (Abbi) Coursolle (she/her/hers) is a Senior Attorney in the National Health Law Program’s Los Angles offices. Abbi provides technical assistance, advocate training, and litigation support on a range of issues, with a special focus on access to care Medicaid managed care, prescription drug access, behavioral health access, LGBTQ health equity, and children’s health issues. Before joining the National Health Law Program, Abbi was the Greenberg Traurig Equal Justice Works staff attorney at the Western Center on Law & Poverty. At Western Center, she led a 58-county project to enforce safety net laws for low income Californians and worked to implement policy changes within administrative agencies in order to fully implement health programs for low income individuals not eligible for Medicaid. Abbi received a B.A. with honors in Chinese language and literature from Yale University, a J.D. with honors from the UCLA School of Law, and a Masters in Public Policy with honors from the UCLA School of Public Affairs.
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Medicare for All - what's in it (or should be) for LGBTQ persons?
Medicare for All - what's in it (or should be) for LGBTQ persons?
Iveliz Crespo - Iveliz R. Crespo is the Director of Professional Development, Diversity & Inclusion at the City of Philadelphia Law Department. Prior to that role she was a staff attorney at the Mazzoni Center, an organization that provides comprehensive health and wellness services to the LGBTQ community. At Mazzoni, Iveliz provided direct legal services to LGBTQ individuals and families, with a focus on discrimination and transition-related legal matters.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Innovative Approaches to Deepen and Enhance Law Firm/In-House Relationships (Sponsored by Shell Oil Company)
Innovative Approaches to Deepen and Enhance Law Firm/In-House Relationships (Sponsored by Shell Oil Company)
William Crosby - William (Bill) Crosby, Jr. is Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Managing Attorney at Interpublic Group, a New York based advertising and marketing company with over 50,000 employees worldwide. At Interpublic, where he has been since 2002, Bill oversees global litigation and manages the Latin American practice. He was an associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell from 1993 until 1995 and at Kay, Collyer & Boose (now defunct) from 1995 until 2002. Bill also serves as a member of the commercial panel of arbitrators for the American Arbitration Association. He has served as arbitrator in nearly 200 matters, involving such areas as franchising, intellectual property, hotel and restaurant management, and general commercial disputes, both domestic and international. Bill is a frequent speaker on arbitration related issues, as well as litigation and compliance issues. He organized and moderated a presentation at last year’s Lavender Law Conference focused on increasing the numbers of LGBT-identified arbitrators and mediators. He is an active member of the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York (LeGaL), where he has served for several years as a board member and as a member of its Judiciary Committee, which interviews and evaluates judicial candidates in New York. Bill is a 1990 graduate of Yale College and a 1993 graduate of Stanford Law School.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
From the Middle to the Center: Visibilizing Bisexuality and Non-Binary Sexual Orientations in the Discourse Around LGBTQ+ Access to Justice
From the Middle to the Center: Visibilizing Bisexuality and Non-Binary Sexual Orientations in the Discourse Around LGBTQ+ Access to Justice
David B. Cruz - David Cruz is a constitutional law expert focusing on civil rights and equality issues, including equal marriage rights for same-sex couples. He specializes in discrimination law and the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons. He teaches Constitutional Law I; Constitutional Law II; Federal Courts; Sexual Orientation and the Law; International/Comparative Perspectives on Sex, Gender, and Sexual Orientation; Identity Categories; and Law, Identity, and Culture. Before joining the USC Gould School of Law faculty in 1996, Cruz was a Bristow Fellow in the Office of the Solicitor General in Washington, D.C. He also clerked for The Honorable Edward R. Becker, Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He is past Chair of the AALS Section on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Issues and co-president of ILGLaw, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, and Intersex Law Association.Cruz graduated from UC Irvine, and earned his master’s degree from Stanford University. He is a graduate of New York University School of Law, where he was managing editor of New York University Law Review. Cruz’s academic publications include “Spinning Lawrence, or Lawrence v. Texas and the Promotion of Heterosexuality” (Widener Law Review, 2005); “Mystification, Neutrality, and Same-Sex Couples in Marriage,” in Mary Lyndon Shanley’s Just Marriage (Oxford University Press 2004); “Making Up Women: Casinos, Cosmetics, and Title VII” (Nevada Law Journal, 2004); and “Disestablishing Sex and Gender” (California Law Review, 2002).
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Intersex & Nonbinary Considerations in Law & Policy
Intersex & Nonbinary Considerations in Law & Policy
Lisa Damon - Ms. Damon is a partner in the Boston office of Seyfarth Shaw LLP and is the immediate past Chair of the Labor & Employment Department. In her tenure as Chair, the Department was awarded numerous honors for its superb legal work and innovation, including Chambers Band One ranking and six consecutive years as Law360 Practice Group of the Year. Companies nationwide rely on Ms. Damon’s significant experience in consulting on employment matters and litigating a broad-range of employment matters. As a trial lawyer and seasoned employment litigator, Ms. Damon brings many years of experience winning for her clients at all stages of litigation. She is a practical, business-focused advisor, getting results and limiting risk for her clients. In addition to employment litigation, Ms. Damon’s practice is also dedicated to consulting with clients on policy implementation and avoiding employment litigation, through improved management policies and practices, positive employee relations, training and diversity assessment. She advises companies on organizational strategy and conducts privileged investigations, audits and assessments of the workplace. Ms. Damon also works with management to devise and refine all types of workplace programs, helping companies create a best-in-class environment for employees while limiting liability. Ms. Damon also has considerable experience in devising and managing alternative, value-based fee structures and working with clients in successfully managing large portfolios of labor and employment work with a focus on reducing risk, lowering legal fees and increasing value to the business. Ms. Damon is also on Seyfarth’s Executive Committee and leads the Seyfarth Lean Six Sigma program throughout the Firm. Seyfarth has trained GreenBelts throughout all its offices and practice groups. These GreenBelts are trained to lead client teams to deliver high value, predictably priced legal services to meet our client's needs. Ms. Damon is a certified Scrum Master and Lean Six Sigma GreenBelt. Ms. Damon speaks and consults extensively, both on a local and national level, on various aspects employment law, employment litigation and the use of lean six sigma, process improvement, data analysis and project management in legal processes. Ms. Damon was one of the small panel of Big Thinkers invited to speak at the 2017 Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC) conference and is a regular speaker at local and national Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) events. Ms. Damon has been recognized throughout her career with many prominent national accolades including consecutive years in the Top 50 Most Powerful Employment Lawyers in the US and Legal 500. Ms. Damon was also selected as the Chambers USA Woman Employment Attorney of the Year. Ms. Damon has been Chambers ranked in Band One since the inception of the Boston rankings and has recently been awarded their Esteemed Practitioner ranking. She is a Fellow of the College of Labor & Employment Lawyers. Ms. Damon was also named one of the top 10 Agents of Change in the Financial Times U.S. Innovative Lawyer Report; she was featured among the 10 most innovative attorneys in the country by the ABA Journal’s Legal Rebels: Big Change in Big Law; and, she was recognized by the Association of Corporate Counsel as an ACC Value Champion. Corporate Counsel Institute
Jon W. Davidson - Jon W. Davidson has been one of the nation’s leading lawyers fighting for LGBTQ civil rights for more than 30 years. He currently is Chief Counsel at Freedom for All Americans and Freedom for All Americans Education Fund, the national bipartisan campaign to secure full nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people nationwide. In that capacity, he assists LGBTQ impact litigation attorneys with strategic thinking, development of arguments and litigation strategies, editing of briefs and pleadings, and preparation for oral arguments. He also assists LGBTQ movement groups with legislative lawyering. He previously was the national Legal Director of Lambda Legal, the largest and oldest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of LGBTQ people and those living with HIV, a position he held for 12 years, and he worked there from 1995-2017. As the organization’s Legal Director, he was the architect of the organization’s national legal strategy and supervised its 31 attorneys and 16 policy advocates, trainers, Help Desk analysts, and legal assistants, in all six of its offices across the country. Davidson has worked on a broad range of LGBT and HIV-related legal and policy matters throughout his career, including being co-counsel in the cases that brought marriage equality to California, Nevada, Virginia and then the entire nation and that increased legal protections for employees, students, consumers, families, prisoners, and immigrants. He was honored with the National LGBT Bar Association’s highest award in 2010. A graduate of Stanford University and Yale Law School, Davidson previously was a partner in the Los Angeles law firm of Irell & Manella and a senior staff attorney at the ACLU Foundation of Southern California. He also has taught courses on LGBT rights, constitutional law, youth law, and pretrial civil litigation at UCLA Law School, the USC Law Center, Loyola Law School, and the former Whittier Law School.
General Attendance Session Two: August 8, 2019 | 9:00 am - 10:30 am
2018-2019 SCOTUS Review: The Conservative Face of the Court
2018-2019 SCOTUS Review: The Conservative Face of the Court
Don Davis - Don Davis is an Employment, Labor & Benefits Associate in the Washington, DC office of Mintz Levin and co-author of LexisNexis’ LGBTQ Employment Law Practice Guide. His practice involves representing employers in a wide variety of workplace-related matters. Before joining Mintz Levin, Don was Senior Litigation Associate at Ackerman Brown, an LGBT-owned law firm in Washington, DC, and previously practiced at an employment litigation boutique in North Carolina. Don is a loyal and proud alumnus of both North Carolina State University and The Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law. Don was recognized as one of the nation’s Top LGBT Lawyers Under 40 by the National LGBT Bar Association in the summer of 2015 and has been named a Super Lawyers Washington, DC Rising Star in 2017 and 2018. Don is an active member of the Board of Directors of SMYAL, a regional organization focused on mentoring and supporting LGBTQ youth.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
LGBTQ Employment Law in Practice (Sponsored by Wells Fargo)
LGBTQ Employment Law in Practice (Sponsored by Wells Fargo)
Cynthia Deitle - Cynthia M. Deitle retired as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2017 after serving for 22 years specializing in the fields of police brutality, hate crimes, public corruption, and community outreach. She currently works for the Matthew Shepard Foundation as their Programs and Operations Director. After entering on duty with the FBI, she spent ten years in the New York Division. While there, Deitle served as the lead investigative agent for many high-profile police brutality investigations involving the New York City Police Department, including the fatal shooting of Amadou Diallo, and the sexual assault of Abner Louima. Deitle also investigated a significant number of sensitive hate crimes cases including the death of Yankel Rosenbaum in Crown Heights, NY. In 2007, Deitle assumed a Supervisory Special Agent position in the Civil Rights Unit in FBI Headquarters. She was promoted to Civil Rights Unit Chief in 2008, where she was responsible for managing the FBI’s Hate Crimes, Color of Law, Human Trafficking and Abortion Extremism Programs on a national level. Serving as Unit Chief, she devoted considerable resources to address the FBI’s Cold Case Initiative which seeks to reexamine unsolved racially-motivated homicides from the Civil Rights Era. In 2011, Deitle transferred to the Boston Division to supervise the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Programs in Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. When she joined the Knoxville Division in 2014, she focused her efforts on expanding the Human Trafficking Program and strengthening the FBI’s relationship with minority groups and the academic community in Eastern Tennessee. Deitle earned her Juris Doctor degree from New England Law Boston, a Master of Laws degree in Criminal Law from New York University School of Law, and a Master of Laws degree in Constitutional Law from the George Washington University National Law Center. She has also published several law review articles dealing with the right to bear arms in the Second Amendment, and police officers’ use of excessive force. Ms. Deitle is licensed to practice law in Florida, Massachusetts, the District of Columbia, and Tennessee. She was featured in a February 2011 episode of 60 Minutes dealing with an unsolved Civil Rights Cold Case investigation in Mississippi. She also appeared in the first season of Investigation Discovery’s series The Injustice Files in 2011, which profiled three unsolved or inadequately addressed Civil Rights Era Cold Cases. Deitle is a adjunct professor in the Criminal Justice Program at Roane State Community College in Harriman, TN and frequently lectures on all aspects of the FBI’s Civil Rights and Public Corruption Programs to audiences including law enforcement officials, non-governmental organizations, academia, and community service groups. She has granted interviews to the Washington Post, New York Times, The Boston Globe, National Public Radio and the British Broadcasting Corporation.
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Joining Together to "Erase Hate" and Embrace Diversity: How LGBTQ+ Lawyers Can Live Their Best Lives at Work
Joining Together to "Erase Hate" and Embrace Diversity: How LGBTQ+ Lawyers Can Live Their Best Lives at Work
Romulo “Romy” Diaz - Romy Diaz serves as the chief legal officer of the company and oversees its team of attorneys responsible for all aspects of PECO’s legal affairs in Pennsylvania. He also serves on PECO’s Political Action Committee. Based in Philadelphia, PECO is Pennsylvania’s largest electric and natural gas utility. The company employs about 2,500 people, owns $10 billion in assets, and generates approximately $3 billion in annual revenues. A subsidiary of Exelon Corporation, the nation’s largest competitive energy provider, PECO serves 1.6 million electric and more than 500,000 gas customers in southeastern Pennsylvania. Exelon is headquartered in Chicago and trades on the NYSE under the ticker EXC. Prior to his current position, Diaz was responsible for the company’s governmental and external affairs, including development of the company’s award-winning suite of energy efficiency programs to help customers save energy and money. Diaz joined PECO as Associate General Counsel in 2008 and managed the regulatory law practice group in Philadelphia, PA. From 2005 until 2008, Diaz served as the City Solicitor of Philadelphia after joining the City of Philadelphia Law Department in 2002. For most of his career, he lived in Washington, DC, where he held numerous legal and management positions at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the U.S. Department of Energy. Following unanimous confirmation by the United States Senate, he was appointed by President William J. Clinton to serve as assistant administrator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Diaz serves on numerous civic and nonprofit boards, including the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, Center City District, Central Philadelphia Development Corporation, StreetSoccer USA and leads the Pan American Association of Philadelphia. He has been honored for his professional and community leadership by the Delaware Valley’s Most Influential Latinos Foundation, Asociacian Puertorriquenos en Marcha, Community College of Philadelphia, Urban Affairs Coalition, American Jewish Committee of Philadelphia/Southern New Jersey, Nationalities Service Center, The Legal Intelligencer, ALA News Media and Pepper Hamilton LLP.
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
New Frontiers of Environmental and Energy Law: from Climate Change to Corporate Sustainability
New Frontiers of Environmental and Energy Law: from Climate Change to Corporate Sustainability
Brad Domangue - Bradley Domangue has spent more than a decade in education law and policy, specifically focusing much of his work on non-discrimination and anti-harassment policy and discrimination and harassment prevention for both students and employees. He has worked on various educational issues including school finance, special education, student discipline, employment law, Section 504, Title IX, and public information and open meetings acts. Brad’s major focus has been on policy and law under Title IX and Title VII, especially as they apply to the LGBTQ community. Brad Domangue has worked in education law and policy as an attorney, a general counsel, a senior policy analyst, an investigator, and a journalist. Currently, Brad is Equal Opportunity Investigator for NYU’s Office of Equal Opportunity, which is part of the President’s Office at NYU. There he is responsible for leading independent and unbiased investigations of complaints of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in accordance with New York University’s Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy and Complaint Procedures. Collaborating and consulting with the Office of General Counsel, the Provost’s Office, Human Resources, and other University offices regarding matters related to the University’s equal opportunity policies. While in law school, Brad focused his energy on education law and policy while working as a legislative intern during the 2007 legislative session and as a law clerk at a school law firm in Austin. During this time, Brad also worked for Texas State Representatives on various policy and constituent issues. Brad continued his legal and policy work as an attorney at school law firms, where he worked on employment law, civil rights policy, special education law, election law, and public information requests. Brad’s major focus was advising, training, and consulting clients on current non-discrimination and anti-harassment law and policy. During several of those years, he conducted independent investigations regarding complaints of possible discrimination and harassment, and developed policy specific to Title IX and Title VII, with special consideration given to LGBTQ concerns and evolving legal interpretations regarding LGBTQ issues. He also assisted on an appeals to the Texas Supreme Court. Brad also worked for State Senator Wendy R. Davis during the 2011 legislative session as a general counsel and senior policy analyst. During this time, he gained extensive experience working at the Texas Capitol on issues such as education, bullying in educational environments, school finance, higher education funding, autism, diabetes, and election law. Brad has done extensive work on anti-bullying legislation in Texas. Brad has worked three Texas Legislative Sessions (2005, 2007, and 2011) as well as three Special Sessions (2005 and 2011) as a legislative aide and policy analyst, as well as three as lobbyist for educational institutions (2013, 2015, and 2017).
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Title IX and the Future of Protection for Students
Title IX and the Future of Protection for Students
Nirvana Dove - Nirvana Dove is the Manager for Diversity & Inclusion at Thompson Hine LLP. She is responsible for managing and implementing the firm's firmwide Diversity & Inclusion Initiative and Spotlight on Women initiatives. Nirvana graduated from Emory University School of Law and earned her BA from the University of Pennsylvania. Following law school, she practiced as a corporate/healthcare transactional associate at Pepper Hamilton, LLP. From there she worked in-house for a large DC based health care system. Most recently, she served as Associate Director for Diversity & International Student Initiatives at Georgetown University School of Law. Nirvana is currently Diversity Co-Chair for the Washington Area Legal Recruitment Administrators Association (WALRAA), she also served two terms on the WALRAA Board of Directors, and was the 2017 NALP Vice-Chair for Mentoring for the Diversity & Inclusion Section.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Proven Tactics for Retaining Diverse Law Firm Talent
Proven Tactics for Retaining Diverse Law Firm Talent
Allison Dowling - Allison Dowling (she/her/hers) is a Staff Attorney at Whitman-Walker Health located in Washington, DC, a holistic health center and the oldest medical-legal partnership in the nation offering transgender, primary and HIV healthcare; mental health and addiction services; dental care; medical case management; HIV testing and prevention; and legal services. Dowling’s practice areas is focused on public benefits law, including applications, advocacy, and appeals for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and Affordable Care Act coverage. In her work at Whitman-Walker, she has successfully handled cases overturning both private insurance and Medicaid denials for gender affirming treatment as well as handled countless negotiated settlements for transgender individuals. Dowling also works on estate planning matters including healthcare planning documents. Dowling received her law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and is a member of the District of Columbia Bar and the Pennsylvania Bar.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Efficient Resolution of Trans Issues without Expensive Lawyering and Litigation
Efficient Resolution of Trans Issues without Expensive Lawyering and Litigation
Corey Duersch -
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
LGBTQ Youth Homelessness: Strategies for Reducing over-Representation and Addressing Systemic and Day-to-Day Legal Challenges (Sponsored by Hanson Bridgett LLP)
LGBTQ Youth Homelessness: Strategies for Reducing over-Representation and Addressing Systemic and Day-to-Day Legal Challenges (Sponsored by Hanson Bridgett LLP)
Andy Dugan - Andy joined the Equality Ohio Legal Clinic after five years focusing on consumer financial legal compliance and contested landlord-tenant cases. Andy grew up near Youngstown in Northeast Ohio. He obtained his BSBA from The Ohio State University in 2010 and his law degree from Capital University Law School in 2013. Andy is active with his local bar association and local judicial elections. Andy is admitted to practice in the States of Ohio and Maine and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. He is based in Equality Ohio’s Columbus office.
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Impacting the LGBTQ+ Community through a Pro Bono Legal Clinic
Impacting the LGBTQ+ Community through a Pro Bono Legal Clinic
AC Dumlao - AC Dumlao (they / them / theirs) is a queer transgender non-binary first-generation Filipino-American advocate and educator focused on uplifting underrepresented folks and centering their experiences of intersectional oppressions. As Program Manager at TLDEF, they manage The Name Change Project, which connects TGNCNB (transgender, gender non-conforming, non-binary) people with lawyers providing pro bono representation during the legal name change process. Additionally, AC leads TLDEF’s community education initiatives and is the lead trainer for trans cultural competency presentations and workshops. AC was profiled by NBC Asian America for the inaugural “Redefine A to Z” list of AAPI (Asian-American/Pacific Islander) emerging voices in 2017. They were recently seen at The Wing for an advance screening/talkback with Lisa Ling for the CNN Original Series’ episode “This is Life with Lisa Ling: Gender Fluidity.” In 2018, AC received the Parity Award for their TGNCNB advocacy. AC is an alum of the Experimental Theater of Vassar College (Vassar Drama Department). At their core, AC is an artist and thanks their theatrical education and training for instilling the guiding principle of their work and their life: a commitment to radical authenticity and genuine connections in order to honor the human dignity that all people deserve.
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Breaking ID Barriers: Progress in ID Policy Work and Litigation
Breaking ID Barriers: Progress in ID Policy Work and Litigation
Lauren Edwards - Lauren Edwards is an attorney based in South Carolina who almost exclusively advocates for LBGTQ clients. Lauren grew up in Southern Virginia and attended the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. After graduating, Lauren taught multiple grade levels in both Virginia and South Carolina. After nearly fifteen years in the classroom, Lauren attended the University of South Carolina School of Law. In law school, she served as the President of C.A.L.S, Child Advocacy Law Society, and was the managing editor of the Journal of Law & Education. In addition to working as a attorney, Lauren serves as a Guardian ad litem for families represented by other attorneys.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Red State Rebuttal - Advocating for LGBTQ Clients in Conservative Regions
Red State Rebuttal - Advocating for LGBTQ Clients in Conservative Regions
Zachary Egan - Zachary Egan is an Investigator for the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights. As an investigator, he works on cases alleging violations of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination and the New Jersey Family Leave Act, as well as Director initiated special investigations. Prior to joining the Division on Civil Rights, he clerked in New Jersey Superior Court, Criminal Division. He received his BA from Rutgers University in 2007 and his law degree from Rutgers Law School-Camden in 2016.
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
On the Basis of Sex(ual Orientation or Gender Identity): Administrative Options for LGBTQ+ Employees in a Time of Title VII Uncertainty
On the Basis of Sex(ual Orientation or Gender Identity): Administrative Options for LGBTQ+ Employees in a Time of Title VII Uncertainty
Debbie Epstein Henry - Debbie Epstein Henry is an expert, consultant, best-selling author and public speaker on careers, workplaces, women and law. For 20 years, hundreds of news outlets have featured her work including The New York Times, NBC Nightly News, The Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, and The National Law Journal. Debbie runs the DEH Speaker Series, offering programming with thought leaders in NYC and by webcast, drawing more than 1,000 participants per quarter. In 2007, she conceived of the Best Law Firms for Women initiative, a national survey she developed and ran for a decade with Working Mother to annually select the top 50 law firms for women and report on industry trends. By 2008, Debbie’s public speaking, press exposure and advocacy enabled her to build a national network of over 10,000 lawyers. From there, in 2011, she co-founded Bliss Lawyers, a company that employs high caliber attorneys to work on temporary engagements for in-house legal department and law firm clients. Debbie is the author of LAW & REORDER, the #1 best-selling ABA Flagship book for 2011 and the co-author of another ABA best-selling Flagship book in 2015, FINDING BLISS. Her international work includes multiple engagements in The Hague as well as in Paris at the French Senate and in London and Vienna and elsewhere abroad. Debbie volunteers her time with a number of non-profits including the Forum of Executive Women where she is a Member of the Board and Co-Chair of the annual Leadership Symposium. She also chairs Brooklyn Law School Women’s Leadership Circle which runs a national women’s law student and alumnae initiative. Debbie has received numerous awards including being named among the Philadelphia Business Journal‘s "Women of Distinction.” In 2017, she received the Anne X. Alpern Award, presented annually to a female lawyer who demonstrates excellence in the legal profession and who makes a significant professional impact on women in the law. She received her B.A. from Yale and her J.D. cum laude from Brooklyn Law School. A native New Yorker, she lives in the Philadelphia suburbs with her husband; they have three sons.
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
The Alternative Path to Diversity, Inclusion and Equity
The Alternative Path to Diversity, Inclusion and Equity
William Eskridge - Professor William N. Eskridge, Jr. is the John A. Garver Professor of Jurisprudence at Yale Law School. His primary legal academic interest has been statutory interpretation. Together with Professor Philip Frickey, he developed an innovative casebook on Legislation. In 1990-95, Professor Eskridge represented a gay couple suing for recognition of their same-sex marriage. Since then, he has published a field-establishing casebook, three monographs, and dozens of law review articles articulating a legal and political framework for proper state treatment of sexual and gender minorities.
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Pushing Back Against "No Promo Homo" Laws and Other Restrictions on LGBTQ-Affirming Curricular Content
Pushing Back Against "No Promo Homo" Laws and Other Restrictions on LGBTQ-Affirming Curricular Content
Virginia Essandoh - Virginia G. Essandoh serves as the firm’s Chief Diversity Officer. She sits on the Management Committee and Expanded Board and is responsible for overseeing, implementing, and providing strategic leadership to Ballard Spahr’s diversity initiatives.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Innovative Approaches to Deepen and Enhance Law Firm/In-House Relationships (Sponsored by Shell Oil Company)
Innovative Approaches to Deepen and Enhance Law Firm/In-House Relationships (Sponsored by Shell Oil Company)
Stacy Ettinger - Stacy J. Ettinger is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of K&L Gates and focuses her practice on public policy. She has over 20 years of experience working in Congress and the executive branch. Her experience spans a variety of fields, including international trade, intellectual property, and regulatory issues, as well as food and product standards, motor vehicle safety, and consumer financial services. Prior to joining K&L Gates, Ms. Ettinger served as a senior legal and policy advisor to Senator Charles Schumer, including as Chief Counsel of the United States Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, and as Deputy Staff Director of the Joint Economic Committee. Prior to joining the Senator's legislative team, she served as a senior legal advisor at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Ms. Ettinger advised agency officials on the interpretation and application of U.S. and foreign trade rules, supervised dispute settlement proceedings before the World Trade Organization, and represented the United States in international trade negotiations.
Chinyere Ezie - Chinyere Ezie is a lawyer at the Center for Constitutional Rights, where she advocates for racial and gender justice, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex (LGBTQI) rights, and challenges governmental abuses of power. Prior to joining The Center for Constitutional Rights, Chinyere was a Staff Attorney at the Southern Poverty Law Center, where she brought cases defending the rights of LGBTQI Southerners, including trans prisoners rights activist Ashley Diamond. She also served as a Trial Attorney at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission where she litigated employment discrimination cases and secured a $5.1 million jury verdict on behalf of workers who were subjected to religious harassment. Chinyere is a William J. Fulbright Scholar and a graduate of Yale University and Columbia Law School, where she was an Alexander Hamilton Scholar and served as Editor in Chief of the Journal of Gender and Law. Chinyere is a frequent speaker at law and social justice conferences across the country. She is also the originator of #BoycottPrada, a viral campaign challenging racism and blackface by fashion companies. Her advocacy has also been reported on by the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, NBC, Al Jazeera, and NPR, among others. In 2016, Chinyere was recognized as one of the nation’s Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40.
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
The Criminalization to Incarceration Pipeline of LGBTQ+ People
The Criminalization to Incarceration Pipeline of LGBTQ+ People
General Attendance Session Two: August 8, 2019 | 9:00 am - 10:30 am
2018-2019 SCOTUS Review: The Conservative Face of the Court
2018-2019 SCOTUS Review: The Conservative Face of the Court
Cameron Faber - Cameron Faber is General Counsel for the Los Angeles LGBT Center. He is an accomplished General Counsel with experience in litigation and transactional work, both in-house and in law firms. Distinguished track record in positions of increasing responsibility with public, private and nonprofit companies. Experience includes leading the law department of a major nonprofit corporation, managing claims and litigation, corporate governance, privacy and HIPAA law, risk management, compliance in highly-regulated industries, and corporate and real estate transactions.
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Shhh It's a Secret (or Isn't It?): Practical Ins and Outs of Health Care Privacy and Cybersecurity
Shhh It's a Secret (or Isn't It?): Practical Ins and Outs of Health Care Privacy and Cybersecurity
Mieko Failey - Mieko Failey, Esq. (she/her) is the Director of Legal Services at the LGBTQ Center Long Beach where she oversees LBGTQ-specific legal services for the greater Long Beach area, including comprehensive direct legal services to LGBTQ survivors of violence. Mieko began working in anti-violence in 2007 and has a concentration in LGBTQ anti-violence legal issues. From 2011 to 2018, Mieko served in various legal advocacy roles at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, including as Supervising Attorney for the Legal Services Department where she oversaw domestic and sexual violence legal service provision. In her role as Supervising Attorney, Mieko supervised a wide range of legal issues, including domestic and sexual violence, hate violence, stalking, human trafficking, and other forms of violence. She has served hundreds of LGBTQ survivors and trained thousands of service providers locally, across the state, and nationally, including judges, court personnel, law enforcement, attorneys, mental health providers, and physicians. Mieko’s legal advocacy is focused on overcoming barriers in access to resources for LGBTQ survivors, who are disproportionally impacted by violence. During law school, Mieko interned with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California’s LGBT Student Rights Project and The Center for Juvenile Law and Policy, advocating for those who were wrongfully convicted or unfairly sentenced as juveniles. Mieko was a recipient of the Post-Graduate Loyola Law School Public Interest Legal Fellowship, which enabled her to provide legal advocacy on behalf of LGBTQ youth survivors of violence at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Mieko currently serves on the Executive Board of the Los Angeles County Domestic Violence Council where she is Co-Chair of the LGBT Domestic Violence Issues Committee. She serves on the Advisory Board of the Family Violence Appellate Project, is a Board Member of the California Conference for Equality and Justice (CCEJ), and serves as regular training faculty for the American Bar Association’s Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence. Mieko has received local and national recognition for her advocacy on behalf of LGBTQ communities, including The Donald L. Snow Award from The LGBT Bar Association of Los Angeles; The Student Leadership Award from The National LGBT Bar Association; The Dean’s Service Award from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles; and the Women of Distinction Award from California State Assmeblymember Patrick O’Donnell. In 2019, Mieko was named a “Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40” by the National LGBT Bar Association. Mieko received her Bachelors in Sociology with highest distinction from UC Berkeley and received her Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School with a Public Interest Concentration.
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Redefining Intimate Partner Violence & Sexual Violence for Trans, Queer & HIV-Affected Communities
Redefining Intimate Partner Violence & Sexual Violence for Trans, Queer & HIV-Affected Communities
Heather Fann - A native of Piedmont, Alabama, Heather left her high-school teaching career in 2003 to pursue her law degree, graduating cum laude from the University of Alabama School of Law in 2006. Heather is active in her state and community, having served as Chair of the Family Law Section of the Alabama State Bar from 2014-2016, and currently serving on the Board of Directors of the ACLU of Alabama and the Birmingham Volunteer Lawyers Program. All families are created equal, and the firm believes in equal treatment for litigants and their children regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender/gender identity, or sexual orientation. Ms. Fann's practice has always focused on civil rights aspects of family law, leading up to same-sex marriage and family victories in the Strawser v. Strange matter in federal court (striking down unconstitutional Alabama statutes prohibiting same-sex marriage) and the United States Supreme Court's recognition for equal treatment of same-sex adoptive parents in V.L. v. E.L. (requiring Alabama's recognition of a Georgia same-sex parent's second-parent adoption). She was recently honored for her work on such cases with the Leading Practitioner Award by the National LGBT Bar Association at their annual meeting in 2017. Heather's practice seeks to preserve the dignity of clients through healthy paths for their changing families, employing both modern and traditional means of resolution including collaborative practice and methods such as use of Parenting Coordinators, as well as mediation, though she stands ready to litigate where necessary. Heather is an adjunct professor at Cumberland School of Law, where she teaches Family Law and Advanced Domestic Relations. At her previous firms, Heather contributed to both the Lexis (Family Law in Alabama: Practice and Procedure) and West (Alabama Family Law) family law reference books, and publication of a regular column in the Birmingham Bar Bulletin. In law school, she published "Desperately Clinging to the Cleavers: What Family Law Courts Are Doing About Homosexual Parents, and What Some Are Refusing to See" in the Law & Psychology Review.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Red State Rebuttal - Advocating for LGBTQ Clients in Conservative Regions
Red State Rebuttal - Advocating for LGBTQ Clients in Conservative Regions
Chai R. Feldblum - Chai R. Feldblum helps companies and organizations create safe, respectful, and inclusive workplaces, focusing on preventing and responding to workplace harassment. Chai served as a commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) from 2010 to 2019. As a director of Workplace Culture Consulting at Morgan Lewis, Chai’s policymaking background and insights on the EEOC’s enforcement of employment civil rights laws inform her approach to helping employers create diverse and inclusive workplaces, as well as to performing investigations and counseling employers.
General Attendance Session Two: August 8, 2019 | 9:00 am - 10:30 am
2018-2019 SCOTUS Review: The Conservative Face of the Court
2018-2019 SCOTUS Review: The Conservative Face of the Court
Praveen Fernandes - Praveen is Vice President for Public Engagement at Constitutional Accountability Center (CAC). He comes to CAC from The Raben Group, where he was a Principal, advising non-profit clients on issues including LGBTQ equality, criminal justice, wealth inequality, digital equity, and judicial nominations. Before the Raben Group, Praveen was a political appointee in the Obama Administration, serving as Senior Counsel and Advisor to the General Counsel at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). At OPM, he focused on LGBTQ issues, particularly the federal government’s policies relating to transgender employees and the federal government’s implementation of U.S. v. Windsor, the Supreme Court decision that struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act. Additionally, he worked on issues relating to workforce diversity, parental leave, contracting, national security, and workplace discrimination. Praveen has also worked at the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy, Justice at Stake, the Human Rights Campaign, Patton Boggs, Ropes & Gray, and the President’s Commission on Human Radiation Experiments (a bioethics advisory committee tasked with preparing and presenting a report to President Clinton). He began his career on Capitol Hill, where he served on Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s Labor Committee staff. Praveen earned his J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law, and his M.P.H. from the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Public Health. While in law school, he was a Note and Comment Editor on the North Carolina Journal of International Law and Commercial Regulation. He graduated with honors from Brown University, where his undergraduate concentration was in Biomedical Ethics. In 2010, Praveen was named on the National LGBT Bar Association’s “Top 40 Under 40” list.
Celeste Fiore - Celeste Fiore is an Owner of Argentino Family Law & Child Advocacy. Their practice consists of family law, special education and anti-bullying work, legal assistance for the transgender and non-binary identified community and advancement of LGBTQ rights in general. Celeste is a long-time LGBTQ educator, activist, and advocate, starting at American University in Washington, DC by leading its LGBTQ undergraduate organization. Celeste currently serves as the Chair of the LGBT Rights Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association and is a member of the Section’s Legislative Committee and reviews. They also advise on proposed legislation referred to the Section and assist in legislative drafting for bills which may impact the LGBTQ community. Nationally, Celeste has connections to advocacy groups serving the LGBTQ community such as the National Center for Transgender Equality, The LGBT Task Force, and Lambda Legal. Celeste is also a member of the National LGBT Bar Association and is a recently admitted member of the Family Law Institute. Celeste was named a New Jersey Super Lawyers’ Rising Star, 2017 and 2018. Most recently, Celeste was recognized as one of the Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40! Celeste believes that through coordinated efforts and the sharing of resources with both state and national organizations, a positive impact can be made in the lives of individual clients and for our broader community. Celeste prefers the pronoun “they” to he or she. When in doubt, Celeste always answers to their name.
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Basic Vocabulary, Resources, and Information about and for Non-Binary, Intersex, and Gender Non-Conforming Lawyers
Basic Vocabulary, Resources, and Information about and for Non-Binary, Intersex, and Gender Non-Conforming Lawyers
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
The Right to Parent: Advanced LGBT+ Family-Building & Assisted Reproductive Technology
The Right to Parent: Advanced LGBT+ Family-Building & Assisted Reproductive Technology
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Transgender Parents and Children in Custody Proceedings
Transgender Parents and Children in Custody Proceedings
Ellen Fischer - Ellen S. Fischer is a Partner at Fenningham, Dempster & Coval LLP where she proudly helps family law clients through a philosophy of amicable settlement, collaboration and mediation, and trial advocacy where needed. Ellen handles all areas of family law including divorce, custody, relocation, spousal support, child support, alimony, property settlement agreements, pre-nuptial agreements, adoption, cohabitation agreements, name change, domestic abuse, paternity, post-divorce issues, grandparent and third party custody and issues related to high net worth divorce matters. Ellen has also spent her entire career advocating for and supporting the LGBTQ community. Ellen is a proud member of the Family Law Institute of the National LGBT Bar Association, a select group of international attorneys dedicated to pursuing the rights of LGBTQ individuals and families. Transgender Law Institute
John P. Fischer - John represents businesses and individuals in disputes with insurance companies who have failed to provide the coverage they promised. John’s experience in the area of insurance coverage is wide-ranging, and includes pursuing carriers for failure to pay pollution, property damage and business insurance claims. He has also litigated and resolved issues involving settlements within stated policy limits, and defended client interests in the event of insurance agent or broker negligence. An experienced litigator, John has helped clients obtain settlements in major claims involving general liability, pollution liability, property, D&O, E&O and cyber insurance-related matters. He has assisted clients by advocating and negotiating multimillion dollar verdicts and settlements for clients who were wrongfully denied the benefits of their policies. Thorough and diligent, John’s familiarity with many major carriers, procedures and decision-making processes often allows him to anticipate their next move. A skilled writer and negotiator, John knows his cases inside and out in order to negotiate or litigate a result that meets the client’s objectives. Notably, John has presented seminar lectures on bad faith issues in the insurance context. He has participated in BT ValueWorks’ Legal Project Management (LPM) training and applies LPM techniques to the delivery of legal service.
Judge Tara Flanagan - Judge Tara Flanagan joined the Alameda County Superior Court in January of 2013 after winning election in June 2012, and is now in her seventh (7th) year of service to Alameda County, California. After serving her first two years as a judge in Family Law and four years in the Criminal Law Division, she now hears Juvenile Dependency matters. Her extra-judicial duties include prior service on the board of the Alameda County Bar Association’s ‘Legal Access Alameda’, where underserved members of the community get help accessing the justice system, and also as a board member of the International Association of LGBTQ Judges. Previously, as an attorney, Judge Flanagan was a civil litigator, a Los Angeles County prosecutor and later a legal aid attorney helping families that suffered from domestic violence. As an attorney, she was a sought-out speaker about LGBTQ domestic violence. She also served on the board of directors of many D.V., LGBTQ, and women lawyers’ organizations. Prior to the practice of law, Judge Flanagan was a competitive athlete. She completed her undergraduate degree while on an athletic scholarship (basketball) and later took up the sport of rugby, where she was selected to the USA Women’s National Rugby Team, and played in two World Cups for the USA. Now retired from athletic competitions, Judge Flanagan enjoys long-distance bicycling, her dog, and traveling with her partner, a television director.
Diana Flynn - Diana Flynn is the Litigation Director of Lambda Legal, the country’s largest and oldest legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and individuals living with HIV. Ms. Flynn is a long-time director of highly-regarded national litigation and legal counsel programs and has achieved great success in both the federal and non-profit sectors. An experienced lawyer and federally-qualified Senior Executive, Ms. Flynn has led the litigation efforts on cases that have helped lay the legal foundation for some of the most important principles of constitutional and civil rights law. Ms. Flynn was appointed Litigation Director at Lambda Legal in the Spring of 2018. In that role, she directs and manages all the organization’s litigation efforts across the nation and leads the attorneys and support staff responsible for those activities. In addition to her leadership of the program, Ms. Flynn serves personally as counsel on the litigation teams of some of Lambda’s most significant cases, including the challenge to the Trump Administration’s military trans ban, and the efforts to secure fair and equal treatment for trans students in the Drew Adams case. Prior to her arrival at Lambda in the Spring of 2018, Ms. Flynn served for many years as the Chief of the Appellate Section of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. Under her leadership, the Section established the Division records for appellate success and productivity. She led the Section in its filing of more than 2,500 briefs, and its litigation success rate of well over eighty percent. While at DOJ, Flynn personally led the legal counsel project that laid the groundwork for the Holder Justice Department’s application of sex discrimination laws to prohibit discrimination based on transgender status. She also managed the Civil Rights Division’s efforts in connection with the Defense of Marriage Act litigation and worked with the Office of the Solicitor General and the Civil Division on the Windsor, Proposition 8 and Obergefell cases in the Supreme Court. Ms. Flynn is currently serving a second term as Commissioner of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, an appointment made by the ABA’s President. Flynn is a graduate of the Yale Law School and a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Rochester.
Greg Fosheim - Greg Fosheim advises health care and life sciences clients across a variety of corporate, transactional and regulatory compliance matters. Working with private equity and venture capital firms, hospitals, physician practice groups, clinical research programs, pharmaceutical companies, device manufacturers, and others, Greg provides counsel on health care fraud and abuse risks, Medicare, Medicaid, and private payor billing, and clinical research and laboratory compliance in connection with federal grants, among other issues. Greg also provides regulatory due diligence support on health care transactions and collaborations, helping his clients drive innovation and expand their businesses. Greg is an active participant in firm, city, and national LGBTQ diversity initiatives. He has been an member of the LGBT Bar since 2011, and he routinely mentors LGBTQ law students and young associates. Greg also authored the South Dakota section of the American Health Lawyers Association's current 50-State Survey for Opioid Prescriptions, and he regularly publishes articles on the regulatory framework surrounding clinical research. Greg currently serves on the 2019 Illinois Association of Healthcare Attorneys Mentorship Committee, and he previously had been a Board Member of the Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia and a member of the Lambda Legal Atlanta Leadership Committee. Greg is admitted to practice law in Illinois and Georgia. He holds a Bachelors in biology from Luther College, an MPH in epidemiology from Emory University, and a JD from Georgia State University, and he lives in Chicago with his husband, Mark.
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Shhh It's a Secret (or Isn't It?): Practical Ins and Outs of Health Care Privacy and Cybersecurity
Shhh It's a Secret (or Isn't It?): Practical Ins and Outs of Health Care Privacy and Cybersecurity
Justice Shannon Frison - Justice Shannon Frison was appointed to the Massachusetts Superior Court in March of 2013 at age 42. She took that seat after serving for more than 3 years on the Boston Municipal Court in from 2009-2013, beginning her tenure on the bench at age 39. Before her appointment, Justice Frison practiced locally and abroad as owner of Frison Law Firm, P.C. Her practice focused on “blue collar” criminal law and military justice. Justice Frison spent nearly seven years as a litigation associate at the former white collar defense firm, Dwyer & Collora, LLP in Boston, MA, prior to opening her own firm. Justice Frison Graduated from Hyde Park Career Academy in 1988 and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Government from Harvard University & Radcliffe College in 1992. She went on to receive her Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center in 1995. Justice Frison was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1995, and began her career as an Assistant District Attorney with the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office where she worked out of the Quincy District Court. Justice Frison holds the rank of Major in the United States Marine Corps, and is a Marine Corps Judge Advocate. She completed Officer Candidates School and accepted her commission in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1994. She continued on to complete The Basic School and Naval Justice School in 1997. From 1997-2000 she was the prosecutor aboard Marine Corps Air Station New River in Jacksonville, North Carolina. In addition to serving the country and practicing law, she has served as a Guberman Teaching Fellow at Brandeis University for three years teaching "Introduction to Law,” as well as appearing as guest lecturer at Brandeis on military justice and military tribunals. Justice Frison was also recently a member of the Boston Bar Association’s “Task Force to Prevent Wrongful Convictions” and Harvard Law School’s Trial Advocacy Workshop. She is the immediate past President of the Massachusetts Black Judges Conference. Judge Frison is a jurist, a Major of Marines, and a mentor to new trial lawyers.
Andrew Furlow - Andrew Furlow is a health care lawyer and trusted adviser to providers, drug and device manufacturers, and other key players in the healthcare industry. He works with healthcare companies to shape and respond to new and strategically important legislation and administrative rules, including the Open Payments disclosure law and innovative Medicare value-based payment programs. Andrew also works on a wide variety of pro bono matters, from assisting DC Medicaid beneficiaries in restoring benefits to drafting amicus briefs in Perry (Prop 8 challenge), GG v Gloucester County (trans student’s access to school restrooms) (LGBT Bar joined), and several contraceptive mandate challenges (Hobby Lobby cases). Andrew clerked for the Honorable David F. Hamilton on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. During law school, Andrew was an executive editor of the Harvard Law Review.
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Administrative Law: The Lawyer's Tool for Government Action
Administrative Law: The Lawyer's Tool for Government Action
Mark Gaber - Prior to joining CLC, Mark was an Associate at the law firm Jenner & Block, where he was a member of the Appellate & Supreme Court, Election Law and Redistricting and Media & First Amendment practice groups. Mark has worked as merits or amici counsel in a number of redistricting and voting rights cases. He served as counsel in Alabama Legislative Black Caucus v. Alabama and North Carolina v. Covington, and represented CLC as amici counsel before the Supreme Court in cases challenging racial gerrymanders in Virginia and North Carolina. Mark also represented CLC as amici counsel in Evenwel v. Abbott, where the Supreme Court adopted CLC’s position regarding the appropriate metric for assigning equal population to legislative districts. Mark served as co-counsel with CLC challenging Alabama’s felon disenfranchisement laws, and argued a Tenth Circuit appeal in a case involving the redistricting of Albuquerque’s city council districts. From 2011 to 2012, Mark served as a law clerk to the Honorable Judith W. Rogers on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Mark is a 2010 graduate of Stanford Law School, where he served as Senior Symposium Editor for the Stanford Law Review, and a 2005 graduate of St. Norbert College, where he earned a B.A. in Political Science and International Economics. Mark was selected as the 2004 Harry S Truman Scholar for the State of Wisconsin. Mark is a member of the District of Columbia and California (inactive) bars, and the bars of the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth, Fifth, Tenth, and D.C. Circuits and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Aneesha Gandhi - Aneesha Gandhi is the managing attorney for NIJC’s LGBT Immigrant Rights Initiative. Prior to joining NIJC, Aneesha was a legal fellow at the Diocese of Kalamazoo, Immigration Assistance Program. During law school she interned for NIJC, the New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice, the Greater Boston Legal Services’ Immigration Unit, and the Vera Institute. Aneesha currently serves on the board of Healing to Action. She holds a B.A. from Smith College and a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law. Aneesha is licensed in the state of Michigan.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Protecting LGBTQ Lives By Restoring the Rule of Law to the US Immigration System
Protecting LGBTQ Lives By Restoring the Rule of Law to the US Immigration System
Daniel Garza - Dr. Garza is a psychiatrist at the Michael Callen- Audre Lorde Community Health Center, the first primary care facility for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender population in the United States. Since 1998 he has been the original psychiatrist for Callen-Lorde’s Health Outreach to Teens (HOTT) Program a primary care clinic servicing youth ages 13- 24. Dr. Garza is on the faculty of the NYU-Langone Medical School of Medicine and works as the Director of the Assisted Outpatient Treatment, or Kendra’s Law, program for the borough of Queens in the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for the City of New York, an outpatient commitment statute for psychiatric consumers court ordered into customized outpatient treatment plans in order to remain safely in the community. He is the Medical Director of the program for Queens County. Dr. Garza is the psychiatrist for the SCO Family of Services agency providing consultation and treatment for their LGBTQ foster group homes in the New York City area and has also worked periodically with their Juvenile Justice program. He teaches regularly at both the local and national levels on adolescent mental health, commitment law, the health of racial and sexual minorities, and substance abuse. Dr. Garza is in private practice in Manhattan and is a volunteer examiner for Physicians for Human Rights Asylum Network providing evaluations for immigration proceedings. Daniel Garza was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas and his parents emigrated from Mexico. He received his medical degree from Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons and completed a residency in psychiatry at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. He returned to Columbia to complete a post-doctoral fellowship in Public Psychiatry.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
The Dilemma of Queer Youth and Mental Health: Protecting Clients' Privacy Rights, Providing Pathways for Appropriate Medical Treatment, and Improving Client Outcomes
The Dilemma of Queer Youth and Mental Health: Protecting Clients' Privacy Rights, Providing Pathways for Appropriate Medical Treatment, and Improving Client Outcomes
Susan Gault-Brown - Susan Gault-Brown is a partner in the Financial Services Group of Morrison & Foerster’s Washington, D.C. office. She serves as chair of the firm’s Investment Management Group and co-chair of the firm’s Blockchain + Smart Contracts Group. Susan advises participants in the investment management, FinTech, and financial services industries—including investment advisers, exempt reporting advisers, broker-dealers, funding portals, private funds, commodity trading advisors, commodity pool operators, FinTech companies, and cryptocurrency and blockchain companies—on regulatory, transactional, and counseling matters involving the securities and derivatives laws. Susan was named a “notable practitioner” in the inaugural Chambers FinTech 2018 guide and is a member of the Task Force on Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies, and Investment Management of the ABA Subcommittee on Investment Companies and Investment Advisers. In addition to 15 years in private practice, Susan also spent three years as a senior counsel in the Division of Investment Management’s Office of Chief Counsel at the Securities and Exchange Commission. Susan received her J.D. cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she was elected to the Order of the Coif. She was a third-year visiting student at Stanford Law School, received her M.A. in English literature from Washington University, and received her B.A. magna cum laude from Duke University, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Daniele Gerard - Daniele Gerard joined Children’s Rights in 2016. A former litigation associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore and staff attorney at North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services, Ms. Gerard was also a member of the development staff at Food & Water Watch for three years. She serves on the boards of the West Side Campaign Against Hunger, Three Parks Independent Democrats, and the Voter Assistance Advisory Committee to the New York City Campaign Finance Board. Ms. Gerard received a BA from Johns Hopkins University and a JD from Columbia University School of Law.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
LGBTQ Youth Homelessness: Strategies for Reducing over-Representation and Addressing Systemic and Day-to-Day Legal Challenges (Sponsored by Hanson Bridgett LLP)
LGBTQ Youth Homelessness: Strategies for Reducing over-Representation and Addressing Systemic and Day-to-Day Legal Challenges (Sponsored by Hanson Bridgett LLP)
Katherine Gillespie -
Katherine Gillespie is senior federal policy counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights, where she leads the development and implementation of strategies to ensure protection for reproductive rights and access to reproductive healthcare in the US, with a particular focus on administrative advocacy and oversight.
Prior to joining the Center, Katherine spent over seven years at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, holding several different roles, including most recently as a senior executive in the Division of Consumer Education and Engagement. Her work included overseeing the strategic direction and implementation of projects aimed at empowering the traditionally underserved, older Americans, servicemembers, and students. She also managed responses to requests from various oversight bodies, including the United States Congress, the Office of Inspector General, and the Government Accountability Office. Prior to that role, she served as Senior Counsel to the Deputy Director of the Bureau, advising senior agency executives on policy and oversight issues and preparing for testimony before the United States Congress.
Before joining the Bureau, Katherine was a civil rights attorney at Relman, Dane & Colfax LLP, litigating fair housing and other civil rights claims on behalf of plaintiffs. From 2002 to 2008, Katherine was counsel at WilmerHale, where she had a substantial pro bono practice, representing reproductive rights organizations, immigrants, and other individuals in cases alleging discrimination and other civil rights issues. She served as a fellow at the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. Katherine also clerked for the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Katherine has also taught on the United States Supreme Court and the United States Constitution as adjunct faculty in the Department of Government at American University. She holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.A. (with Honors) in History and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
The Intersection of LGBTQ Rights and Reproductive Rights in the Newly Configured Supreme Court
The Intersection of LGBTQ Rights and Reproductive Rights in the Newly Configured Supreme Court
Dan Goldberg - Daniel L. Goldberg currently serves as Legal Director at the Alliance For Justice. Prior to joining AFJ, Mr. Goldberg served as Chief of Staff of the Department of Justice Office of Legislative Affairs. Before joining the Justice Department, in August 2013, Mr. Goldberg spent six years as senior counsel to Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, which Senator Harkin chaired. Mr. Goldberg also worked for three years as a litigation associate at the law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell. He received his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin and J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he served on the Law Review. After law school, he was a law clerk to the Honorable Terence T. Evans of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
A Lifetime of Power: How the Trump Administration is Overhauling the Judiciary with Anti-LGBT Judges
A Lifetime of Power: How the Trump Administration is Overhauling the Judiciary with Anti-LGBT Judges
Ronda Goldfein - Ronda B. Goldfein, Esq. has led the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania as its Executive Director for the past 18 years. Having received national recognition for her advocacy on behalf of people living with HIV/AIDS, she is listed among the top 100 HIV/AIDS activists in the United States by POZ magazine. She has also been named “Policymaker of the Year” by the Penn Center for AIDS Research and was proud to receive a citation from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for chairing Philadelphia FIGHT’s Jonathan Lax Treatment Center’s Institutional Review Board. Ronda serves as chair of the Philadelphia Police Advisory Commission, the official civilian oversight agency for the city’s police department. She is also member of the board of directors of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania’s Philadelphia chapter.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Moving the Legislative Ball on HIV Criminalization Reform at the State Level
Moving the Legislative Ball on HIV Criminalization Reform at the State Level
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Federal HIV Policy: Contradictions, Opportunities and Challenges
Federal HIV Policy: Contradictions, Opportunities and Challenges
Omar Gonzalez-Pagan - Omar Gonzalez-Pagan is a Senior Attorney in the National Headquarters Office of Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and individuals living with HIV. His work spans all aspects of Lambda Legal’s impact litigation, policy advocacy and public education efforts. Gonzalez-Pagan played an active part in securing the freedom to marry for same sex couples and their families across the United States. As a member of the legal team in the landmark case Obergefell v. Hodges, Gonzalez-Pagan helped secure marriage equality at the U.S. Supreme Court while representing four same-sex couples seeking respect for their out-of-state marriage and accurate birth certificates for their Ohio-born children in Henry v. Hodges. He was also lead counsel in Conde-Vidal v. Rius-Armendariz, the successful challenge to Puerto Rico’s marriage ban, and was co-counsel in Robicheaux v. Caldwell, the successful challenge to Louisiana’s marriage ban. Prior to joining Lambda Legal, Gonzalez-Pagan worked for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as an Assistant Attorney General, a Special Assistant District Attorney, and an Associate General Counsel to the Massachusetts Inspector General. As an Assistant Attorney General, Gonzalez-Pagan was part of the team that represented the Commonwealth in Massachusetts v. HHS, Massachusetts’s successful challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) before the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. He also successfully obtained injunctive relief for victims of hate crimes that were targeted based on their sexual orientation and civilly prosecuted housing discrimination cases. Gonzalez-Pagan received his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he was an editor of the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law. He also possesses a Master’s in Environmental Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Cornell University. Gonzalez-Pagan was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is fluent in Spanish.
Demoya Gordon - Demoya Gordon is a Supervising Attorney in the Law Enforcement Bureau of the New York City Commission on Human Rights, focusing on Public Accommodations and Policing. Prior to joining the Commission, Demoya worked at Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people, and people living with HIV. There, she engaged in impact litigation, policy advocacy, and public education on a range of issues affecting transgender and intersex people, including discriminatory treatment in the criminal legal system, employment, health care, education, public accommodations, and government services. Demoya’s clients at Lambda Legal included Passion Star, a Black transgender woman who faced repeated sexual and physical abuse while imprisoned in Texas. Under Demoya’s leadership, the team representing Ms. Star achieved a favorable settlement including monetary compensation as well as systemic policy changes within the Texas prison system. Demoya also led the team representing Jessica Hicklin, a White transgender woman who was denied medically necessary treatment while incarcerated in Missouri. That case resulted in a permanent injunction requiring the defendants to provide Ms. Hicklin with medically necessary gender dysphoria treatment and banning the Missouri Department of Corrections from enforcing the “freeze-frame” policy under which it denied hormone therapy to any transgender person who was not receiving such therapy prior to entering prison. Demoya brings an intersectional focus to her work by addressing how discriminatory laws, policies, and systems uniquely and disproportionately affect members of multiple marginalized communities. In recognition of her professional achievements, the National LGBT Bar Association named Demoya one of 2014’s Best LGBT Attorneys Under 40. In 2013, Lawyers of Color included Demoya on its annual list of 100 exceptional early- to mid-career minority attorneys under the age of 40. After migrating to the U.S. from Jamaica, Demoya received her undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Macalester College and her law degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
The Criminalization to Incarceration Pipeline of LGBTQ+ People
The Criminalization to Incarceration Pipeline of LGBTQ+ People
Glenn Gordon - Glenn Gordon has led the enforcement program for the SEC’s Miami Regional Office since 2001. From 2001 until 2004, Mr. Gordon simultaneously led the office’s examination program. He joined the Commission as a staff attorney in 1995 and later served as a branch chief and then as an assistant regional director. Before serving at the Commission, Mr. Gordon was an associate in the litigation departments of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and Proskauer Rose LLP. He had previously spent a year as a law clerk for the Hon. Gerald Bard Tjoflat of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Mr. Gordon has received the SEC’s Irving M. Pollack Award and Capital Markets Award. Mr. Gordon is a cum laude graduate of Cornell Law School and received a bachelor of science degree in economics from the Wharton School and a bachelor of arts degree from the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania. Finance Law Institute
Remy Green - J. Remy Green is a partner at the law firm Cohen&Green, a firm they co-founded with current National Lawyers Guild President Elena L. Cohen. The firm aims to serve the queer, artist, worker, and other under-represented communities of NYC and beyond. Currently, among other major matters, Mx. Green is testing a novel theory of defamation defense working with the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund. Mx. Green was formerly an associate with a big law firm where their practice included real estate litigation, business tort litigation, and a wide variety of other matters including direct representation of survivors of sexual assault seeking asylum in the United States and submission of amicus curiae briefs on behalf of transgender students in cases before Federal Courts of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Mx. Green is a guest lecturer and adjunct professor with NYU and CUNY, where they teach courses that cover law and technology issues, as well as civil and constitutional rights. They are also a published legal author, with full-length articles appearing in the Syracuse Law Review, North Carolina Journal of Law and Technology, and the Rutgers Law Record.
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Basic Vocabulary, Resources, and Information about and for Non-Binary, Intersex, and Gender Non-Conforming Lawyers
Basic Vocabulary, Resources, and Information about and for Non-Binary, Intersex, and Gender Non-Conforming Lawyers
Zahara Green - Zahara Green is a noted community advocate and Founder of TRANScending Barriers, a Georgia-based, trans-led, non-profit organization whose mission is to empower the transgender and gender non-conforming community through community organizing with leadership building, advocacy, and direct services so that lives can be changed and a community uplifted. Zahara successfully sued the Georgia Department of Corrections after she became a victim of sexual assault by a guard. Zahara is also an active participant in the LGBT Criminal Justice Working Group. Transgender Law Institute
Gary Greener - Gary counsels students on all aspects of career development and the job search process. He also interacts with employers and engages in outreach to increase job opportunities for UCLA students. Prior to joining UCLA in 2014, Gary worked for 14 years at Southwestern Law School where he served as the Senior Associate Dean for Career, Admissions and Financial Aid Services. He also has ten years of experience as a practicing lawyer, and served as the hiring partner for a 50-lawyer law firm, Breidenbach Buckley, et al. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University, a law degree from Southwestern Law School, and an LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center.
Law Student Career Planning Programming (NALP) and Continental Breakfast (Sponsored by Walmart Legal): August 9, 2019 | 8:00 am - 10:15 am
Career Planning Program
Career Planning Program
Heron Greenesmith - Heron Greenesmith is a policy attorney for LGBT people, specializing in advocacy for bisexual and pansexual communities. Heron has worked with the Movement Advancement Project, Family Equality Council, and the National LGBTQ Task Force. Heron is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire and American University, Washington College of Law. They are a board member of the Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association, a former board member of the National LGBT Bar Association, a former Rockwood Leadership Institute Fellow, and a returned Peace Corps Volunteer.
Kent Greenfield - An internationally-recognized scholar of constitutional law and corporate governance, Kent Greenfield is Professor of Law and Dean’s Distinguished Scholar at Boston College Law School. A graduate of Brown University and the University of Chicago Law School, Greenfield is the author of three books, including Corporations are People Too (And They Should Act Like It) for Yale University Press. Professor Greenfield clerked for Justice David H. Souter of the United States Supreme Court and practiced at Covington & Burling in Washington, DC. He has also published numerous scholarly articles in leading legal journals including the Yale Law Journal and the Virginia Law Review. Professor Greenfield is also an active participant in various litigation matters pertaining to civil rights and corporate accountability. He was the Founder and President of the Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights (FAIR), the named plaintiff in a 2006 Supreme Court case challenging the Pentagon’s anti-gay policies; and he co-authored an amicus brief in Masterpiece Cakeshop v Colorado Civil Rights Commission arguing that the Supreme Court should not extend religious freedom rights to for-profit corporations.
Sharita Gruberg - Sharita Gruberg is the Policy Director for the LGBT Research and Communications Project at the Center for American Progress. In that role, she leads the organization’s federal policy work advancing LGBT equality and combating discrimination. Prior to joining American Progress, Sharita worked for the Women’s Refugee Commission, the American Bar Association Commission on Immigration, and the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. Sharita earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was a Public Interest Law Scholar, and she also received the Refugees and Humanitarian Emergencies Certificate from the Institute for the Study of International Migration. She holds a B.A. in political science and women’s studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Protecting LGBTQ Lives By Restoring the Rule of Law to the US Immigration System
Protecting LGBTQ Lives By Restoring the Rule of Law to the US Immigration System
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Medicare for All - what's in it (or should be) for LGBTQ persons?
Medicare for All - what's in it (or should be) for LGBTQ persons?
Kevin Hall - Kevin is a commercial litigator and political law attorney whose practice intersects the four corners of law, business, politics and public policy. He has represented Fortune 500 companies in high-stakes litigation and elected officials facing ethics charges, criminal prosecution, and/or impeachment and removal from political office. He has tried commercial cases to verdict in state and federal courts and argued numerous cases before the South Carolina Supreme Court, various federal and state courts in South Carolina, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. On the public policy side, Kevin has represented the South Carolina Equality Coalition in its challenge of South Carolina’s criminal domestic violence laws which discriminated against victims of intimate partner violence in same-sex relationships. Kevin also has successfully represented grass roots organizations in asserting First Amendment claims to set aside campaign finance regulations promulgated at the state and federal level.
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Pushing Back Against "No Promo Homo" Laws and Other Restrictions on LGBTQ-Affirming Curricular Content
Pushing Back Against "No Promo Homo" Laws and Other Restrictions on LGBTQ-Affirming Curricular Content
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Red State Rebuttal - Advocating for LGBTQ Clients in Conservative Regions
Red State Rebuttal - Advocating for LGBTQ Clients in Conservative Regions
Tyrone Hanley - As NCLR policy counsel, Tyrone Hanley focuses on the criminalization of queer/trans sexuality and those living with HIV and LGBTQ poverty. Tyrone was a creator of the #EndBadHIVLaws campaign with the Center for HIV Law and Policy and Human Rights Campaign. He was also a co-author of the first national LGBTQ poverty agenda, Intersecting Injustice: A National Call to Action, Addressing LGBTQ Poverty and Economic Justice for All, and co-founder of the National LGBTQ Anti-Poverty Action Network. He brings his upbringing into his work by focusing on those most marginalized in the LGBTQ community. Prior to coming to NCLR, Tyrone worked as the HIV Prevention Manager at SMYAL, a DC-area LGBTQ youth organization. He has also previously served as the Gender Public Advocacy Center’s Youth Program Coordinator and as an AmeriCorps/National AIDS Fund member at HIPS, a DC-based harm reduction organization for sex workers and drug users.
Amira Hasenbush - Amira runs a solo law practice in Los Angeles that focuses on family formation for LGBT families. She helps clients with adoptions, surrogacy, gamete donation, and complex parentage matters, including working with families with more than two parents. Prior to taking her law practice full-time, Amira was a law and policy fellow with the Williams Institute, an LGBT research center at UCLA School of Law. Amira received her law degree and her masters in public health from UCLA.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
The Right to Parent: Advanced LGBT+ Family-Building & Assisted Reproductive Technology
The Right to Parent: Advanced LGBT+ Family-Building & Assisted Reproductive Technology
Claudia Haupt - Claudia Haupt is an Associate Professor of Law and Political Science at Northeastern University. Professor Haupt’s research is situated at the intersection of the First Amendment, health law, and torts in the context of professional speech. Her further research interests include constitutional law and comparative constitutional law as well as law and technology. Prior to joining Northeastern, Professor Haupt was a resident fellow with the Information Society Project at Yale Law School, where she continues to be an affiliate fellow, and a research fellow with the Solomon Center for Health Law & Policy at Yale Law School. She has also held an appointment as associate-in-law at Columbia Law School and, prior to that, taught at George Washington University Law School. Before entering academia, Professor Haupt clerked at the Regional Court of Appeals of Cologne and practiced law at the Cologne office of the law firm of Graf von Westphalen, with a focus in information technology law. She is admitted to practice in Germany and New York. Professor Haupt has published articles in journals including the Yale Law Journal, Boston College Law Review, George Washington Law Review, and Tulane Law Review, among others. Her book Religion-State Relations in the United States and Germany: The Quest for Neutrality was published by Cambridge University Press in 2012.
Danielle Healey - Danielle (DJ) Healey has been litigating complex cases in federal and state courts and handling arbitration and mediation proceedings for over thirty years. She has focused on patent and trade secret litigation as well as related antitrust and tort claims. Ms. Healey has tried cases in the federal courts, state courts, International Trade Commission, International Chamber of Commerce (Arbitration), American Arbitration Association, NASD Arbitration Forum, and private arbitration. She has argued appeals in the Federal Circuit, Fifth Circuit and Fourth Circuit Courts of Appeals, as well as the Texas Supreme Court and Texas Intermediate Courts of Appeals. Ms. Healey has been actively involved in planning and executing multi-jurisdictional strategies involving federal and state courts in the U.S. and Europe, and administrative agencies (including reviews in the USPTO, invalidity and declaratory judgment actions in Europe, and state regulatory matters). Ms. Healey has worked on patent and antitrust issues with the Federal Trade Commission, and has advised them on intellectual property related competition matters before the European Union. Ms. Healey has worked on some of the biggest trade secret cases in recent years, arguing these cases in the trial courts, courts of appeal and Texas Supreme Court. Ms. Healey has been involved in negotiating patent and trade secret licenses in the pharma, semiconductor and software industries; she has represented clients in dealing with obligations and licensing in standard-setting organizations; she has been general counsel to a standard-setting group; and she has litigated the substantive and anticompetitive effects of licenses in court, in arbitration, and in administrative agencies. Ms. Healey has also been a frequent speaker on patent, trade secret and antitrust matters, and has been fortunate enough to have been recognized by industry polls and publications for her work. Ms. Healey graduated from the University of Texas School of Law in 1985 with honors, and Brown University in 1982. Ms. Healey served as law clerk to the Honorable James DeAnda, United States District Judge, Southern District of Texas, from 1985-1987. Ms. Healey was one of the founders of the Houston IP Inn of Court, has been active in the State Bar of Texas Intellectual Property Committee, the Eastern District of Texas Bar Association, and community projects where she lives in the Houston area. Prior to opening Fish & Richardson’s Houston Office, Ms. Healey was a partner in the patent litigation section of an international law firm, and previously was a partner in her own patent litigation boutique firm, as well as a national patent litigation boutique firm in Houston, Texas. “Lexmark Creates Problems for Licensors and Sellers of Patented Products,” Fish Litigation Blog (October 2, 2017).
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Before, During and After: What are an employer's responsibilities when an employee transitions gender?
Before, During and After: What are an employer's responsibilities when an employee transitions gender?
Elizabeth Hecht - Elizabeth J. Hecht is an Assistant General Counsel in the Global Patents department of GlaxoSmithKline where she has practiced for over 20 years. Before her current position, Elizabeth was an associate at the Washington, DC office of Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, an intellectual property firm. Before that, Elizabeth served as a law clerk to the Honorable Claude M. Hilton in the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division. Elizabeth earned her J.D. in 1993 from American University, Washington College of Law, and her B.A. in biology from the University of Colorado/Boulder in 1990. Elizabeth is admitted to the bar of Pennsylvania, and she is a registered attorney with the United States Patent & Trademark Office.
How to Go In-House: August 9, 2019 | 10:15 am - 11:45 am
Career Advice for Law Students and Laterals from Seasoned In-House Counsel (Sponsored by T-Mobile)
Career Advice for Law Students and Laterals from Seasoned In-House Counsel (Sponsored by T-Mobile)
Jordan Heinz - Jordan Heinz (he/him) is a partner at Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago and practices in both the intellectual property and general litigation departments. Within the intellectual property department, Jordan focuses on Lanham Act litigation (trademark, false advertising and unfair competition) and trade secret litigation across a broad range of industries. Within the general litigation department, Jordan focuses on complex commercial litigation matters, including employment and consumer fraud litigation. Jordan also helps coordinate the Firm’s pro bono program and currently serves as a Chicago Pro Bono Coordinator. Jordan is counsel for transgender military service members and transgender people seeking to join the military (Karnoski v. Trump) and was counsel for the same-sex couples seeking the right to marry in Illinois (Gray v. Orr & Lee v. Orr) and in Indiana (Baskin v. Bogan).
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Open and Authentic Service: Update and Strategies re Transgender Service Members
Open and Authentic Service: Update and Strategies re Transgender Service Members
Jessica Hernandez - Jessica Hernandez is a criminal defense attorney at MayesTelles PLLC with over thirteen years of legal experience. Jessica is an Arizona native, originally from Superior Arizona. She graduated with honors from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. Jessica’s legal experience includes two prestigious federal clerkships with judges on both the U.S. District Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In addition to her experience as a criminal defense attorney and civil litigator, she also worked as a prosecutor with the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office. Throughout her career Jessica handled felony and misdemeanor cases of all types. She has a passion for defending the rights of individuals ad communities who voices too often go unheard, in particular theLGBT and Latino communities.
Community Building Workshops: August 7, 2019 | 7:45 am - 9:00 am
LGBT Bar Affiliates' Problem Solving Work Session: Programs, Events, and Fundraising
LGBT Bar Affiliates' Problem Solving Work Session: Programs, Events, and Fundraising
Community Building Workshops: August 8, 2019 | 7:45 am - 9:00 am
LGBT Bar Affiliates' Problem Solving Work Session: Compliance, Administration, and Communications
LGBT Bar Affiliates' Problem Solving Work Session: Compliance, Administration, and Communications
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
LGBTQ State & Local Bar Affiliate Congress Caucus
LGBTQ State & Local Bar Affiliate Congress Caucus
Tristan Higgins - Tristan has a Bachelors of Art in Theater from the University of California, San Diego and went to California Western School of Law to become an entertainment lawyer. She began her career as a prosecutor for the San Diego City Attorney, and went on to practice entertainment law for the Screen Actors Guild (now, SAG-AFTRA) in Los Angeles. After advising SAG-AFTRA in video game contract negotiations, she joined Sega of America in San Francisco, where she oversaw Sega’s legal needs for North America. She left Sega to join Sony Electronics in San Diego, where she helped establish the digital cinema business worldwide, and advised the component sales divisions in Silicon Valley, Novi, Tel Aviv, and Tokyo on high tech licensing and sales. Tristan co-founded Sony’s LGBT employee resource group, has organized Sony’s participation in the San Diego Pride Parade and Festival, and spearheaded Sony’s participation in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index. In 2012, Tristan received the National LGBT Bar Association’s Out & Proud Corporate Counsel Award and was named one of the 10 Amazing Gay Women in Showbiz by POWER UP, a lesbian filmmaking group. In 2014, she was honored with the Gender Diversity Lawyer of the Year Award by Chambers USA Women In Law. Tristan is an internationally recognized speaker on LGBTQ+ diversity and inclusion. She now focuses her efforts full time on diversity and inclusion speaking and consulting. Tristan is married and has two children, one dog, and two cats.
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Before, During and After: What are an employer's responsibilities when an employee transitions gender?
Before, During and After: What are an employer's responsibilities when an employee transitions gender?
Josh Langdon Hooser - Josh Langdon Hooser is an attorney at Josh Langdon, LLC where his practice focuses on advocating for LGBTQ clients in Ohio and Kentucky. Josh is known for his candid representation and unique strategies to help clients through the legal process. Josh also serves as a guardian of estates, a guardian ad litem in private custody cases, and a mediator when requested by a party. Josh is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati School of Law and the College of Charleston, South Carolina. Transgender Law Institute
Ping "Hoping" Hou - Hoping is a lawyer from Suzhou in South China who practiced corporate law and founded an LGBTIQ organization before coming the United States for additional legal training. She plans eventually to work helping corporations become better human rights advocates, and currently serves as Global Public Service Fellow at OutRight Action International. Before joining the staff of OutRight, Hoping conducted legal research for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and was a visiting scholar at Columbia Law School, where she earned a second LL.M. and was a Harlan Fiske Stone scholar. At Columbia, Hoping facilitated workshops on gender issues and conducted and published her own independent research. She presented her work in academic and research institutions, including at Yale Law School, the Institute of Current World Affairs, and Sarah Lawrence College. Before her Masters work at Columbia, Hoping was an International Legal Fellow at PILnet: The Global Network for Public Interest Law. At PILnet, she participated in public interest service skills training, such as conflict mediation, documenting of human rights violations, public speaking, storytelling, grant proposal writing, and budget forecasting. She has presented in academic and professional institutions, including Stanford Law School and the New York City Bar Association. She has also consulted with numerous public interest organizations and advocates about strategies for advancing LGBTIQ rights and women's rights internationally. Hoping received her LL.B. in International Economic Law from Nanjing Normal University, and her first LL.M. in International Law from Shandong University.
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
The Global Movement for LGBTIQ Freedom: Colonial-Era Anti-Sodomy Laws, American Evangelicals, "Gender Ideology," and Why It All Matters
The Global Movement for LGBTIQ Freedom: Colonial-Era Anti-Sodomy Laws, American Evangelicals, "Gender Ideology," and Why It All Matters
Hans How - Hans How is the Vice President of AsylumConnect, a tech nonprofit providing the first digital platform for LGBTQ asylum. Hans was selected to be a member of the 2019 NextGen LGBTQ Emerging Leaders Program by Coca-Cola and has been featured in The Daily Beast, The Bay Area Reporter, Malaysiakini, and other outlets. Hans is also a board member of TurnOut, a nonprofit that maximizes the impact of volunteerism to strengthen LGBTQ communities, and serves on the steering committee for Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza, a neighborhood organization in the Castro that strives to create a lasting legacy for Harvey Milk. By day, Hans works in real estate acquisitions and developments for Equity Residential in San Francisco. Hans graduated from Wesleyan University as a Freeman Foundation Scholar.
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Saving LGBTQ Asylum in the Age of Divided Politics: The Case for Lawyers & Technology (Sponsored by Thomson Reuters)
Saving LGBTQ Asylum in the Age of Divided Politics: The Case for Lawyers & Technology (Sponsored by Thomson Reuters)
Nan Hunter - Early in her career, Georgetown Professor Nan Hunter specialized in constitutional and civil rights law as a member of the national legal staff of the American Civil Liberties Union in New York. She has taught as a full-time or visiting professor at Brooklyn Law School, Harvard Law School, the University of Miami Law School, and UCLA Law School, in addition to Georgetown. From 1993 to 1996, she was Deputy General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Professor Hunter’s scholarship has been published in many law journals, and several of her articles have been selected for reprinting in anthologies. With William Eskridge, she wrote the first casebook to conceptualize sexuality and gender law as embodying a dynamic relationship between state regulation, sexual practices, and gender norms. Her most recent law and social movement scholarship focuses on the ramifications of the same-sex marriage campaign for democratic theory.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Turning Crumbs Into Wedding Cake: What We Can Learn From the Historic Role of State Courts in Relationship Recognition
Turning Crumbs Into Wedding Cake: What We Can Learn From the Historic Role of State Courts in Relationship Recognition
William Isasi - William Isasi represents governments and companies in various industries on all aspects of antidumping and countervailing duty proceedings and World Trade Organization (WTO) litigation. He joined the firm after serving as an Assistant Chief Counsel at the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of the Chief Counsel for Trade Enforcement & Compliance. In this role, he provided extensive legal advice on trade enforcement to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement & Compliance, Deputy Assistant Secretaries, and other Department officials. Mr. Isasi has argued before international tribunals including the WTO Appellate Body and panels, and the NAFTA Chapter 19 binational panel pertaining to the 2001 Softwood Lumber from Canada antidumping investigation. He managed legal services for several complex antidumping and countervailing duty proceedings, including the recent countervailing duty investigation of Sugar from Mexico. He also managed a number of significant WTO disputes for the Commerce Department including the China CVD 1 (DS 379) and China CVD 2 (DS 437) disputes.
Alesdair Ittelson - Alesdair represents individuals who expand our conceptions of sex and gender and who have experienced discrimination in institutional settings such as schools, hospitals, and juvenile justice facilities. Alesdair has worked with a wide variety of entities including governments, universities, and health care organizations on reducing liability and raising up the voices of youth populations. Prior to joining interACT, Alesdair was the recipient of a Skadden Fellowship and worked at the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama, where he represented trans youth throughout the South.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Intersex & Nonbinary Considerations in Law & Policy
Intersex & Nonbinary Considerations in Law & Policy
Andy Izenson - Andy is a passionate advocate and educator around alternative family law and family creation, gender and sexuality, and restorative and transformative justice. This advocacy extends both to education work, including cultural competency trainings for legal professionals, consent and communication workshops at high schools and colleges, and extensive alternative justice system education across the country, as well as to direct services work as an attorney, mediator, consultant, and practitioner of restorative and transformative justice. In Andy’s legal work, they are most passionate about supporting family creation and communication by aiding clients with family agreements, assisted reproduction technology work, and estate planning and advance directives. Andy is also a mediator and practitioner of collaborative divorce and separation, and assists families in restructuring peacefully and compassionately. Andy handles the firm’s sliding scale and pro bono docket, and can serve French- or German-speaking clients as well. Andy is a dedicated member of the LGBTQI Family Professionals of New York, working with New York families to resolve conflict without state intervention, the NYC chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, serving as Vice President, Executive Committee member, and protest support, the selective Family Law Institute of the National LGBT Bar Association, and the Family and Matrimonial Law Committee of the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York. Andy speaks and educates nationwide on these topics, including at New York State Bar Association, the Family and Divorce Mediation Council, the LGBT Bar Association Conference, the Woodhull Sexual Freedom Summit, Creating Change, Skidmore College, Columbia University, New York University, Rutgers University, Cooper Union College, Yale Law School, and Harvard Law School.
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Basic Vocabulary, Resources, and Information about and for Non-Binary, Intersex, and Gender Non-Conforming Lawyers
Basic Vocabulary, Resources, and Information about and for Non-Binary, Intersex, and Gender Non-Conforming Lawyers
Janice Jabido - Janice is the IP Counsel at Pratt & Whitney. Prior to moving in-house, she was an associate at Ropes & Gray LLP and was a 2016 Illinois Super Lawyer Rising Star in 2016. Before becoming a lawyer, Janice was an engineer and worked at Fortune 500 companies.
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Intersectional Lesbian Lawyers and Their Superpowers - Crushing it in the Private Sector
Intersectional Lesbian Lawyers and Their Superpowers - Crushing it in the Private Sector
Mike Jackson - Mike Jackson serves as Director & Employee Relations Counsel at Target’s headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In his role, Mike is the lead employment counsel for and leads a team that supports all of Target’s stores in Target’s Central U.S. region (over 23 states and over 500 stores). Prior to his current role at Target, Mike helped to support Target’s stores on the West Coast along with Target’s asset protection/loss prevention team, and he supported several other key internal projects and initiatives. Mike is actively involved in Target’s Legal Affairs Diversity Action Committee (“DAC”) and, specifically, involved with the DAC’s efforts to build a diverse team. Mike is Target’s liaison to both the National LGBT Bar and MN Lavender Bar and, also, frequently speaks on topics relating to employment law and diversity and inclusion. Mike is also a 2019 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellow, and is also on the regional host committee for the First Chair Awards, an annual awards celebration and conference held in Chicago recognizing contributions by outstanding in-house counsel. Mike has also been recognized this year by the National LGBT Bar as one of its Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers under 40. Prior to Target, Mike held in-house employment counsel roles first with McDonald’s Corporation and, then, The J.M. Smucker Company where he supported the field HR teams at both companies, after several years in private practice at Fisher & Phillips, LLP. Mike and his husband reside in Minneapolis.
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
An Intersectional and Inclusive Approach to Workplace Trainings and Policies (Sponsored by Target Corporation)
An Intersectional and Inclusive Approach to Workplace Trainings and Policies (Sponsored by Target Corporation)
Judge Mike Jacobs - Mike Jacobs has served as a judge on the State Court of DeKalb County since June 4, 2015. Prior to his judicial service, Judge Jacobs served ten and a half years in the Georgia House of Representatives. In the Georgia General Assembly, he was chairman of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Oversight Committee (MARTOC), the joint House and Senate committee that oversees the management, budget, and fiscal affairs of Metro Atlanta’s transit system. He also served as chairman of one of the two subcommittees of the House Judiciary Committee. Judge Jacobs received his law degree in 2003, magna cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law, where he was the executive articles editor of the Georgia Law Review. He received his bachelor’s degree in 1997 from Georgetown University. Judge Jacobs is one of only two openly bisexual or pansexual identified judges (state or federal, trial or appellate) in the United States. He came out publicly in April 2018. In 2010, he received the Allen Thornell Political Advancement Award from Georgia Equality for passing a stronger anti-bullying law for public schools. Judge Jacobs is an active member of the International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges, National LGBT Bar Association, Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia, Atlanta Bar Association, and DeKalb Bar Association. He serves on the board of directors of Leadership DeKalb, a community leadership program, and serves as the Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia’s representative on the Judicial Council of Georgia’s Committee on Access to Justice. Judge Jacobs and his wife Evan have three children.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
From the Middle to the Center: Visibilizing Bisexuality and Non-Binary Sexual Orientations in the Discourse Around LGBTQ+ Access to Justice
From the Middle to the Center: Visibilizing Bisexuality and Non-Binary Sexual Orientations in the Discourse Around LGBTQ+ Access to Justice
Madiha Jafri - Dr. Madiha Jafri received a BSc in Computer Engineering, MSc in Electrical Engineering and a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Old Dominion University in 2003, 2004 and 2007, respectively. Fully funded by the NASA headquarters, her accelerated PhD studies became the first pioneering work that used artificial intelligence to predict electromagnetic interference patterns on commercial aircraft. While pursuing her doctorate, Dr. Jafri also completed post doctoral research in Biomedical Engineering at the Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center in Hartford, CT in 2007. There, she studied fMRI data and brain behavior and generated models for classification of Schizophrenia using artificial intelligence.
Dr. Jafri has been with Lockheed Martin since June 2007 as the lead cryptography expert, designing complex cryptographic solutions for NSA certification. Alongside cryptography, she has served as the Lead Systems Engineer on Medical Signature Analysis System where she co-developed patented concepts in nanotechnology for weapons and medical signature detection. She is an alumni of the Advanced Technical Leadership Program and functioned as the Cybersecurity Manager in Infrastructure Engineering, leading a team of cyber experts to protect and accredit sensitive assets in Lockheed Martin’s Moorestown facility. Dr. Jafri is now a Senior Scientist with a focus in Artificial Intelligence, Electromagnetics and Cybersecurity.
Outside of work, Dr. Jafri is a proud mom of two children (8 and 10 yrs old) and a STEM advocate, volunteering, mentoring and giving motivational talks on overcoming adversity and embracing diversity in STEM careers.Corporate Counsel Institute
Sylvia James - Sylvia F. James serves as Winston & Strawn’s Director of Diversity & Inclusion. In this role, Sylvia collaborates with key stakeholders to develop and implement the firm’s diversity and inclusion strategy and initiatives; works with the talent management team to enhance the hiring, advancement, retention, and promotion of diverse lawyers; serves as a liaison to clients and external organizations dedicated to fostering diversity in the legal profession; conducts diversity training; and advises on internal and external diversity-related communications. Prior to joining Winston, Sylvia served as the diversity lead for a national law firm for 11 years. In addition, she practiced law as a labor and employment attorney for over a decade. Sylvia is a member of the Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals (ALFDP) and has served as the organization’s president. She is also a member of the Advisory Board for the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession (IILP), and a former commissioner on the American Bar Association’s Diversity and Inclusion 360 Commission. Sylvia received a J.D. from Duke University School of Law and a B.A. in Political Science from Vassar College. Here is a link to my bio – http://www.winston.com/en/who-we-are/attorneys/james-sylvia.html.
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Heterosexism, Global Business Travel and LGBTQ Rights
Heterosexism, Global Business Travel and LGBTQ Rights
Sandy James - Sandy James is a Staff Attorney at FreeState Justice. He represents clients in civil legal matters and conducts policy advocacy and education and outreach work. Previously, Sandy was the Research Director at the National Center for Transgender Equality and lead author of The Report of the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey. In that role, he led a research team in conducting the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey. Sandy has worked on numerous projects involving trans- and LGBQ-related legislation, policy, and research. He earned a J.D. and a Ph.D. in Government from Georgetown University.
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Heterosexism, Global Business Travel and LGBTQ Rights
Heterosexism, Global Business Travel and LGBTQ Rights
Matthew Jannusch - Matthew W. Jannusch is an Assistant State’s Attorney with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, the second largest prosecutor’s office in the nation with more than 800 attorneys. Matthew is in his 18th year in the office and is currently assigned to the Community Justice Unit where he is tasked with reducing violence in Chicago Neighborhoods as well as reaching out to marginalized populations disproportionately affected by violence such as persons affected by mental illness, homeless youth, and transgender people of color, among others. Matthew has previously held assignments within the State’s Attorney’s Office in the Felony Trial Division, Domestic Violence, Mortgage Fraud, Public Corruption, Financial Crimes, and was a supervisor in the Child Support Enforcement Division. Matthew holds the office of President of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group which is part of the larger Diversity and Inclusion Initiative of the office. Matthew is a member of the Board of Directors of the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago (LAGBAC) and currently Chairs both the Diversity and Nominations Committees. He recently stepped down from the LAGBAC Judicial Evaluation Committee after 12 years of service and is currently involved in the LAGBAC mentoring program. Matthew is an active member the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois LGBTQ+ Civil Rights Committee, the North Suburban Bar Association, the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois, the Filipino American Lawyers Association of Chicago, and the Decalogue Society of Lawyers. Along with his bar activities, Matthew is active in other community organizations including the Junior Board for the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind, one of Chicago’s oldest charitable organizations, which raises awareness and funds for visually impaired and blind children ages 0-3. He also participates as a member of his local neighborhood Park Advisory Council. Matthew has been a member of the National LGBT Bar Association since 2007 and has been an enthusiastic recruiter at the Lavender Law Conference and Career Fair for his employer over these many years. Matthew graduated cum laude from Northern Illinois University College of Law in 2001 and was an Assistant Editor of the Law Review.
Law Student Career Planning Programming (NALP) and Continental Breakfast (Sponsored by Walmart Legal): August 9, 2019 | 8:00 am - 10:15 am
Career Planning Program
Career Planning Program
Beth Jennings - Beth Jennings is an associate attorney at Wharton O’Brien, PLLC. A Utah native, Beth graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno, with a Bachelor of Science in cell and molecular biology. After her undergraduate studies, Beth joined the Teach For America program and spent several years teaching in Title I schools in New York City. Beth’s personal experience with queer family planning and second-parent adoption led her to law school at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis, MN where she earned her Juris Doctor in 2014. After graduation, Beth worked at the Utah State Law Library supported pro se litigants as they completed legal forms and navigated their way through Utah’s legal system. Beth is the newest team member at Wharton O’Brien.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Red State Rebuttal - Advocating for LGBTQ Clients in Conservative Regions
Red State Rebuttal - Advocating for LGBTQ Clients in Conservative Regions
Ashland Johnson - An attorney, equity and inclusion strategist, and former Division I athlete, Ashland Johnson has over a decade of civil rights experience working with social justice communities, advising sports leaders, and serving in leadership roles in advocacy organizations. Ashland recently served as the Director of Public Education & Research for the Human Rights Campaign, executing innovative, data-driven campaigns at the intersections of race, sexual orientation, gender identity, health care, sports, and faith. As a member of HRC’s senior leadership team, Ashland also helped establish and chair HRC’s Racial Equity & Inclusion table to further the organization’s commitment to and engagement with communities of color. Prior to HRC, Ashland served as Athlete Ally's Policy Director, working with sports leaders to promote LGBTQ inclusion both on the field and under the law. She previously served as Policy Counsel for at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, where she helped develop the first national LGBTQ Sports Project. In 2016, Ashland was named as one of the 40 best LGBTQ lawyers under 40 by the National LGBT Bar Association. Ashland has extensive experience working with major sports leagues and associations, including the NBA, NCAA, NFL, USOC, and various national governing bodies to strengthen their social responsibility programming, policies, and platforms at the intersection of inclusion, race, gender, and the law. She recently authored the groundbreaking report, Play to Win: Improving the Lives of LGBTQ Youth in Sports which provides critical insights and action steps for more inclusive sporting spaces. Ashland is a graduate of Furman University, where she was a member of the Varsity Women's Basketball team. She holds a law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law. She is a former National Board member of the American Constitution Society and currently serves on the National Board of Directors for the Point Foundation.
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Title IX and the Future of Protection for Students
Title IX and the Future of Protection for Students
Barbara Jones - Barbara Jones is a member of the State Bar of California and the U.S. Supreme Court Bar. She has been a Senior Attorney with AARP Foundation Litigation’s unit since 2004 where she has worked on a broad spectrum of cases impacting low income adults. She has filed amicus curiae (friend of the court) briefs on behalf of AARP in a variety of cases in the Supreme Court including multiple patent cases impacting low-income adults’ access to health care. While at AARP Foundation, Ms. Jones served as co-counsel in 23 age discrimination class action cases. She has also worked on Social Security, investor fraud, housing, government benefit and arbitration cases. Prior to working for the AARP Foundation, Ms. Jones worked as a Research Attorney for the San Mateo County Superior Court, taught legal research and appellate brief writing at Santa Clara University, School of Law and worked as an attorney for the California Rural Legal Assistance where she served as the state wide employment/labor coordinator. Among the government benefit cases Ms. Jones has argued are: Rosales v. Thompson, 321 F.3d 835 (9th Cir. 2003) (a foster care case described by one commentator as the most significant Title IV- E event since passage of the Child Welfare Act of 1980); California v. Shalala, 166 F.3d 1019 (9th Cir. 1999) Anderson v. Superior Court, 68 Cal.App.4th 1240 (1998) Land v. Anderson, 55 Cal.App.4th 69 (1997).
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Administrative Law: The Lawyer's Tool for Government Action
Administrative Law: The Lawyer's Tool for Government Action
Ari Joseph - Ari Joseph is Director of Equity, Inclusion and Diversity at Brown Rudnick LLP. Using principles of cognitive psychology and behavioral economics to assess the policies, procedures and cultures of organizations, Ari designs and implements strategies to recruit, retain and advance people from diverse backgrounds, including women, minorities, LGBTQ individuals and first-generation college graduates. He has significant experience in project management, talent management, business and professional development, communications, marketing, public relations, and leadership and executive coaching. Ari was a 2015 Council of Urban Professionals (CUP) Fellow and is a member of the CUP Fellows Board. He is also a strategic adviser for SEO-London and Generation Citizen, is a member of the New York City Bar Association's Diversity Benchmarking Task Force, and has consulted for news media organizations such as Slate.com and the LA Times. In prior roles, Ari practiced Mergers and Acquisitions law, served as Director of Legal Education for a law-related pipeline diversity non-profit, and taught middle school English and Social Studies. He received his J.D. from New York University School of Law and his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
The Alternative Path to Diversity, Inclusion and Equity
The Alternative Path to Diversity, Inclusion and Equity
Eduardo Juarez - Eduardo Juarez is a Supervisory Trial Attorney with the San Antonio Field Office of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission where he litigates individual, class and systemic lawsuits under the federal civil rights statutes prohibiting employment discrimination. In August 2011, he worked on detail as Special Assistant to EEOC Commissioner Chai Feldblum, the first out lesbian EEOC Commissioner. Before his employment with the EEOC, Mr. Juarez was a Trial Attorney with the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia and began his legal career as an Associate with the law firm of Sidley & Austin in Chicago, Illinois. Eduardo received his B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and his law degree from the University of Michigan. He is active in various LGBT political and professional organizations and is a past Chair of the LGBT Law Section for the State Bar of Texas as well as a past Board member for the National LGBT Bar.
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
On the Basis of Sex(ual Orientation or Gender Identity): Administrative Options for LGBTQ+ Employees in a Time of Title VII Uncertainty
On the Basis of Sex(ual Orientation or Gender Identity): Administrative Options for LGBTQ+ Employees in a Time of Title VII Uncertainty
Rachel Kafele - Rachel is the Managing Attorney at Oasis Legal Services and oversees their LGBTQIA+ Asylum Program. Rachel is a graduate of New York University School of Law. Prior to Oasis, she practiced immigration law at the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant where she helped run the LGBTQ/HIV Asylum Program and supervised pro bono attorneys and law students. Rachel also worked as an Assistant Public Defender for three years in Miami-Dade. During law school she interned for the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office and Make the Road New York, an immigrant rights advocacy organization.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Protecting LGBTQ Lives By Restoring the Rule of Law to the US Immigration System
Protecting LGBTQ Lives By Restoring the Rule of Law to the US Immigration System
Randy Katz - Randy Katz has served as a federal prosecutor for nearly fifteen years at the U.S. Department of Justice. Randy has prosecuted a variety of significant economic crime, drug, violent crime, and child exploitation matters in addition to arguing cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals. In 2008, Randy received the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service, one of the Department’s highest honors, for his role in Florida’s largest health care fraud prosecution. He received the 2010 Timothy Evans Memorial Award, given to the top federal prosecutor in the Southern District of Florida. In 2017, Randy, along with other prosecutors and agents, was awarded the Assistant Attorney General’s (“AAG”) Award for Distinguished Service for what the AAG called “one of the most significant Bank Secrecy Act and consumer fraud cases in history.” Randy was named 2018 Nationwide Prosecutor of the Year by the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association for serving as the lead trial prosecutor and obtaining a conviction in a $20 million financial fraud trial. Randy, along with other prosecutors and agents, received the 2018 Service to America Medal for Law Enforcement and National Security from the Partnership for Public Service for their work on the largest global criminal case against a money service business resulting in over a half a billion dollar financial penalty that was distributed to fraud victims. Randy was appointed by the Chief Judge of Florida’s Seventeenth Judicial Circuit to serve as on the Florida Supreme Court Circuit Professionalism Panel, where he serves as Vice-Chair. He is also Co-Chair of the American Bar Association’s Committee on LGBT Criminal Justice issues. Randy is a graduate of Duke Law School, with high honors, where he served on the Editorial Board of the Duke Law Journal and he graduated, with honors, from the University of Maryland at College Park. Randy clerked for the Honorable Gerald B. Tjoflat of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and worked as a litigation associate at a national law firm.
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
After Pena-Rodriguez: Recent Cases on Anti-LGBT Jury Bias
After Pena-Rodriguez: Recent Cases on Anti-LGBT Jury Bias
Danielle King - Danielle King is an Attorney for the Child practicing in Family Court in New York City. At the Legal Aid Society, Danielle has represented youth between the ages of 0-21 years of age in abuse and neglect proceedings and juvenile delinquency pre-petition hearings. As a Black, queer, non-binary, former foster youth, Danielle uses their personal experiences to ensure that Family Court system focus on youth’s actual unique voices and experiences. Danielle is passionate about providing better outcomes for youth involved in the child welfare system, especially LGBTQ youth, youth with disabilities and youth of color. Danielle attained a J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law (2016), a M.A. in Urban Affairs from CUNY-Queens College (2012) and a B.A. in English from Michigan State University (2009). While in law school, Danielle was president of Seton Hall Law’s LGBTQ student group, Lambda Law Alliance, served on the law school’s Diversity Council advocating on behalf of LGBTQ students and assisted in a published 2016 NJ Immigration report entitled “Deportation Without Representation: The Access-to-Justice Crisis Facing New Jersey’s Immigrant Families. Danielle also conducted health law parity research and prepared a presentation for a 2016 Health Law Parity Conference at Seton Hall Law. In addition, Danielle interned at Lambda Legal, drafting an educational packet on the School to Prison Pipeline and how it impacts LGBTQ youth, co-compiling a 50 state survey on state statutes regulating homeless youth shelters which impact Transgender and Gender nonconforming youth, drafting an advocacy letter to encourage the Pennsylvania Attorney General and Philadelphia District Attorney to reopen the investigation into the 2002 homicide of Nizah Morris, a Black Trans woman and entertainer, and responding to help desk inquires and prison legal assistance letters on a variety of LGBTQ related issues.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
The Dilemma of Queer Youth and Mental Health: Protecting Clients' Privacy Rights, Providing Pathways for Appropriate Medical Treatment, and Improving Client Outcomes
The Dilemma of Queer Youth and Mental Health: Protecting Clients' Privacy Rights, Providing Pathways for Appropriate Medical Treatment, and Improving Client Outcomes
Bennett Klein - Ben Klein is a Senior Attorney and GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders' AIDS Law Project Director since 1994. Ben has litigated cases establishing legal protections for LGBTQ people and people living with HIV. Ben was lead counsel in Bragdon v. Abbott, a 1998 U.S. Supreme Court decision that established protection against discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act for people with HIV. In Massachusetts, Ben won a 2001 decision ensuring equal access to liver transplants for HIV-positive individuals. Ben's HIV litigation has also included AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod v. Town of Barnstable, a 2017 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision establishing the lawfulness of clean syringe distribution, and Doe v. Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company, a case challenging an insurer's exclusion from long-term care insurance of anyone who takes HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which ended in a settlement reversing the insurer's exclusion. In 2008, he argued before the Connecticut Supreme Court in Kerrigan & Mock v. Department of Public Health, which struck down the state exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage. He was also co-counsel in Doe v. Clenchy, the first high court decision establishing the right of transgender students to use restrooms consistent with their gender identities.
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
PrEP, TelePrEP, and Long-Acting PrEP: Legal and Policy Issues in the Current and Future HIV Landscape
PrEP, TelePrEP, and Long-Acting PrEP: Legal and Policy Issues in the Current and Future HIV Landscape
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Turning Crumbs Into Wedding Cake: What We Can Learn From the Historic Role of State Courts in Relationship Recognition
Turning Crumbs Into Wedding Cake: What We Can Learn From the Historic Role of State Courts in Relationship Recognition
James Knapp - James Knapp is Chair of TransOhio and has served as Board member since 2013. A lifelong activist, James first got involved in trans advocacy in 2002, when he spoke to the Akron Public School Board concerning its policy on gender-variant individuals, dress codes, and bullying. Since that time, he has been involved with a number of student, local, state, and national organizations. He continues to speak and educate others on the complex issues facing the LGBTQ communities, focusing on concerns specific to transgender and gender-variant individuals. He has spoken to students, teachers, guidance counselors, social workers, medical professionals, and attorneys, both at private training and conferences. James has a Bachelor of Arts in English and Philosophy from The University of Akron and a Juris Doctor from Cooley Law School. Transgender Law Institute
Sydney Kopp-Richardson - Sydney Kopp-Richardson is the Director of SAGE's National LGBT Elder Housing Initiative, working to reshape the housing landscape nationally and increase the availability of safer LGBT elder housing through policy advocacy, research, and housing development. Previously, Sydney worked in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City in direct service, organizing and advocacy, and policy analysis around affordable housing development. Through an anti-racist framework, Sydney centers the needs of LGBTQ communities, people involved in the justice system, people living with mental health challenges, and others living in the margins. Sydney has developed anti-violence curriculum and policy recommendations for LGBTQ communities and infuses this into her work in housing development and sexual violence prevention in New York City nightlife venues. Sydney brings a reverence for the expertise and legacies of LGBTQ elders in the formation of policies and programming developed to serve them in the fight for collective liberation, and she brings this to SAGE's national housing initiative.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Old New World: What is on the Horizon for LGBT Elders (and Your Future) (Sponsored by Horvitz & Levy LLP)
Old New World: What is on the Horizon for LGBT Elders (and Your Future) (Sponsored by Horvitz & Levy LLP)
Linda Kornfeld - Linda Kornfeld is a partner in the Insurance Recovery department of BlankRome. She is one of the nation’s most prominent insurance recovery attorneys, representing corporate policyholders in high-stakes litigation for more than 25 years. Using strategic, creative approaches in her trial and appellate practice, Linda assists her clients in the recovery of hundreds of millions of dollars in insurance assets. She is a strategic adviser to senior executives and in-house counsel on mitigating risk and maximizing insurance recoveries.
John Koss - John’s practice focuses exclusively on counseling clients, from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, on litigation readiness/information governance, e-discovery, and large data matters with a focus on commercial litigation, second requests, and government investigations in the life sciences, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare industries. John also directs and oversees Mintz’s Litigation Technology Department coordinating the firm’s vendor partnerships and internal discovery management functions. In both roles, John relies on his extensive experience both in legal practice and discovery project management to help clients. Prior to rejoining the firm in 2016, John led the Boston office of one of the nation’s leading legal services firms, where he worked with in-house legal departments and law firms to create effective and economical legal solutions – incorporating flexible staffing, reliable workflows, and technology – in a wide variety of practice areas including litigation, compliance, employment, corporate transactions, and contracts management. During his initial tenure at Mintz, John was a founding member of the firm’s Electronic Discovery Practice Group. He was also an active member of the firm’s Product Liability and Complex Tort Litigation Practice Group. John maintained a diverse litigation and counseling practice with a particular focus on serving as national trial, strategy, and discovery counsel for pharmaceutical/device and biotechnology clients involved in serial litigation. In this role, he also advised on information governance and the coordination of companywide and multinational discovery efforts. Outside of the office, John lectures, speaks and writes frequently on issues of e-discovery law, information governance, and data privacy. John teaches E-Discovery Law at Suffolk University Law School. John previously taught legal writing at Suffolk and Boston University School of Law.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Proven Tactics for Retaining Diverse Law Firm Talent
Proven Tactics for Retaining Diverse Law Firm Talent
Zachary Launer - Zachary Launer focuses primarily on natural gas and liquids pipeline regulatory work before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and state public utilities commissions. He handles both certificate and rate case proceedings, as well as transactional, compliance, and general regulatory counseling. Prior to joining Hogan Lovells, Zack worked at International Bridges to Justice where he helped run the JusticeMakers program. He then worked at the Human Rights Campaign as staff counsel involved in campaign finance issues, lobbying efforts, and day-to-day legal matters. While in law school, Zack was a managing editor of the Minnesota Law Review and a legal writing instructor.
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Administrative Law: The Lawyer's Tool for Government Action
Administrative Law: The Lawyer's Tool for Government Action
Judge Robert Lee - Judge Lee received his J.D. with honors from the University of Florida where he was a Senior Editor on the Law Review and was awarded a teaching fellowship. Although his practice primarily involved commercial litigation, he received the Individual Attorney Support Award from Legal Aid of Broward County for pro bono work involving mental health issues. His wide community involvement has included the Broward Education Foundation; Broward United Against Discrimination; the Broward Human Rights Initiative; the Broward County Hispanic Bar Association; and the Stonewall National Museum and Archives. In 1997, the Florida Governor appointed Lee to the Broward County Court, where he has served in both the Criminal and Civil Divisions. As chair of the Broward County Canvassing Board, he presided over the historic 2000 Presidential Recount. In 2016, he was bestowed the Chief Justice Award for Judicial Excellence, as well as the President’s Award for Outstanding Service. In August 2018, he was re-elected in a contested race to serve another six-year term. Judge Lee has more than a dozen published articles appearing in various legal publications. He has presided over more than 350 jury trials and has more than 500 published legal decisions. Judge Lee currently serves as an Acting Circuit Judge and the Chair of the Civil Division of the Broward County Court. He serves by appointment of the Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court to the Judicial Management Council and the Florida Access to Civil Justice Commission, as well as being Chair of Education for the Conference of County Court Judges of Florida and a member of the Florida Court Education Council.
James Leipold - Jim is the Executive Director of the National Association for Law Placement (NALP), a position he has held since 2004. Prior to joining NALP, he worked at the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) for five and a half years. Prior to joining LSAC in 1998, he was the director of admission at Temple University School of Law, where he was also an instructor in legal writing and research. He is a magna cum laude graduate of Brown University and Temple University School of Law. He is one of the leading experts on the entry-level legal employment market and speaks and writes frequently on trends in legal employment for recent law school graduates.
Law Student Career Planning Programming (NALP) and Continental Breakfast (Sponsored by Walmart Legal): August 9, 2019 | 8:00 am - 10:15 am
Career Planning Program
Career Planning Program
Melissa Lennon - Melissa is the Assistant Dean of Career Services. Previously, she practiced law at Stradley, Ronon, Stevens & Young in Philadelphia for four years as a litigator, and eventually became the firm's Director of Associate Development. She has been at Temple's Career Services Office since 2005. Melissa has served in a variety of leadership roles, including a term on NALP's Board of Directors from 2013-2015 and as the organization's President from 2018-2019. She is a graduate of Temple Law School and Temple University Fox School of Business.
Eric Lesh - Eric Lesh is the Executive Director of The LGBT Bar Association and Foundation of Greater New York (LeGaL). Prior to joining LeGaL, Eric was the Fair Courts Project Director for Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and individuals living with HIV. In his role, Eric focused his efforts on eliminating bias in the legal system, increasing diversity of the judicial bench, and expanding access to justice for LGBT people and those with HIV. He has trained attorneys and judges across the country, briefed federal courts on issues ranging from juror discrimination to judicial misconduct, and assisted court users through Lambda Legal’s help desk and educational resources. Eric has written and presented educational programs for legal professionals on topics like: Addressing Racial, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Bias in Jury Selection and Emerging Transgender Legal Issues for Family Court Judges. In 2017, his publication, Justice Out of Balance: How Judicial Elections and a Stunning Lack of Diversity on State Courts Threatens LGBT Rights was featured by Adam Liptak in the New York Times. Eric’s articles have been published in the Family Court Review and Artificial Intelligence and Law, the Washington Post, The L.A. Times, and The Advocate. He has spoken on panels with state supreme court justices and federal judges. In 2017, he was recognized as one of the Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40 by the National LGBT Bar Association.
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
A Lifetime of Power: How the Trump Administration is Overhauling the Judiciary with Anti-LGBT Judges
A Lifetime of Power: How the Trump Administration is Overhauling the Judiciary with Anti-LGBT Judges
Dru Levasseur - M. Dru Levasseur serves as Deputy Program Officer for the National LGBT Bar, working to deepen the Bar’s programmatic work around the country and increase outreach to and education for constituencies including law schools and students, law firms, and corporations. Previously, Dru was Senior Attorney and Transgender Rights Project Director for Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of LGBTQ+ people and people living with HIV. During almost a decade at Lambda Legal, Dru served as counsel in landmark transgender rights impact litigation, contributed to important amicus briefs, and advocated on behalf of transgender people nationwide. Dru was also instrumental in the creation and development of Lambda Legal’s Transgender Rights Project in 2013, as well as Lambda’s Trans Toolkit. Prior to joining Lambda Legal, Dru was the first staff attorney at Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, and before that, served as a law clerk in the Massachusetts Superior Court. In 2007, Dru co-founded the Jim Collins Foundation, a trans-led national nonprofit that funds surgeries for transgender people in need. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts, and his law degree from Western New England University School of Law.
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Breaking ID Barriers: Progress in ID Policy Work and Litigation
Breaking ID Barriers: Progress in ID Policy Work and Litigation
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Before, During and After: What are an employer's responsibilities when an employee transitions gender?
Before, During and After: What are an employer's responsibilities when an employee transitions gender?
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
An Intersectional and Inclusive Approach to Workplace Trainings and Policies (Sponsored by Target Corporation)
An Intersectional and Inclusive Approach to Workplace Trainings and Policies (Sponsored by Target Corporation)
Jennifer L. Levi - Jennifer L. Levi is the director of GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD)’s Transgender Rights Project and a nationally recognized expert on transgender legal issues. She is one of two transgender attorneys leading the legal fight against President Trump’s transgender military ban in both Doe v. Trump and Stockman v. Trump. Levi’s precedent-setting transgender rights cases include: O’Donnabhain v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue (2010), which established that medical care relating to gender transition qualifies for a medical tax deduction; Adams v. Bureau of Prisons (2011), which successfully challenged a federal prison policy excluding medical care for 2019 transgender inmates who came into the system without a transition-related medical plan; and Doe v. Clenchy (2014), in which the first state high court ruled that a transgender girl must be fully integrated into her public elementary school as a girl, including having full and equal access to restrooms. In Doe v. MA DOC, Levi currently represents an incarcerated transgender woman seeking to be transferred to a women’s correctional facility who is challenging the exclusion of transgender people from the protections of the American with Disabilities Act. Levi was co-counsel in two landmark marriage equality cases, winning the freedom to marry for same-sex couples in Massachusetts (Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, 2003) and Connecticut (Kerrigan v. Department of Public Health, 2008), and recently secured a groundbreaking child-centered parentage ruling at the Vermont Supreme Court in Sinnott v. Peck (2017). Levi is a law professor at Western New England University, co-editor of Transgender Family Law: A Guide to Effective Advocacy (2012), and serves on the Legal Committee of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. She is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School and a former law clerk to the Honorable Judge Michael Boudin at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Transgender Law Institute
Rebecca Levin - Rebecca is a partner with Jerner & Palmer, P.C. whose practice is devoted to family law in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Rebecca has been counsel for non-biological intended parents in a number of contested parentage cases. Rebecca educates attorneys, judges and community members on family law issues affecting the LGBT community and has presented at the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education, New Jersey Judicial Education Program, Equality Forum, and other community organizations. Rebecca is the Programming Chair of the National LGBT Bar Association’s Family Law Institute, . She is the past chair of the LGBT Rights Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association. Rebecca serves on the Editorial Board of the New Jersey Lawyer Magazine and has been nationally recognized as one of the top 40 LGBT attorneys under 40.
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
"But I am on the Birth Certificate!": Understanding the Interplay of Birth Records, Marital Presumption of Parentage, Adoption Proceedings and Contested Parentage Cases in a Post-Pavan Era
"But I am on the Birth Certificate!": Understanding the Interplay of Birth Records, Marital Presumption of Parentage, Adoption Proceedings and Contested Parentage Cases in a Post-Pavan Era
Larry Levine - After graduating from University of California, Hastings College of the Law with honors, Professor Levine clerked for Judge Eugene F. Lynch (U.S. District Court, Northern District of California). He then was an associate with Morrison & Foerster in San Francisco for two years. Professor Levine was also an adjunct faculty member of UC Hastings College of Law before coming to McGeorge in 1985. Professor Levine has authored several books and articles on the subject of torts. He is the co-author of A Torts Anthology and is a co-author of the torts treatise, Understanding Torts, and a torts casebook, Tort Law and Practice. Professor Levine has been a frequent panelist, lecturer, and speaker on legal issues involving torts and sexual orientation. He has served on the State Bar Committee on Sexual Orientation Discrimination as well as the board of directors of the AIDS Legal Referral Panel of Northern California and Sacramento Lawyers for the Equality of Gays and Lesbians. He was the chairperson of the Law School Admission Council’s (LSAC) Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Issues Subcommittee and a member of LSAC’s Services and Programs committee. Professor Levine served on the Board of Directors of the National Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association and is a member of the American Law Institute. Professor Levine is a member of the American Law Institute. He has been a visiting professor of law at UC Hastings College of the Law, UC Davis and at New York Law School.
Karen Levit - Karen Levit is an Attorney for the Child at the Legal Aid Society of New York. She has worked in the Juvenile Rights Practice at Legal Aid for seven years, representing youth in Queens Family Court abuse and neglect proceedings. She continues to represent those young people when they become respondent parents while still in care on a case-by-case basis. She presented on \"When Adolescents Become Parents\" at the 2018 National Child Welfare, Juvenile Justice & Family Law Conference. She is also on the Secondary Traumatic Stress Committee at Legal Aid, providing trainings on the subject to staff, interns, and law students. Karen is involved in the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys, the union that represents Legal Aid lawyers, having previously served as an alternate Vice President for Queens and Manhattan and currently serving as a delegate for Queens. Karen holds a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She graduated with a B.A., magna cum laude, in English Literature and Jewish Studies from the City College of New York. In law school, she co-chaired the Feminist Working Group and arranged speaker events. She also interned at the Juvenile Law Center, researching issues including disproportionate minority contact with the juvenile justice system, emancipation laws by state, practice issues in representing juveniles with autism spectrum disorders, and education rights of juveniles in state custody or pre-adjudication proceedings in the juvenile justice system."}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":15233,"3":{"1":0},"10":0,"11":4,"12":0,"14":{"1":2,"2":0},"15":"Calibri","16":12}">Karen Levit, Esq., Staff Attorney, Legal Aid Society Karen Levit is an Attorney for the Child at the Legal Aid Society of New York. She has worked in the Juvenile Rights Practice at Legal Aid for seven years, representing youth in Queens Family Court abuse and neglect proceedings. She continues to represent those young people when they become respondent parents while still in care on a case-by-case basis. She presented on “When Adolescents Become Parents” at the 2018 National Child Welfare, Juvenile Justice & Family Law Conference. She is also on the Secondary Traumatic Stress Committee at Legal Aid, providing trainings on the subject to staff, interns, and law students. Karen is involved in the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys, the union that represents Legal Aid lawyers, having previously served as an alternate Vice President for Queens and Manhattan and currently serving as a delegate for Queens. Karen holds a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She graduated with a B.A., magna cum laude, in English Literature and Jewish Studies from the City College of New York. In law school, she co-chaired the Feminist Working Group and arranged speaker events. She also interned at the Juvenile Law Center, researching issues including disproportionate minority contact with the juvenile justice system, emancipation laws by state, practice issues in representing juveniles with autism spectrum disorders, and education rights of juveniles in state custody or pre-adjudication proceedings in the juvenile justice system.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
The Dilemma of Queer Youth and Mental Health: Protecting Clients' Privacy Rights, Providing Pathways for Appropriate Medical Treatment, and Improving Client Outcomes
The Dilemma of Queer Youth and Mental Health: Protecting Clients' Privacy Rights, Providing Pathways for Appropriate Medical Treatment, and Improving Client Outcomes
Noah Lewis - Noah E. Lewis, Esq., is the founder and executive director of Transcend Legal, a national, New York City-based organization focused on eliminating barriers to insurance coverage for transgender-related health care. Noah previously worked for the Transgender Law Center, the National LGBTQ Task Force, and served as the staff attorney at Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund for five years. He is the Chair of the NYC Bar Association’s LGBT Rights Committee and is a past recipient of the Committee’s Arthur S. Leonard Award recognizing compelling commitment to LGBT equality through the law. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Noah is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and was the first openly transgender student to graduate from Harvard Law School where he worked to eliminate trans exclusions from the student and staff health plans.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Efficient Resolution of Trans Issues without Expensive Lawyering and Litigation
Efficient Resolution of Trans Issues without Expensive Lawyering and Litigation
Gregory Lewis -
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
LGBTQ Youth Homelessness: Strategies for Reducing over-Representation and Addressing Systemic and Day-to-Day Legal Challenges (Sponsored by Hanson Bridgett LLP)
LGBTQ Youth Homelessness: Strategies for Reducing over-Representation and Addressing Systemic and Day-to-Day Legal Challenges (Sponsored by Hanson Bridgett LLP)
Angela Lim - Angela is licensed in both Texas and California and started out her career clerking for a Bankruptcy Judge in Dallas, Texas. Her experience has also included practicing in law firms as well as providing counsel to large multi-national technology companies and small venture-backed firms. For the past seven years, she has been involved in venture backed companies focusing on Digital Health. She is currently at Grasshopper Ventures.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Proven Tactics for Retaining Diverse Law Firm Talent
Proven Tactics for Retaining Diverse Law Firm Talent
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Intersectional Lesbian Lawyers and Their Superpowers - Crushing it in the Private Sector
Intersectional Lesbian Lawyers and Their Superpowers - Crushing it in the Private Sector
Karen Loewy - Karen L. Loewy is Senior Counsel and Seniors Strategist for Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV. Ms. Loewy is involved in all aspects of Lambda Legal’s impact litigation, policy advocacy and public education, with particular emphasis on issues affecting LGBT and HIV-positive seniors. Ms. Loewy joined the Lambda Legal team in 2013 after over a decade as an attorney for GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), where she engaged in LGBT impact litigation and policy work throughout New England.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Old New World: What is on the Horizon for LGBT Elders (and Your Future) (Sponsored by Horvitz & Levy LLP)
Old New World: What is on the Horizon for LGBT Elders (and Your Future) (Sponsored by Horvitz & Levy LLP)
L. James Lyman - L. James Lyman is currently Senior Counsel in the Division of Enforcement at the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, where he investigates possible violations of securities laws, and recommends Commission action when appropriate, either in federal court or before an administrative law judge. Prior to joining the SEC, James was an attorney at Arnold & Porter (now Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP), where he served as lead Plaintiffs’ counsel in Guzzo v. Mead—a pre-Obergefell case that brought marriage equality to Wyoming in October 2014. Finance Law Institute
Rear Adm. Carol Lynch - Rear Adm. Carol Lynch is a native of Fall River, Massachusetts. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, in 1981 and her Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School, Boston, Massachusetts, in 1984. She entered active duty in 1986. Her active duty assignments included Naval Legal Service Office (NLSO), Newport, Rhode Island, as legal assistance attorney and defense counsel; USS Lexington (AVT 16) as the legal officer; NLSO Pensacola, Florida, as the Personnel Services (Defense and Legal Assistance) Department head, the Claims Department head and the Command Services Department head. She also served as special assistant United States attorney (SAUSA) for the Northwest District of Florida. Lynch transitioned to the Navy Reserve component in 1993 and since then has served in a variety of Navy Reserve Law Program community management positions and Selected Reserve billets. She had two command tours with Navy Reserve (NR) Navy Judge Advocate General (NAVJAG) 108 in support of the Criminal Law Division of the Office of the Judge Advocate General (OJAG) and with NR Navy and Marine Corps Appellate Review Activity (NAMARA) Defense. Her post command tours were as staff judge advocate for Navy Region Southeast Reserve Component Command and as the Reserve Deputy Force judge advocate for Commander, Navy Reserve Forces Command and the Navy Reserve Law Program Military Justice Pillar lead. Her other reserve assignments were as executive officer, NR Civil Law Support Activity 108 in support of the Legal Assistance Division of OJAG, and with the Personnel Mobilization Team (PERSMOBTEAM) and NR Legal Service Office (LSO) Central. She assumed duties as deputy judge advocate general (reserve affairs and operations) and deputy commander, Naval Legal Service Command in October 2016. Her personal decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal (four awards), Navy Commendation Medal (two awards) and the Navy Achievement Medal (three awards). In civilian practice, she is counsel, Naval Education and Training Command, and is licensed to practice law in Florida and Massachusetts.
Laura Maechtlen - Laura J. Maechtlen is the National Chair of the Labor and Employment Department at Seyfarth Shaw LLP and is the Co-Chair of the Firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Action Tea practice is focused on employment litigation and includes the defense of class, collective and representative actions. Laura also has experience litigating against the Equa Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) in systemic actions, both at the early charge stage a large-scale EEOC pattern-and-practice litigation. In addition to her litigation practice, Laura also provides day-to-day counseling and advice to clients about the various law —ecting the employment relationship. Laura is a national leader on issues related to diversity and inclusion in the legal industry, and has held a variety of leadership positions through which she has advocated systemic improvement in the legal industry in the areas of diversity and inclusion. She currently serves as the Chair Emeritus of the Board of Directors for the California M Counsel Program, as well as the Executive Committee for Lambda Legal. She is a previous Latina Commissioner for the Hispanic National Bar Association, President of the National LGBT Bar Association, and Fellow for the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD). Laura speaks and publishes regularly on a variety of employment law and litigation topics, and issues regarding diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, and has bee quoted on those topics by the San Francisco Chronicle, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Reuters, The Recorder, Vogue, The Daily Journal, the Insurance Journal, CIO.com, Emplo Law 360, and others. She has also served as a contributing editor to multiple editions of The Fair Labor Standards Act (ABA) and The Developing Labor Law (BNA). Corporate Counsel Institute
Bendita Malakia - Bendita Cynthia Malakia is driven by her values of abundance, ambition, fearlessness, growth and significance, and draws on her experiences as a large law firm lawyer financing African projects, in-house counsel at International Finance Corporation and Goldman Sachs, a diversity consultant for legal departments, law firms and non-profits, a certified professional coach, and a terrorist attack survivor to catalyze change in individuals and institutions in a conservative industry. Bendita’s story reveals that attaining and succeeding in these positions involves (1) realism and the long game, (2) having a compelling story, (3) strategic investments in self and inspiring investments from others, and (4) perpetual preparation for the pivot.
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Intersectional Lesbian Lawyers and Their Superpowers - Crushing it in the Private Sector
Intersectional Lesbian Lawyers and Their Superpowers - Crushing it in the Private Sector
Adeel Mangi - Adeel Mangi is a litigator, concentrating his practice in complex commercial disputes. He has particular experience in false advertising and pharmaceutical industry litigation. In 2018 and 2017, based upon work pioneered and led by Mr. Mangi, Patterson Belknap was awarded the “Legal Leadership Award” by the American Civil Liberties Union—New Jersey; the “Champions of Justice” award by the Muslim Bar Association of New York; the “Religious Liberty Award” (2018) and the “Landmark” litigation award (2017) by the New Jersey Muslim Lawyers Association; and the Trailblazer Award by the South Asian Bar Association of New Jersey. Mr. Mangi was also declared Pro Bono Attorney of the Year by the South Asian Bar Association of New York. Also in 2017, Mr. Mangi Chaired the Federal Bar Council’s annual Law Day Dinner celebrating the Rule of Law before some 850 attorneys and federal judges. Mr. Mangi has been recognized by numerous industry groups. In 2016, 2017 and 2018 Mr. Mangi was named to Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC’s Benchmark: America’s Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys’ “Hot List”. The list recognizes “the achievements of the nation’s most accomplished legal partners” ages 40 and under. The publication notes that peers refer to him as “meticulous and relentless,” and “an unflappable whiz at everything he does.” In 2015, Benchmark also listed Mr. Mangi as a 2016 “Future Star” for New York, which recognizes lawyers “seen as on the cusp of established stardom by the market, [who] play a vital role in illustrating a firm’s bench strength and its generational succession plan.” Mr. Mangi was previously named a “2014 Rising Star” by the New York Law Journal, which recognizes the most promising lawyers under the age of 40 who have demonstrated that they are top contributors to the practice of law and their communities; a “Rising Star” by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association’s Diversity & the Bar magazine, which selected 12 up-and-coming attorneys for 2014; and as one of the National Asian and Pacific American Bar Association’s “Best Lawyers Under 40” for 2014. Mr. Mangi is also a 2013 graduate of the Microsoft Litigation Group’s highly prestigious Trial Advocacy Academy. Mr. Mangi joined the Firm in 2000 upon his graduation from Harvard Law School with an LL.M. Mr. Mangi was at Harvard as a Kennedy Memorial Scholar. Prior to that time, Mr. Mangi qualified as a British Barrister at Law as a Member of the Honorable Society of Lincoln’s Inn, during which time his two-person team won the National Bar Providers Moot Court Competition. Mr. Mangi also holds a First Class Degree in Law from the University of Oxford (Pembroke College), where he held the Roger Bannister Scholarship for Academics and Sports and Domus scholarships. Mr. Mangi’s two-person team was also the winner of the Oxford University Inner Temple Moot Court Competition. Mr. Mangi serves on the Boards of Directors of the Legal Aid Society, the National LGBT Bar Association, and Muslims for Progressive Values, and on the Advisory Boards of the Alliance of Families for Justice and the Center for Security, Race and Rights. He previously served six terms on the Board of the Muslim Bar Association of New York.
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
A Comparative Discussion on the Intersectionality of American, Civil and Islamic Jurisprudences and its Impact on Everyday Life (Sponsored by VERMEG)
A Comparative Discussion on the Intersectionality of American, Civil and Islamic Jurisprudences and its Impact on Everyday Life (Sponsored by VERMEG)
Angie Martell - Angie Martell is the founder and managing partner of Iglesia Martell Law Firm, PLLC in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She has practiced law for over 29 years. In her holistic law practice, she works in a variety of areas, including family, mediation, peace-keeping circles, criminal, immigration, and business law, and also advocates for the LGBTQIA, Spanish-speaking, and Deaf communities. In 2014, she was the recipient of The Washtenaw County Bar Association’s Martin Luther King "I Have a Dream" Award for her work building trust between the community and the legal system, and for tireless devotion to securing fair and equal treatment for all individuals under the law. She also served as Co-Chair of Washtenaw County’s LGBTQ Rights section. She is a past Cooperating Attorney with LAMBDA Legal Defense and Education Fund and National Center for Lesbian Rights: co-wrote the amicus brief, In the Matter of Sharon Kowalski, Court of Appeals for the State of Minnesota. Angie is admitted to practice in New York, Michigan, and Massachusetts. Angie graduated with a Masters of Law from Harvard Law School and a Juris Doctor from the City University of New York Law School.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
The Right to Parent: Advanced LGBT+ Family-Building & Assisted Reproductive Technology
The Right to Parent: Advanced LGBT+ Family-Building & Assisted Reproductive Technology
Joann Mazur Kielblock - Joann Mazur Kielblock is a Vice President and Corporate Counsel supporting Prudential’s Group Insurance business unit. In this role, she is responsible for advising the Group Life Insurance operations, including the Office of Servicemember’s Group Life Insurance (OSGLI), and PruBenefit Funding (Prudential’s corporate-, bank- and trust-owned life insurance business) relating to the delivery of products, services and benefits to group customers and their covered employees or members. Joann’s career with Prudential began in 2001 as a Law Clerk in the Individual Insurance Law unit while attending law school as an evening student. Upon graduation in 2003, Joann engaged in private practice in New York and New Jersey. Joann rejoined Prudential in 2007, as a Director and Corporate Counsel in the Group Insurance Law unit, and was promoted to Vice President and Corporate Counsel in 2010. From 2015 to 2017, Joann performed a two-year rotational assignment within the Federal Regulatory Law unit to work on the firm’s Resolution and Recovery Plans pursuant to the firm’s non-bank systemically important financial institution (SIFI) designation under Dodd-Frank. Immediately following her rotation, Joann worked in the Individual Life and Annuities law unit, advising the Individual Life and Annuities operations relating to the acquired blocks of business in individual life and variable annuities. In September 2017, Joann rejoined Group Insurance law. Joann is actively involved in Prudential’s inclusion and diversity efforts, including serving as Co-Chair of the Law, Compliance, Business Ethics and External Affairs (LCBE) Diversity and Inclusion Council from October 2012 to March 2015. Joann also participates in several pro bono clinics. For the past three years, Joann serves as Prudential’s liaison to the National LGBT Bar Association. Joann earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from New York University and has a law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law.
William D. McColl - William D. McColl, Esq., the Vice President for Policy and Advocacy for AIDS United, has been an advocate on behalf of the HIV/AIDS community, alcohol and other drug treatment and reform issues and criminal justice reform for over 20 years. He works on implementation of health care reform, strengthening Medicaid, Medicare and the Ryan White CARE Act, implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, syringe service program issues and ending HIV-specific prosecutions, increased punishment, and government-sponsored discrimination against people with HIV. Prior to joining AIDS United, Mr. McColl worked to shape national policies on syringe exchange, treatment instead of incarceration, and drug policy reform as the national affairs director at Drug Policy Alliance. As director of government relations and later executive director of NAADAC: The Association for Addiction Professionals, he worked on alcohol and substance abuse parity legislation and state level licensing issues. Earlier, he served in the U.S. Air Force as a Deputy Missile Combat Crew Member advancing to the rank of Captain in the U.S.A.F. Reserve. A native of Michigan, he earned his law degree at the University of Maryland School of Law where he wrote the first major law review article on drug courts. He also holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan and an M.S. in International Relations from Troy State University."}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":15104,"11":4,"12":0,"14":{"1":2,"2":0},"15":"Calibri","16":12}">William D. McColl, Esq., AIDS United William D. McColl, Esq., the Vice President for Policy and Advocacy for AIDS United, has been an advocate on behalf of the HIV/AIDS community, alcohol and other drug treatment and reform issues and criminal justice reform for over 20 years. He works on implementation of health care reform, strengthening Medicaid, Medicare and the Ryan White CARE Act, implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, syringe service program issues and ending HIV-specific prosecutions, increased punishment, and government-sponsored discrimination against people with HIV. Prior to joining AIDS United, Mr. McColl worked to shape national policies on syringe exchange, treatment instead of incarceration, and drug policy reform as the national affairs director at Drug Policy Alliance. As director of government relations and later executive director of NAADAC: The Association for Addiction Professionals, he worked on alcohol and substance abuse parity legislation and state level licensing issues. Earlier, he served in the U.S. Air Force as a Deputy Missile Combat Crew Member advancing to the rank of Captain in the U.S.A.F. Reserve. A native of Michigan, he earned his law degree at the University of Maryland School of Law where he wrote the first major law review article on drug courts. He also holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan and an M.S. in International Relations from Troy State University.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Federal HIV Policy: Contradictions, Opportunities and Challenges
Federal HIV Policy: Contradictions, Opportunities and Challenges
Amily McCool - Amily McCool is a queer ciswoman (she/her/hers) who has worked in the IPV field for almost 20 years. She has prosecuted IPV crimes in NC’s capital city, served as the Legal & Policy Director for NC’s statewide DV non-profit for 5 years, and currently represents IPV survivors in civil, criminal, and Title IX cases through private practice. Amily is one of the attorneys currently representing a queer IPV survivor in an challenge to NC’s discriminatory IPV statute at the NC Court of Appeals. In addition she is a certified instructor for NC’s law enforcement and trains law enforcement regularly on IPV intervention, including specifically on responding to IPV in the LGBTQ community. Amily is an aspiring anti-oppressionist and strives to center the varied survivor voices in her work. Amily attended North Carolina State University, graduating with a Bachelors in Psychology. She received both her Masters of Social Work and Law Degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She teaches Sexual Violence & the Law as an Adjunct Associate Professor at UNC-CH School of Law.
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Redefining Intimate Partner Violence & Sexual Violence for Trans, Queer & HIV-Affected Communities
Redefining Intimate Partner Violence & Sexual Violence for Trans, Queer & HIV-Affected Communities
Susanna McDonald - Susanna McDonald is the Vice Present and Chief Legal Officer of the Association of Corporate Counsel.
Corporate Counsel Luncheon Program (Sponsored by ACC Foundation): August 9, 2019 | 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
ACC Presents: Building a Diverse Leadership Pipeline and Disrupting General Counsel Demographics
ACC Presents: Building a Diverse Leadership Pipeline and Disrupting General Counsel Demographics
Colleen McGarry - Colleen is a skilled litigation attorney who represents clients in a wide range of complex business and commercial disputes. She represents financial institutions, insurance companies, real property owners, developers, landlords, equipment lessors and other corporate entities in a variety of distressed commercial real estate matters, including bankruptcy and foreclosure proceedings involving hotels, residential and commercial development projects, and retail malls. She also advises commercial real estate owners in managing property tax appeals and other matters in the Minnesota Tax Court. In addition to her litigation practice, Colleen counsels individual clients regarding wills, trusts, and other vehicles of estate administration.
Brian McGinnis - Brian J. McGinnis is an Associate in the Labor & Employment Department of Fox Rothschild LLP. He is a magna cum laude graduate of Rutgers University School of Law and a former Executive Editor of the Rutgers University Law Review. A founding member of Fox Rothschild’s LGBTQ & Allies Initiative, Brian also serves on the Executive Committee of the Independence Business Alliance, the LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce for the greater Philadelphia region.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
LGBTQ Employment Law in Practice (Sponsored by Wells Fargo)
LGBTQ Employment Law in Practice (Sponsored by Wells Fargo)
Sharon McGowan - Sharon M. McGowan is the Chief Strategy Officer and Legal Director of Lambda Legal, the country’s largest and oldest legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and individuals living with HIV. Relying on her litigation expertise and her experience in the Obama administration, Sharon leads the Legal Department’s talented team of over thirty attorneys and paraprofessionals who advocate for our community in courtrooms, statehouses, and other venues throughout the country. As Legal Director, Sharon oversees Lambda Legal’s efforts to resist any attempt by the Trump Administration – or any other opponent of LGBTQ equality – to thwart or roll back our community’s progress toward full formal and lived equality. Sharon joined Lambda Legal in February 2017 as its Director of Strategy, and established Lambda Legal’s Washington, D.C. office. Previously, McGowan served as the Principal Deputy Chief of the Appellate Section of the Civil Rights Division in Department of Justice. In addition to supervising attorneys working on a broad range of civil rights appellate matters in the U.S. Supreme Court and federal courts of appeals, McGowan advised Department of Justice leadership on high-profile and sensitive litigation and policy matters relating to sexual orientation and gender identity, and served as co-chair of the Division’s Lesbian, Gay Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) Working Group. McGowan served as a law clerk to the Honorable Norman H. Stahl, U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and as a law clerk to the Honorable Helen G. Berrigan, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. McGowan is a graduate of Harvard Law School and the University of Virginia.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
A Comprehensive Look at Transgender Equality in the Workplace
A Comprehensive Look at Transgender Equality in the Workplace
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
A Lifetime of Power: How the Trump Administration is Overhauling the Judiciary with Anti-LGBT Judges
A Lifetime of Power: How the Trump Administration is Overhauling the Judiciary with Anti-LGBT Judges
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Title IX and the Future of Protection for Students
Title IX and the Future of Protection for Students
Carrington “Rusty” Mead - Attorney Carrington Madison Mead has been practicing law, as a solo practitioner, since 2004. He is admitted to practice in Florida, and the Florida Northern and Middle District Courts of Florida. He received a bachelor’s in Sociology from the University of North Florida with a minor in accounting. His practices areas include: family, military & veteran’s benefits and compensation, estate planning, probate and guardianship law, with a concentration in military and LGBT families. Mr. Mead has been recognized by many organizations for his work for the less fortunate, and his advocacy, by multiple organizations both prior and after becoming an attorney. He is a vetted member of the Family Law Institute, co-sponsored by the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the National LGBT Bar Association. He is a regular trainer for the International Transgender Institute Association’s Board Certification in Transgender Therapy program, and speaks often at colleges and workplaces on legal issues involving the LGBT community. He lives in Jacksonville with his wife, and furry and feathered companions. He has a daughter and son-in-law, and when possible, loves a good weekend of camping and/or fishing.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Federal Benefits for LGBT Spouses/Partners and Children
Federal Benefits for LGBT Spouses/Partners and Children
Shawn Thomas Meerkamper - Shawn Thomas Meerkamper is a Senior Staff Attorney at Transgender Law Center and identifies as a genderqueer, anti-racist, social justice lawyer. They re-joined TLC after a short stint at the ACLU of Nevada, where they worked on issues ranging from LGBT prisoners’ rights to civil asset forfeiture. Previously, Shawn spent two years as a legal fellow at TLC where they were part of the team in Norsworthy v. Beard and Quine v. Beard—two cases that forced the California prison system to radically revise its policies regarding incarcerated transgender people—as well as In Re Change of Birth Certificate, which reduced barriers to gender-appropriate identity documents for rural transgender Indianans. Shawn is a graduate of George Washington University and UCLA School of Law’s Critical Race Studies program. In law school, they fought for formerly incarcerated people at A New Way of Life Reentry Project, undocumented workers at the National Day Laborers’ Organizing Network, and homeless newspaper vendors at the ACLU of Tennessee. They are the author of Contesting Sex Classification: The Need for Genderqueers as a Cognizable Class, which was published in the 2012 edition of the Dukeminier Awards Journal. Transgender Law Institute
Emily Meyer - Emily Meyer (she/her/hers) is an attorney in the Equality Ohio Legal Clinic. She graduated from the University of Dayton School of Law in 2008. After a number of years practicing intellectual property law in Cincinnati, including both transactional and litigation work, she returned to graduate school to pursue an M.A. in Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies from the University of Cincinnati. Emily is committed to LGBTQ equality as well as gender and racial justice and the intersections therein. She is a founding member of both the Cincinnati Women’s Fund’s Engagement Committee and the YP Board of Cincinnati Works, a local nonprofit working towards poverty reduction by connecting job seekers with employment training and opportunities. Emily is admitted to practice in the State of Ohio and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. She is based in Equality Ohio’s Cleveland office.
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Impacting the LGBTQ+ Community through a Pro Bono Legal Clinic
Impacting the LGBTQ+ Community through a Pro Bono Legal Clinic
Richard Milstein - Richard C. Milstein is a renowned champion for equal justice and pro-bono legal services and the 2019 recipient of The Florida Bar Foundation’s Medal of Honor for his representation of disadvantaged individuals and vulnerable communities. A partner in Akerman's Tax Practice Group, he concentrates his practice on fiduciary litigation as well as standard, complex, and high-conflict trust, probate, estate, and guardianship litigation in addition to administration and family law matters. Richard provides life and estate planning advice to moderate and high-net-worth individuals and families focusing on innovative planning solutions for alternative families and same-sex couples. Richard is a past president of the Dade County Bar and the current chair of the Probate Committee. He is also a fellow of the American College and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). A sought-after speaker, Richard is a representative on three national think tanks dealing with the issues of guardianship and the development of legislation and protocols in various states. For his groundbreaking work as a legal professional and humanitarian, The Dade County Bar Association has designated an award in his honor, the "Richard C. Milstein Award of Excellence.”
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Old New World: What is on the Horizon for LGBT Elders (and Your Future) (Sponsored by Horvitz & Levy LLP)
Old New World: What is on the Horizon for LGBT Elders (and Your Future) (Sponsored by Horvitz & Levy LLP)
Kevin Minoli - Kevin S. Minoli is a Partner with Alston & Bird, where he leads the firm’s Environment, Land Use & Natural Resources Group in Washington, D.C. Prior to moving to private practice, Kevin spent 18 years with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of General Counsel, where he served as both Acting General Counsel for the first year of the Trump Administration and as Principal Deputy General Counsel—EPA’s highest-ranking career attorney position — from 2013-2018. His responsibilities included providing legal counsel on environmental programs and operations nationwide, serving as EPA’s Designated Agency Ethics Official, and preparing several senior agency officials for congressional hearings as EPA’s lead on congressional oversight matters. Recently, Kevin was elected to the Board of Directors of the EPA Alumni Association. Throughout his career, Kevin has been a leader and champion of workforce diversity and inclusion efforts, particularly on workplace equality for LGBTQ+ employees. Kevin was instrumental in EPA’s decision to allow employees to voluntarily self-identify their sexual orientation and gender identity alongside other workforce demographic data used to ensure an equal opportunity workplace. His efforts have been recognized by EPA, with the Managerial Leadership Award and the Suzanne E. Olive Award for Exemplary Leadership in National Equal Employment Opportunity, and by the LGBT Bar Association, which included Kevin in its 40 Under 40 list in 2015.
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
New Frontiers of Environmental and Energy Law: from Climate Change to Corporate Sustainability
New Frontiers of Environmental and Energy Law: from Climate Change to Corporate Sustainability
Shannon Minter - Shannon Minter is the Legal Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), one of the nation’s leading advocacy organizations for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. Minter was lead counsel for same-sex couples in the landmark California marriage equality case which held that same-sex couples have the fundamental right to marry and that laws that discriminate based on sexual orientation are inherently discriminatory and subject to the highest level of constitutional scrutiny. Minter was also NCLR’s lead attorney in Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, a U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding student group policies prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and rejecting the argument that such policies violated a student group’s rights to freedom of speech, religion, and association. NCLR represented Hastings Outlaw, an LGBT student group who intervened to help defend the nondiscrimination policy. In 2009, Minter was named a California Lawyer of the Year by California Lawyer. In 2008, he was named among six Lawyers of the Year by Lawyers USA and among California’s Top 100 Lawyers by the legal publication The Daily Journal. He also received the 2008 Dan Bradley Award from the National Gay and Lesbian Bar Association for outstanding work in marriage cases and was the recipient of the Cornell Law School Exemplary Public Service Award. In 2005, Minter was one of 18 people to receive the Ford Foundation’s Leadership for a Changing World award. In 2004, he was awarded an Honorary Degree from the City University of New York School of Law for his advocacy on behalf of same-sex couples and their families. Shannon has also received the Anderson Prize Foundation’s Creating Change Award by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the Distinguished National Service Award from GAYLAW, the bar association for LGBT lawyers, law students, and legal professionals in Washington, D.C., Cornell Law School’s Exemplary Public Service Award, the Unity Award from Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom, the Advocacy Award from the San Francisco Bar Association, and the Justice Award from Equality California. Minter serves on the boards of Faith in America and the Transgender Law & Policy Institute. He has previously served on the American Bar Association Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. Minter received his J.D. from Cornell Law School in 1993. He is originally from Texas.
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
"But I am on the Birth Certificate!": Understanding the Interplay of Birth Records, Marital Presumption of Parentage, Adoption Proceedings and Contested Parentage Cases in a Post-Pavan Era
"But I am on the Birth Certificate!": Understanding the Interplay of Birth Records, Marital Presumption of Parentage, Adoption Proceedings and Contested Parentage Cases in a Post-Pavan Era
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
The Intersection of LGBTQ Rights and Reproductive Rights in the Newly Configured Supreme Court
The Intersection of LGBTQ Rights and Reproductive Rights in the Newly Configured Supreme Court
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Pushing Back Against "No Promo Homo" Laws and Other Restrictions on LGBTQ-Affirming Curricular Content
Pushing Back Against "No Promo Homo" Laws and Other Restrictions on LGBTQ-Affirming Curricular Content
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Defending Anti-Conversion Therapy Laws & Suing Conversion Therapists in a Post-NIFLA World
Defending Anti-Conversion Therapy Laws & Suing Conversion Therapists in a Post-NIFLA World
Sahar Moazami - Sahar Moazami is a New York State bar admitted attorney with a focus on international human rights law. Sahar is a first generation Iranian-American born in London but primarily raised in New York. They attended Boston University for their undergraduate degree, majoring in Political Science and minoring in American and Persian history. Upon graduation, Sahar volunteered with the AmeriCorps FEMA Corps program, traveling the United States for 10 months aiding disaster survivors. After completing the 10 month service position Sahar returned to New York to attend Fordham Law School. Sahar obtained her Juris Doctor from Fordham Law School in 2017. As a student at Fordham Law, they heavily engaged in student activism through leadership positions in a number of student groups including the Coalition of Concerned Students, the National Lawyers Guild, Advocates for Sexual Health and Rights, and Fordham OUTLaws. Sahar was also a member of the Stein Scholars for Public Interest Program and was a Crowley Scholar for International Human Rights.
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Heterosexism, Global Business Travel and LGBTQ Rights
Heterosexism, Global Business Travel and LGBTQ Rights
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
The Global Movement for LGBTIQ Freedom: Colonial-Era Anti-Sodomy Laws, American Evangelicals, "Gender Ideology," and Why It All Matters
The Global Movement for LGBTIQ Freedom: Colonial-Era Anti-Sodomy Laws, American Evangelicals, "Gender Ideology," and Why It All Matters
Connie Montoya - Concepion (“Connie”) A. Montoya is a Board Member of the National Association of Women Lawyers and Co-Chair of its Diversity Committee. She is a 2000 graduate of Brooklyn Law School and a Partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP. Connie’s practice focuses on the areas of employment litigation and counseling as well as consumer class action defense. She is also a member of Hinshaw’s Diversity Committee. Connie is a founding member and an Immediate Past President of the Filipino American Lawyers Association of New York. Connie is a member of the Board of Directors of the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York. She is a former Co-Chair of the LGBTQ Network of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. She served as Co-Chair of the Litigation Committee of the Asian American Bar Association of New York for several years. In 2017, the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association of Brooklyn Law School presented her with the Distinguished Alumni Award. Connie was an Assistant Corporation Counsel in the Special Federal Litigation Division of the Office of the Corporation Counsel of the City of New York, where she received the “Municipal Affairs Award” in 2004 for outstanding achievement in the New York City Law Department, from the Municipal Affairs Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. Prior to law school, Connie obtained a Masters of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York, concentrating on feminist theology and ethics.
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Intersectional Lesbian Lawyers and Their Superpowers - Crushing it in the Private Sector
Intersectional Lesbian Lawyers and Their Superpowers - Crushing it in the Private Sector
Kerene Moore - Kerene Moore is Supervising Attorney at Legal Services of South Central Michigan, where she has represented underserved Michigan residents in civil legal matters for the past 10 years. Kerene, a graduate of the University of Michigan, earned her Bachelors with distinction and honors prior to obtaining her Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School. Kerene has a strong commitment to public service and provides a voice to marginalized community members. She regularly advocates on behalf of survivors of domestic violence, undocumented immigrants, disabled persons, and other underrepresented groups. Kerene plays a leadership role in a number of community organizations, including serving as Co-Chair of the Washtenaw County Bar Association’s LGBT Rights Section, Vice President of the Jim Toy Community Center, and Supervising Attorney of the Center’s Know Your Rights Project. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Equality Michigan and was recently appointed to the City of Ann Arbor’s Human Rights Commission.
James Moore - Jim Moore is part of the O’Melveny and Myers Talent Development team serving as the firm’s Director of Career Development. Jim provides confidential personal guidance to O’Melveny associates and counsel regarding all aspects of career growth and development. Jim helps attorneys develop tools and strategies to make the most of their careers and provides meaningful support throughout their careers at O’Melveny and beyond. Jim brings ten years of large law firm experience to this position. Prior to joining O’Melveny as litigation counsel in 2008, he was an associate with Gray Cary (now DLA) and later Thelen in their Silicon Valley offices. He was honored in 2009 and 2010 as a “Rising Star” in intellectual property litigation in a survey conducted by Law & Politics Media Inc. During law school, Jim served as a legal intern with the Human Rights Campaign. Before becoming an attorney, Jim was an admissions counselor at the University of Rhode Island and Manhattan College. Jim received his J.D. from The George Washington University Law School in 2001 and graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Rhode Island in 1988 with a B.A. in Journalism.
Sarah J. Moore - Sarah Moore is a partner in the firm’s Cleveland office. She enjoys a robust practice that crosses industries in the private and public sectors and routinely incorporates the insights and best practices from this diversity in experience into her work. And, she thrives on handling highly sensitive and challenging issues and regularly works hand-in-hand with her clients addressing the full spectrum of labor and employment concerns.
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Before, During and After: What are an employer's responsibilities when an employee transitions gender?
Before, During and After: What are an employer's responsibilities when an employee transitions gender?
Marshall Morales - Marshall Morales is an associate at Sidley Austin LLP in Washington, DC. His practice focuses on complex environmental litigation, enforcement and regulatory compliance. His experience includes matters involving the air emissions, chemicals, pesticides, and contaminated sites. He has worked on a range of litigation involving the Endangered Species Act and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. Marshall has extensive experience with resolving compliance issues facing petroleum refineries, chemical manufacturers, and other industrial facilities. He also represents innovation and technology companies facing environmental regulation of consumer and products. Prior to entering private practice, Marshall served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Washington State Attorney General’s Office Honors Program. Marshall is also a dedicated CrossFit athlete and competed in the 2019 CrossFit Open.
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
New Frontiers of Environmental and Energy Law: from Climate Change to Corporate Sustainability
New Frontiers of Environmental and Energy Law: from Climate Change to Corporate Sustainability
Aaron Morris - Aaron C. Morris is Immigration Equality’s Executive Director. Prior to becoming ED, Aaron led the organization’s law and policy programs. As such, he has supervised Immigration Equality’s legal services, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and lobbying efforts. Aaron first joined Immigration Equality as a Pride Law Fellow in the summer of 2004. After law school, he volunteered with the organization whenever he could, joining as a staff attorney in 2008. Aaron is a graduate of the American University’s Washington College of Law and the University of Oklahoma. Before joining Immigration Equality, he was an immigration staff attorney in the Office of Legal Affairs of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Aaron is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the LGBT Bar Association. In 2014, he was named by the LGBT Bar Association as one of the Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40. In 2017, he was honored with the Peter M. Cicchinio award for Outstanding Advocacy in the Public Interest.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Protecting LGBTQ Lives By Restoring the Rule of Law to the US Immigration System
Protecting LGBTQ Lives By Restoring the Rule of Law to the US Immigration System
Sable Nelson - Sable K. Nelson is a licensed attorney and public health policy expert, specializing in research, communications and training in healthcare policy and legal analysis. Prior to graduating from North Carolina Central University Law School in 2014, she received Bachelor of Arts degrees in both Political Science and Biology from Howard University in 2007. Since 2003, Sable has been engaged in local, state and federal HIV/AIDS, STI and Reproductive Justice advocacy campaigns, base-building, training and educational initiatives as well as technical/capacity-building assistance. Devoted to social justice issues, Sable served as an active member of the NAACP National Board of Directors. During her tenure, she chaired the National Youth Work Committee which set forth the framework for youth-related programming and policy initiatives for the NAACP. Sable has also served as Secretary and Journalist/Technologist for her local chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Passionate for politics, she has interned for Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) as well as in Governor Howard Dean’s (D-VT) office during his tenure as the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. As a 2008 Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholar, Sable served on the late Hon. Edward M. Kennedy’s (D-MA) Majority Health Policy Office of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. In 2013, she interned for Delegate Donna Christensen, then Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Federal HIV Policy: Contradictions, Opportunities and Challenges
Federal HIV Policy: Contradictions, Opportunities and Challenges
Greg Nevins - Greg Nevins is Senior Counsel and the Director of Lambda Legal’s Employment Fairness Project. He works out of its Southern Regional Office in Atlanta. Among other cases, he has successfully argued Hively v. Ivy Tech Community College, 853 F.3d 339 (7th Cir. 2017) (en banc) (the first federal appellate court ruling in the nation that Title VII covers sexual orientation discrimination); Zarda v. Altitude Express, No. 15-3775, 2018 WL 1040820 (2d Cir., Feb. 26, 2018) (the second federal appellate court ruling in the nation that Title VII covers sexual orientation discrimination); and Glenn v. Brumby, 663 F.3d 1312 (11th Cir. 2011) (transitioning employee held to have suffered sex discrimination). Nevins also was a driving force in Lambda Legal’s successful amicus effort to get District Courts around the country to recognize sexual orientation discrimination as sex discrimination, see EEOC v. Scott Med. Health Ctr., P.C., 217 F. Supp. 3d 834 (W.D. Pa. 2016); Hall v. BNSF Ry. Co., No. C13-2160, 2014 WL 4719007 (W.D. Wash. Sept. 22, 2014); and most notably, the sprawling, rambling Title VII exegesis he filed as an amicus brief in 2013 in TerVeer v. Billington, 34 F. Supp. 3d 100, 116 (D.D.C. 2014), wherein can be found the arguments for coverage that we all hope will carry the day in the Supreme Court’s October 2019 Term. Nevins argued not only the two cases in the last five years in which the circuits were convinced to abandon their prior rulings against coverage, but also the one where a circuit said in effect “no thanks, we’re good with what we said on that subject in passing in 1979.” See Evans v. Georgia Regional Hospital, 850 F.3d 1248 (11th Cir.), cert denied, 138 S.Ct. 557 (2017). A Memphis native, he graduated from his hometown University of Memphis and also Harvard Law School.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
LGBTQ Employment Law in Practice (Sponsored by Wells Fargo)
LGBTQ Employment Law in Practice (Sponsored by Wells Fargo)
General Attendance Session Two: August 8, 2019 | 9:00 am - 10:30 am
2018-2019 SCOTUS Review: The Conservative Face of the Court
2018-2019 SCOTUS Review: The Conservative Face of the Court
Huu Nguyen - Huu is a deal lawyer, focusing his practice on commercial and corporate transactions in the technology space. He counsels and assists clients with artificial intelligence arrangements, complex commercial arrangements, strategic relationships, financial regulatory matters, privacy and security matters, licensing, outsourcing, cyber law, intellectual property rights and general technology issues. Huu is a vice-chair of the ABA’s committee on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (2018-2019). He is also co-editor of the Thomson Reuter’s Fintech Law Report. Prior to being an attorney, Huu was an AI programmer, and research scientist. Corporate Counsel Institute
Adam Nguyen - Adam Nguyen is a co-founder of eBrevia, a leading enterprise contract analysis software company that applies machine learning to more quickly and accurately extract key information from unstructured data. Prior to eBrevia, Adam was the Chief-of-Staff and Legal Officer of Vantage Properties, a 350-person real estate investment and management firm. Adam had practiced law at the law firms of Paul, Weiss and Shearman & Sterling, where he focused on private equity, hedge fund formation, and mergers and acquisitions — as well as at AQR Capital Management, a multi-asset investment management firm. He also clerked for the Hon. Judge Faith Hochberg, US District Court, NJ. Adam holds a BA from Columbia and a JD from Harvard Law School. Corporate Counsel Institute
Dale Noll - Dale Noll represents trustees, personal representatives, guardians, and beneficiaries in a wide variety of fiduciary issues, and assists them in their roles as fiduciaries in administering estates, guardianships, and trusts. A particular focus of his practice is the representation of corporate or individual fiduciaries, beneficiaries, and other interested parties in high conflict, complex, and high-profile guardianship, trust, and probate matters at the county probate court and appellate levels. Dale also has experience representing corporate entities and individuals handling issues related to trust administration, incapacity proceedings, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, and wills and trusts. Dale serves as president of the National LGBT Bar Association and has served in leadership positions in various local organizations.
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Estate Planning: Everything You Need to Know But Didn’t Think to Ask!
Estate Planning: Everything You Need to Know But Didn’t Think to Ask!
Sumaya Noush - Sumaya M. Noush counsels health care clients on strategic and operational matters including transactions, corporate governance and regulatory compliance. She helps her clients navigate the daily challenges of running their operations while identifying opportunities for growth in today’s rapidly evolving and highly competitive health care market. Sumaya is also well-versed in both clinical and research ethics and routinely advises clients on biomedical ethics and related legal standards. Sumaya is an active contributor to the DBR on Data blog, where she regularly publishes material on a wide range of health care information privacy issues, including HIPAA enforcement efforts and government-issued cybersecurity guidance. Sumaya also authored the Illinois section of the American Health Lawyers Association’s current Health Care Fraud Law 50-State Survey. She currently serves on the 2019 Illinois Association of Healthcare Attorneys Membership Committee and Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Sumaya is admitted to practice law in Illinois, and she holds two Bachelors in Philosophy and Psychology, a Masters in Bioethics and Public Policy, and a J.D., all from Loyola University Chicago.
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Shhh It's a Secret (or Isn't It?): Practical Ins and Outs of Health Care Privacy and Cybersecurity
Shhh It's a Secret (or Isn't It?): Practical Ins and Outs of Health Care Privacy and Cybersecurity
Judi O’Kelley - Judi joined the LGBT Bar’s team in 2017, and works on a broad range of programmatic initiatives including building the Bar’s law school affiliate program and supporting the work of the Family Law Institute. Judi brings over twenty years of legal and political experience working for equality within the LGBT community. While in law school, she worked against anti-gay ballot initiatives in Oregon; after graduating and entering private practice, she moved to Georgia and worked on behalf of local and national LGBT groups as a pro bono attorney, drafting and lobbying for successful non-discrimination protections and domestic partnership benefit programs for several Georgia municipalities, including Atlanta and Athens. In 2004, she served as President and Campaign Chair for the campaign for the Athens, Georgia area in opposition to Georgia’s constitutional amendment banning same-sex unions, and continued grass-roots organizing and local political work after the campaign. Judi also was the lead plaintiff from 2004-2006 in the case of Kelley v. Perdue, in which Lambda Legal, the Georgia ACLU, and the law firm of Alston & Bird sought to strike down Georgia’s anti-marriage amendment. Judi then spent over eleven years on the staff and in senior management of Lambda Legal in roles ranging from Southern Regional Director, to Director of Life Planning, to Deputy Director of Development, to Director of Leadership. Along the way she moved to Seattle, Washington, where she is involved with a number of local LGBT groups as the Bar’s West Coast outpost. Judi received her B.A. from the Colorado College in 1990. After receiving her J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law in 1996, she served as a law clerk for Judge James L. Oakes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and practiced appellate and employment law in Atlanta for Jones Day and two boutique law firms, before joining Lambda Legal in 2006. Judi has roots in the Washington, D.C. metro area as well as Juneau, Alaska, and is admitted to practice in DC, Alaska, and Georgia. She lives in Seattle with her spouse and twin teenagers, with whom she laughs, cooks, plays video games, and watches Star Trek.
Community Building Workshops: August 7, 2019 | 7:45 am - 9:00 am
LGBT Bar Affiliates' Problem Solving Work Session: Programs, Events, and Fundraising
LGBT Bar Affiliates' Problem Solving Work Session: Programs, Events, and Fundraising
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
After Pena-Rodriguez: Recent Cases on Anti-LGBT Jury Bias
After Pena-Rodriguez: Recent Cases on Anti-LGBT Jury Bias
Community Building Workshops: August 8, 2019 | 7:45 am - 9:00 am
LGBT Bar Affiliates' Problem Solving Work Session: Compliance, Administration, and Communications
LGBT Bar Affiliates' Problem Solving Work Session: Compliance, Administration, and Communications
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
LGBTQ State & Local Bar Affiliate Congress Caucus
LGBTQ State & Local Bar Affiliate Congress Caucus
Asaf Orr - As NCLR’s Transgender Youth Project Staff Attorney, Asaf works to safeguard the rights of transgender and gender-expansive youth to be affirmed and supported for who they are. By changing the life trajectories of transgender and gender-expansive youth through litigation, public policy, and advocacy, Asaf hopes to create a future where all children can thrive. For nearly a decade, Asaf worked to advance the rights of the little t in LGBT. During that time, he represented transgender youth and their families in a wide range of legal matters including discrimination in schools, child custody disputes, child abuse and neglect, and access to affirming medical and mental health care. He was the lead attorney in Student v. Arcadia Unified School District, which resulted in a historic resolution acknowledging that Title IX protects transgender kids from discrimination in schools and led to transgender student guidance released by the Obama Administration in May 2016. He also worked behind the scenes to increase inclusion of transgender athletes in all levels and types of sport; expanded access to transition-related care for Medicaid recipients, including puberty-delaying medications and facial feminization surgery; and supported attorneys representing affirming parents in custody disputes around the country. Asaf has authored a number of resources on issues affecting transgender youth. Most recently, he was a lead author of Schools in Transition: A Guide to Supporting Transgender Students in K-12 Schools, a publication that assists parents, school administrators, and other stakeholders to collaborate and create a school environment that affirms and supports transgender students. The publication was co-authored by a number of groups, including the National Education Association, Gender Spectrum, ACLU, and HRC. After graduating magna cum laude from Rutgers School of Law in Newark in 2008, Asaf clerked for The Honorable Virginia A. Long on the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Transgender Parents and Children in Custody Proceedings
Transgender Parents and Children in Custody Proceedings
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Title IX and the Future of Protection for Students
Title IX and the Future of Protection for Students
Badreddine Ouali - Badreddine Ouali is the Chairman and founder of Vermeg SARL, one of the largest software companies in Tunisia and abroad. The company focuses on financial software systems for central banks and insurance companies globally. Badreddine and Vermeg have instilled an international standard of human relations throughout his company including establishing one of the most accepting and safe environments for LGBT employees throughout the divisions of Vermeg. Badreddine has a degree in engineering and sits on the Boards of other companies in the Middle East, Europe and the United States.
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
A Comparative Discussion on the Intersectionality of American, Civil and Islamic Jurisprudences and its Impact on Everyday Life (Sponsored by VERMEG)
A Comparative Discussion on the Intersectionality of American, Civil and Islamic Jurisprudences and its Impact on Everyday Life (Sponsored by VERMEG)
Barry Parsons - Barry M. Parsons is Associate General Counsel in the General Litigation Department with Freddie Mac in McLean, VA. Barry litigates cases, advises clients, and manages outside counsel on a wide variety of legal matters including employment, contract, intellectual property, insurance, fraud, counterparty receiverships, and antitrust law. He also conducts internal investigations, prepares corporate policies, and advises the company on document retention and legal hold issues. Barry is Vice-Chairperson of the Legal Division’s Diversity and Inclusion Council, a member of the Legal Division’s Pro Bono Working Group, and for two years served as Co-Chairperson of Freddie Mac’s company-wide Pride Network. In 2011, he received the General Counsel’s Impact Award and, in 2012, was unanimously selected to be one of Freddie Mac’s first two fellows to the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. Barry joined Freddie Mac in 2010. Before joining Freddie Mac, Barry was a litigator with Crowell & Moring LLP in Washington, DC for nearly fourteen years. At Crowell, he served on several firm committees, led the firm’s LGBT group, and was the recipient of several firm citizenship awards and a pro bono award. Prior to joining Crowell & Moring, Barry was a judicial clerk for the Honorable William O. Bertelsman, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. Before attending law school, he worked as a business consultant for major systems consulting company and as a financial analyst for a mid-Atlantic telecommunications company. Barry is an advocate for advancing diversity in the legal profession. For five years he served on the Board of Directors for the National LGBT Bar Association and for four years was chairperson of its Corporate Counsel Group. Barry was a panelist speaker at the Association’s annual national conferences from 2010 through 2014. For several years he was a panelist speaker at the Minority Corporate Counsel Association’s (“MCCA”) annual national conference and has also served as a member of the Advisory Committee for MCCA’s Annual Meeting. For seven years, Barry was a member of Whitman Walker Clinic’s Legal Services Operating Committee. He previously served on the Washington, D.C. AidsWalk CORE Committee for Legal Services, has attended multiple diversity conferences, and represents pro bono clients in civil rights and, previously, in child custody cases. He regularly serves as a mentor to several law students. Barry received his J.D., with distinction from the George Mason University School of Law where he was Editor-in-Chief of the George Mason Law Review and a Dean’s Scholar. He also holds a M.B.A. from The American University Kogod School of Business and a B.S. in Economics from King’s College. His has three children and lives in Washington, DC.
How to Go In-House: August 9, 2019 | 10:15 am - 11:45 am
Career Advice for Law Students and Laterals from Seasoned In-House Counsel (Sponsored by T-Mobile)
Career Advice for Law Students and Laterals from Seasoned In-House Counsel (Sponsored by T-Mobile)
Michael Pattarozzi - Michael Pattarozzi is an Assistant State’s Attorney with the Cook County State’s Attorney, Chicago, Illinois, the second largest prosecutor’s office in the nation. Michael has been a prosecutor for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office for over 16 years and is currently assigned to the Felony Trial Division as the First Chair in a felony court room advocating for victims of violent crimes in the southern Chicago suburbs. Michael is actively involved in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group., which is part of the larger Diversity and Inclusion Initiative of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office, and is an member of the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago (LAGBAC).
Michelle Peak - A veritable force of nature, Michelle Peak is the Head of Labor Relations at LSG Sky Chefs. She is a results-oriented leader with experience leading, developing and coaching managers in employee and labor relations matters as an executive, in rail and aviation industries. Michelle uses her keen intelligence, intuition and compassion to make complex, matrixed organizations embrace change. Having spent nearly two decades as a senior labor lawyer at Fortune 500 company as a queer woman of color, Michelle understands when to use a scalpel and when to use a sledgehammer.
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Intersectional Lesbian Lawyers and Their Superpowers - Crushing it in the Private Sector
Intersectional Lesbian Lawyers and Their Superpowers - Crushing it in the Private Sector
Samuel Pearson-Moore - Samuel is the Deputy Assistant General Counsel for Regulations for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) , Office of General Counsel (OGC) and has worked at HUD for 7 years. Recently, Samuel was selected as a fellow for the President’s Management Council Interagency Rotation Program meant to identify emerging leaders and expand their leadership competencies. As part of that program, Samuel served for 6-months as a Senior Advisor in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ OGC. Samuel is also the Vice President of HUD’s LGBT Affinity Group, HUD FedQ. Prior to his work in the Federal Government, Samuel attended American University Washington College of Law (WCL) where he graduated cum laude and was a member of the Society of Dispute Resolution, an editor for the American University International Law Review, the president of the Lambda Law Society, and the Diversity Chair for the Student Bar Association. Prior to law school, Samuel worked for the Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest and graduated with a BA in Political Science from Augsburg College, in Minneapolis, MD. Samuel also served eight years in the United States Army Reserves, including a deployment to Iraq in 2003.
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Administrative Law: The Lawyer's Tool for Government Action
Administrative Law: The Lawyer's Tool for Government Action
Xavier Persad - Xavier Persad serves as senior legislative counsel at the Human Rights Campaign, his focus includes state and municipal advocacy as well as conversion therapy related legislation. Xavier serves HRC’s Project One America as well as the legal department’s annual Municipal Equality Index publication. Xavier earned a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Central Florida. He obtained his law degree from Florida A&M University College of Law. Xavier also holds a Master of Laws degree in Human Rights Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Before joining HRC, Xavier obtained legal and policy experience on a wide range of issues during his tenures at the U.S. House of Representatives, the Caribbean Court of Justice, and the Center for International Law and Justice at Florida A&M University College of Law. Xavier is admitted to the Florida Bar.
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Defending Anti-Conversion Therapy Laws & Suing Conversion Therapists in a Post-NIFLA World
Defending Anti-Conversion Therapy Laws & Suing Conversion Therapists in a Post-NIFLA World
Zorik Pesochinsky - Zorik Pesochinsky is a Market Development Lead for Thomson Reuters’ Global Large Law Firm business. In this role, he partners with law firm leaders to identify unmet customer needs, develop and test new product ideas, and drive co-development of those new products with law firms. Previously, he was a Senior Product Manager for Practical Law. His job was to shape the long term content and product growth strategy for Practical Law. Prior to joining Thomson Reuters, Zorik was a Legal Fellow at GMHC. He is a graduate of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Saving LGBTQ Asylum in the Age of Divided Politics: The Case for Lawyers & Technology (Sponsored by Thomson Reuters)
Saving LGBTQ Asylum in the Age of Divided Politics: The Case for Lawyers & Technology (Sponsored by Thomson Reuters)
Krista Peterson - Krista Peterson is an Assistant State’s Attorney at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in Chicago, Illinois, a position she has held for 16 years. Ms. Peterson is currently assigned to the Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Unit of the Felony Trial Division, and has been for the past six years. Ms. Peterson was hired by the State’s Attorney’s Office in 2002 upon graduating from DePaul University College of Law and has held positions in Criminal Appeals, Misdemeanors, Felony Review and Preliminary Hearings. Ms. Peterson has devoted over half of her career to the prosecution of domestic violence cases. Ms. Peterson is a member of the National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Bar Association and the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago. Ms. Peterson is a founding member of WISE (Women’s Insight and Support through Education), an Employee Resource Group at the State’s Attorney’s Office and leads their Mentorship Committee. Ms. Peterson holds the office of Vice President of the State’s Attorney’s Office’s LGBT+ Employee Resource Group. Prior to law school, Ms. Peterson attended Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Minor in Creative Writing and was Co-Captain of their Division I Softball Team. Ms. Peterson lives just outside of Chicago with her wife of thirteen years and their two daughters.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
An Exploration of anti-LGBTQ Biases in the Criminal Justice System
An Exploration of anti-LGBTQ Biases in the Criminal Justice System
Ashwin Phatak - Ashwin is an Appellate Counsel at the Constitutional Accountability Center. Before joining CAC, Ashwin was an Attorney-Adviser at the Office of Legal Counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice. Ashwin also served as a law clerk for Judge Patricia A. Millett on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and Judge Beverly B. Martin on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Ashwin graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2014, where he served as the Developments in the Law editor on the Harvard Law Review and argued in the finals of the Ames Moot Court Competition. He received his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from Tufts University in 2009.
Casey Pick - Casey Pick serves as a Senior Fellow for Advocacy and Government Affairs at the Trevor Project. Casey leads the Trevor Project’s work in advancing policies and positions that support LGBTQ youth in crisis by executing the Trevor Project’s advocacy agenda on the federal, state, and local level and in the executive, legislative and judicial branches. Casey’s role focuses not just on LGBTQ issues, but also on mental health and suicide prevention overall, with a major focus on leading The Trevor Project’s efforts to end conversion therapy.
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Defending Anti-Conversion Therapy Laws & Suing Conversion Therapists in a Post-NIFLA World
Defending Anti-Conversion Therapy Laws & Suing Conversion Therapists in a Post-NIFLA World
Anthony Pinggera - Anthony Pinggera is a law fellow in the western regional office of Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and everyone living with HIV. His work focuses on the legal representation of people living with HIV across a broad spectrum of needs. In addition to his litigation work, he is also an active participant in state policy efforts to reform laws criminalizing conduct based on HIV status. He serves as co-counsel in Harrison v. Mattis, representing an 18-year armed forces veteran denied a position as a JAG officer as a result of the U.S. military’s blanket prohibition on enlistment or promotion of people living with HIV. He is also part of the team representing 93 people living with HIV whose statuses were revealed by a private health services contractor in California in Doe v. A.J. Boggs & Co. In all his work, Anthony seeks to eliminate laws and practices that stigmatize people living with HIV and perpetuate discrimination against them.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Moving the Legislative Ball on HIV Criminalization Reform at the State Level
Moving the Legislative Ball on HIV Criminalization Reform at the State Level
Jenny Pizer - Jenny Pizer is Senior Counsel and Director of Law & Policy for Lambda Legal. A leader in the LGBTQ civil rights movement for three decades, Jenny litigates to protect family relationships; to obtain fair conditions in health care, employment, and education; and to challenge misuse of religion to discriminate. She also drafts legislation, advises policymakers, and works with community advocates to advance LGBT freedom and equality. In 2014, Jenny was lead counsel in Majors v. Jeanes, which invalidated Arizona’s marriage ban. In prior years, she represented same-sex couples seeking marriage in California and Washington, and challenging the federal Defense of Marriage Act. In 2008, she won a unanimous California Supreme Court victory for a lesbian patient denied care due to her doctors’ religious objections. From 2011-2012, Jenny was Legal Director of the Williams Institute, a public policy research center at UCLA School of Law. She previously directed Lambda Legal’s Marriage Project and initiated its focus on healthcare fairness. She is a graduate of NYU School of Law and Harvard College. Jenny currently serves on the board of OutRight Action International (f/k/a the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, “IGLHRC”). She also provides educational seminars and consultation to Chinese lawyers advancing legal protections for LGBTQ people in China. She has taught courses on American and comparative sexual orientation and gender identity law in Amsterdam and Barcelona, and at multiple American law schools, and previously served as a technical consultant to the government of Nepal on marriage for LGBTI persons.
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
The Global Movement for LGBTIQ Freedom: Colonial-Era Anti-Sodomy Laws, American Evangelicals, "Gender Ideology," and Why It All Matters
The Global Movement for LGBTIQ Freedom: Colonial-Era Anti-Sodomy Laws, American Evangelicals, "Gender Ideology," and Why It All Matters
Karyn Polak -
Corporate Counsel Luncheon Program (Sponsored by ACC Foundation): August 9, 2019 | 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
ACC Presents: Building a Diverse Leadership Pipeline and Disrupting General Counsel Demographics
ACC Presents: Building a Diverse Leadership Pipeline and Disrupting General Counsel Demographics
Dimitri Portnoi - Dimitri Portnoi is a member of the most recent partner class at O’Melveny & Myers LLP. Dimitri has previously been recognized by the National LGBT Bar Association as one of the Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40 and serves on the Board of Governors of the Los Angeles LGBT Bar Association. Dimitri practices in a variety of areas of complex litigation practice, from water law and international law to complex commercial disputes and products liability. Dimitri has also worked on a wide-ranging set of pro bono matters expanding LGBT rights and equal treatment at the state and federal level.
Milo Primeaux - Milo Primeaux, Esq. (he/him) is a queer transgender attorney and long-time trans rights advocate. He operates a virtual solo sliding-scale civil rights practice for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers living outside of NYC, and is the founder and CEO of Just Roots Consulting, LLC. Milo serves on the Richard C. Failla LGBTQ Judicial Commission of the New York Courts and chairs the Monroe County Bar Association’s LGBT Committee. He is a graduate of CUNY School of Law.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Efficient Resolution of Trans Issues without Expensive Lawyering and Litigation
Efficient Resolution of Trans Issues without Expensive Lawyering and Litigation
Christopher Primiano - Chris is responsible for leading Karyopharm’s operations, business development and legal departments and has been with the Company since March 2014. Prior to joining Karyopharm, Chris worked at multiple international law firms and led internal legal and business development departments. He was a Counsel at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, a full-service multinational law firm, and he served as Vice President, Corporate Development, General Counsel and Secretary of GlassHouse Technologies, Inc., an information technology consulting company, where he led global legal operations and managed asset and subsidiary acquisition and sale activity. Chris began his career at Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian LLP, a global law firm focused on venture capital and the emerging technology marketplace. Chris received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy and English from Georgetown University, a Master of Business Administration from the Boston College Carroll School of Management and a Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Proven Tactics for Retaining Diverse Law Firm Talent
Proven Tactics for Retaining Diverse Law Firm Talent
Jenn Protas - Jenn Protas is a shareholder at Hoge Fenton and helps employers navigate California’s numerous employment laws and defends employers with an eye toward successful, yet cost-effective resolution. Her practice focuses on matters related to wage and hour advice and litigation, employee leave issues, personnel management, HR investigations and trainings, and defense of wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination, and retaliation litigation. In addition, Jenn has substantial experience drafting employer policies, handbooks, confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements, separation agreements, and settlement agreements. Her practice also includes housing discrimination matters, and general litigation, including business disputes. Jenn is a frequent public speaker and regularly presents seminars and trainings on such employment issues as: annual legal updates, complex leave issues, complying with California wage and hour laws, and effective management of employees. She also provides legally-mandated anti-harassment trainings (AB 1825) and fair housing trainings at clients’ sites.
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
An Intersectional and Inclusive Approach to Workplace Trainings and Policies (Sponsored by Target Corporation)
An Intersectional and Inclusive Approach to Workplace Trainings and Policies (Sponsored by Target Corporation)
Fabiana Quaini - Fabiana Quaini is the principal at the Quaini law firm in Argentina. She was born and raised in Buenos Aires, and received her LLB law degree in Buenos Aires in 1984, followed by her LLB law degree in France in 1987, and her LLM international law degree in France in 1989. She specialized in international family law; international child abduction, ART and surrogacy, LGBT rights. She is a member of The Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys as well as a member of the International Academy of Family Lawyers. She is further listed in Reunite and in the US Embassy list lawyers in Argentina.
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
The Global Movement for LGBTIQ Freedom: Colonial-Era Anti-Sodomy Laws, American Evangelicals, "Gender Ideology," and Why It All Matters
The Global Movement for LGBTIQ Freedom: Colonial-Era Anti-Sodomy Laws, American Evangelicals, "Gender Ideology," and Why It All Matters
Gavin Quinn - Gavin Quinn is an Assistant State’s Attorney at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in Chicago, Illinois, a position he has held for 3 years. Gavin is currently assigned to the Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Unit handling primarily misdemeanors, and has been for the past two years. Gavin was hired by the State’s Attorney’s Office in 2016 upon graduating from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and has held positions in the Financial Crimes/Public Corruption Unit, the Criminal Appeals Unit, and the Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Division. Gavin is a member of the National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Bar Association and a board member of the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago. Gavin is also holds the position of Social Chair/Community Engagement Chair as part of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office’s LGBT+ Employee Resource Group.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
An Exploration of anti-LGBTQ Biases in the Criminal Justice System
An Exploration of anti-LGBTQ Biases in the Criminal Justice System
Karl C. Riehl - Karl C. Riehl is the Director of Practice Management at Epstein Becker Green. In this role, Karl manages the Employment, Labor & Workforce Management and Business Litigation practices. Included in his responsibilities are practice operations, the administration and oversight of all associate development programs as well as all aspects of the firm’s recruiting efforts and summer program. Karl is co-chair of the EBG LGBTQ+ Outreach Group and a member of the National Diversity & Professional Development Committee. Prior to joining EBG, Karl worked in professional development and recruiting at Patton Boggs and Dewey & Leboeuf. Karl also worked in the Career Services & Admissions offices at Seton Hall University School of Law and was an adjunct professor at the undergraduate campus. Karl is currently on the Board of Directors for NALP and has been a frequent speaker at NALP conferences most recently presenting the recruitment foundations course at the NALP Newer Professionals Forum. Karl has also been on the Board for LeGaL, the LGBT Bar Association & Foundation of Greater New York for the past ten years including serving as its President and Treasurer. LeGaL is one of the first bar associations of the LGBT legal community in the country and remains one of the largest and most active. Additionally, he served on the Board of Advisors for the New Jersey Law & Education Empowerment Project (NJ LEEP) and was on The Essex County (NJ) LGBTQ Advisory Committee. Karl is a graduate of Seton Hall University School of Law and Susquehanna University and is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources by HRCI. Karl has over 20 years of experience in legal recruitment, professional development & training, practice development and diversity and inclusion programming.
Lateral Program: August 9, 2019 | 8:30 am - 10:00 am
Making The Move: Best Practices for Lateral Candidates
Making The Move: Best Practices for Lateral Candidates
Elizabeth (Biz) Reilly - Elizabeth is currently a law clerk for the City of Chicago's Drug and Gang Enforcement Section, and has previously also worked in the city's Felony Trial Division and Domestic Violence Division. In addition, Elizabeth is also the Director of Digital Marking for the Center for Domestic Violence Policy. She is a graduate of Loyola University Chicago and the Chicago-Kent College of Law at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
An Exploration of anti-LGBTQ Biases in the Criminal Justice System
An Exploration of anti-LGBTQ Biases in the Criminal Justice System
Kylee Reynolds - As a Legal Fellow for Lambda Legal’s Fair Courts Project, Reynolds works to advance an independent, diverse and well-respected judiciary that upholds the legal rights of LGBTQ people and individuals living with HIV, while ensuring equal access to justice for everyone. She conducts background research and engages in strategic advocacy addressing federal judicial nominees and to advance laws and policies related to judicial diversity, judicial selection, and safeguarding the courts from the harmful influences of money and politics. She also works on producing training and publication materials about the importance of judicial diversity and elimination of bias on the bench, and explores with the Fair Courts Project litigation opportunities to support judicial independence, challenge judicial bias, and advance other critical court issues. Prior to coming on-board as a Legal Fellow, Reynolds interned with Lambda Legal’s Legal Department in Summer 2017, working extensively with the Transgender Rights and Fair Courts projects. Before this internship, Reynolds served as a judicial intern for President Judge Pamela Ruest in the Centre County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. Kylee Reynolds was awarded the Miller Pro Bono Advocate Award and a Public Interest Law Fund Fellowship for her commitment to public service, along with a full-tuition merit scholarship from Penn State Law. Reynolds graduated from Penn State Law in 2018. During her time at Penn State, she was the President of our American Constitution Society Student Chapter, an E-board member of Outlaw, and an officer of the Honor Society. She wrote for the Penn State Journal of Law and International Affairs. Reynolds graduated cum laude with English distinction honors from North Park University in Chicago in 2013, receiving a Bachelor’s in English and Secondary Education.
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
A Lifetime of Power: How the Trump Administration is Overhauling the Judiciary with Anti-LGBT Judges
A Lifetime of Power: How the Trump Administration is Overhauling the Judiciary with Anti-LGBT Judges
Ethan Rice - Ethan Rice is a Senior Attorney with the Fair Courts Project at Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the rights of LGBT people and people affected by HIV. The Fair Courts Project focuses its work on issues of judicial independence, judicial diversity, access to justice, and combating bias in the legal system. Ethan works to support state-based fair courts groups combating attacks on the independence of their judiciaries and to educate judges, attorneys, and court staff on LGBT competency. His work also addresses anti-LGBT bias in jury selection and among jurors. He has filed amicus briefs in numerous cases addressing anti-LGBT bias in the legal system itself. Prior to coming to Lambda Legal, Ethan served as a staff attorney at the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF). Before joining TLDEF, he was a child welfare attorney in Florida for four years. As a graduate fellow at FSU College of Law, Ethan researched and co-authored, Juvenile Life without Parole for Non-Homicide Offenses: Florida Compared to the Nation. The article was cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in Graham v. Florida in its decision finding sentences of life without parole for juveniles unconstitutional when imposed for non-homicide crimes. Ethan received a B.A. in International Relations from Florida International University and his J.D. from Florida State University College of Law. He is licensed to practice law in New York and Florida.
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
After Pena-Rodriguez: Recent Cases on Anti-LGBT Jury Bias
After Pena-Rodriguez: Recent Cases on Anti-LGBT Jury Bias
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
SOGI Issues in the Courts: What Courts Are Doing to Assure Procedural Fairness and Advance Access to Justice for LGBTQ+ Court Users
SOGI Issues in the Courts: What Courts Are Doing to Assure Procedural Fairness and Advance Access to Justice for LGBTQ+ Court Users
Brad Richter - Brad J. Richter is a partner and chair of the trusts and estates department at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, resident in Fried Frank’s New York office. Mr. Richter’s practice focuses on all aspects of private client representation, including sophisticated tax and estate planning, administration of large estates and trusts, succession and business planning, and formation and operation of charitable foundations. He represents high net worth individuals, entrepreneurs, the fiduciaries of estates and trusts, charitable organizations, family business owners, bankers and financial services personnel, private fund sponsors and principals, and others. He also represents clients engaging in litigation with the IRS or with third parties before the Surrogate’s Court on contested tax and probate matters. Mr. Richter received his JD, cum laude, from New York University School of Law, where he was a member of the NYU Law Review. He graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College. He is admitted to the bar in New York and Massachusetts. Mr. Richter is a member of the American Bar Association (Real Property, Probate & Trusts Law Section; Taxation Section), New York State Bar Association (Trusts and Estates Law Section; Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Section), New York County Lawyers Association (Estates, Trusts and Surrogate’s Court Practice Section; previous: Committee on Pro Bono), and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York (previous: Committee on Estate and Gift Taxation, Committee on Surrogate’s Courts).
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Estate Planning: Everything You Need to Know But Didn’t Think to Ask!
Estate Planning: Everything You Need to Know But Didn’t Think to Ask!
Vincent Rizzo - Vincent Rizzo is currently an attorney at Hinshaw & Culbertson and focuses his practice in litigation at both the federal and state level, with a particular emphasis in the areas of government and labor and employment. He has extensive experience representing entities and employees in Title VII and Section 1983 discrimination claims. He has litigated countless cases to resolution including successfully trying several federal civil jury trials to defense verdict and obtaining multiple summary judgments. Before joining Hinshaw, Vincent was an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago Department of Law for nearly five years. In that capacity, he represented the City of Chicago in municipal prosecutions, administrative appeals and litigation involving discrimination claims. He is a current board member of the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago and has been a member since law school. He also is a member of the Judicial Evaluation Committee and in this capacity, serves a vital part in investigating and providing substantive recommendations regarding judicial candidates and sitting judges seeking retention. He is also the current co-chair of the LGBTQ section of the Cook County Bar Association, and has led the way on many of its endeavors this year. Additionally, he is a committed member of Hinshaw’s LGBTQ affinity group, and promotes inclusion within the firm on a daily basis. He recently presented two CLEs, both on the Supreme Court’s decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop. During law school, Vincent was a public interest law intern for the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and also interned for the general counsel of Accident Fund Insurance Company. In addition to his academic accomplishments, he was a teaching assistant for Legal Research, Writing and Advocacy; Torts; and Street Law. Vincent was also an active member of his law school’s International Law Review and participated in the Commercial Arbitration Competition and the National Animal Law Appellate Moot Court Competition. Hon. Beth Robinson – Justice Beth Robinson received a B.A. from Dartmouth College in 1986 and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1989. She clerked for the Honorable David B. Sentelle of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (1989-1990), practiced in the law firm of Langrock Sperry & Wool for 18 years (1993-2010), and served as counsel to Governor Peter Shumlin for one year (2011). Robinson served as co-counsel in and argued Baker v. State, the landmark 1999 case that led to Vermont becoming the first state to enact civil unions. She was also subsequently involved in the 2009 legislative battle to enact same-sex marriage, chairing Vermont Freedom to Marry. Governor Shumlin appointed her to the Vermont Supreme Court as an associate justice on November 28, 2011.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
A Comprehensive Look at Transgender Equality in the Workplace
A Comprehensive Look at Transgender Equality in the Workplace
Beth Robinson - Justice Beth Robinson received a B.A. from Dartmouth College in 1986 and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1989. She clerked for the Honorable David B. Sentelle of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (1989–1990), practiced in the law firm of Langrock Sperry & Wool for 18 years (1993–2010), and served as counsel to Governor Peter Shumlin for one year (2011). Robinson served as co-counsel in and argued Baker v. State, the landmark 1999 case that led to Vermont becoming the first state to enact civil unions. She was also subsequently involved in the 2009 legislative battle to enact same-sex marriage, chairing Vermont Freedom to Marry. Governor Shumlin appointed her to the Vermont Supreme Court as an associate justice on November 28, 2011.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Turning Crumbs Into Wedding Cake: What We Can Learn From the Historic Role of State Courts in Relationship Recognition
Turning Crumbs Into Wedding Cake: What We Can Learn From the Historic Role of State Courts in Relationship Recognition
Jim Rogers - Jim Rogers serves as chief legal officer for Cars.com. In this position, Rogers is responsible for all areas of the company’s legal and compliance functions, including all relevant aspects of strategic initiatives and acquisitions. Before joining Cars.com in 2016, Rogers served as senior vice president and general counsel for Orbitz Worldwide, where he oversaw legal, compliance, corporate communications and government relations. Prior to Orbitz, Rogers was senior vice president and general counsel for TLC Vision. From 1981 until 2010, Rogers practiced law in the Washington, D.C. office of Latham & Watkins, where he ran a broad-based corporate practice counseling clients in the technology sector across a variety of legal and business issues. Prior to Latham & Watkins, Rogers served as a law clerk to both the Hon. Charles Clark of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the Hon. Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Rogers earned his law degree from Columbia Law School, a master’s degree in public administration from Princeton and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Yale University.
How to Go In-House: August 9, 2019 | 10:15 am - 11:45 am
Career Advice for Law Students and Laterals from Seasoned In-House Counsel (Sponsored by T-Mobile)
Career Advice for Law Students and Laterals from Seasoned In-House Counsel (Sponsored by T-Mobile)
Matthew Rose - Matthew is the Director of US Policy & Advocacy at Health GAP and a longstanding HIV and social justice activist. He brings over a decade of experience in community engagement, federal health policy, HIV science, and advancing health equity. Prior to joining Health GAP, Matthew served as the Policy and Advocacy Manager for the National Minority AIDS Council, where he worked on federal appropriations and authorization legislation related to HIV and health disparities affecting people of color. He also oversaw the development program for the National HIV Biomedical Prevention Summit, one of the leading conferences on HIV biomedical implementation in the United States. Matthew is currently the community co-chair of the Microbicide Trials Network and a member of the Vaccine Advocacy Resource Group (VARG)—an independent, advocate-led, global team of AIDS prevention research advocates that plays a critical role as liaison in the highly complex field of HIV vaccine research. He serves on the Board of Directors for the AIDS Treatment Activist Coalition (ATAC), a national coalition of AIDS activists—many living with HIV/AIDS—working together to end the AIDS epidemic by advancing research on HIV.
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
What Do You Mean My HIV Prevents Me From Serving My Country?
What Do You Mean My HIV Prevents Me From Serving My Country?
Jill Rose Quinn - Jill Rose Quinn has an extensive legal background, having worked in both the public and private sectors. She has a lifelong dedication to community service. After completing her law degree at John Marshall in 1983, she went on to work for the Village Attorney of Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Jill later became an Arbitrator in DuPage County in 1990 and Cook County in 1993. Jill’s private practice experience includes working at general legal practices, where she handled a wide variety of case types. Throughout her career, she handled over 4,000 cases and performed appellate work. Jill formed her own practice in 1997 on the Northwest side and focused on helping neighborhood residents with financial challenges, family law matters, small business operations, probate and estate planning. She has always found it gratifying to put her clients at ease by developing thoughtful plans and solutions, and ultimately achieving a fair legal outcome. Throughout her life Jill has believed in giving back to others. Before moving to Chicago, she served as a community organizer in economically disadvantaged areas in Houston and Des Moines. There she worked to form neighborhood action groups dedicated solving problems such as lack of zoning and dangerous traffic; as well as addressing utility and taxation issues. Her compassion for others and sense of fairness is what helped inspire Jill to practice law. She grew up in the age of enhanced consciousness about civil rights. In grade school, she realized that many people were not treated equally under the law because of their race, religion or nationality. Jill decided then that she wanted to be a lawyer in order to fight for all people’s rights and equality. Jill is also one of the few transgender legal professionals in Chicago. While she is proud of the progress our society has made, Jill knows there remains a long way to go. Being transgender has taught Jill firsthand what it is like to be marginalized and the vital importance of treating all people with fairness, decency and compassion. Her perspective will be a true asset to the bench, and her service as judge will help every person in our community have a court system in which they can have the utmost confidence. Today, Jill is just as active in the community. She is a member of the National LGBT Bar Association and Chicago LGBT Chamber of Commerce. Jill lives on the northwest side, is engaged to her partner Stephanie, and has a daughter, Gina. She is also an avid runner who has completed five marathons.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
A Comprehensive Look at Transgender Equality in the Workplace
A Comprehensive Look at Transgender Equality in the Workplace
Judge Kristin Rosi - Judge Kristin L. Rosi has been on the bench since 2007 and serves as the Chief Administrative Law Judge for the California Department of Insurance. Judge Rosi is also a Mental Health Hearing Officer for the Alameda County Superior Court and is a Senior Adjunct Professor at Golden Gate University. Judge Rosi is an active member of the National Association of Women Judges, serving as the Co-Chair of Administrative Judiciary Committee and the LGBTQ Committee. She also sits on the Board of the International Association of LGBTQ Judges, serving on their Education committee. Judge Rosi also holds a position on the Executive Committee of the American Bar Association’s National Conference of Administrative Law Judiciary and is the Conference’s Editor to the ABA’s Judicial Record. Judge Rosi holds an A.B. from Smith College in Women’s Studies and Psychology, a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where she was a Public Interest Scholar, and will receive her Master’s in Judicial Studies from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2019. Judge Rosi lives in the Bay Area and has a six year old son.
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Administrative Law: The Lawyer's Tool for Government Action
Administrative Law: The Lawyer's Tool for Government Action
Daniel Rubens - Danny Rubens is a partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP and is a member of the firm’s Litigation Group and Supreme Court and Appellate Practice. He has served as lead drafter on dozens of briefs in appellate tribunals across the country, including the U.S. Supreme Court, and has presented oral argument in state and federal courts. His work has covered a wide range of subject areas, including securities, bankruptcy, intellectual property, arbitration, and complex commercial litigation. Danny maintains active pro bono practice focusing on LGBTQ rights, criminal law, and immigration matters. Before joining Orrick, Danny served as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Chief Judge Robert A. Katzmann of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and Judge Jed S. Rakoff of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Following his clerkships, he was selected to represent the American Inns of Court as a Temple Bar Scholar in London.
Justin Rush - As Public Policy Director at True Colors United, Justin leads the organization’s work to enact administrative and legislative policy change at the federal, state, and local level to prevent and end LGBT youth homelessness. Before joining the team, Justin served as a Manager of Policy & Legislative Affairs at NASTAD (National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors). It is through this role that Justin provided technical assistance to ensure internal health department policy compliance with federal guidance while simultaneously working to push the organization’s policy positions through state agencies, legislatures, build strategic partnerships, nurture external partnerships, and support existing HIV and Hepatitis advocacy efforts within states and in Congress. Justin received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law leading to clerkships at the Cook County (Chicago) State’s Attorney’s Office – Juvenile Justice Bureau and the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office – Policy & Research Division. Additionally, Justin brings nearly a decade of rich public affairs and communications experience after serving as Press Secretary and Community Liaison for the New York State Senate, during which time he implemented the East Harlem LGBT Task Force working to reduce stigma in local communities, support access to treatment and care in East Harlem and the South Bronx, and advocate for equitable policies for New York City’s LGBT community.
Scott Ruskay-Kidd - Scott Ruskay-Kidd serves as a Senior Staff Attorney for Judicial Strategy in the U.S. Legal Program. In this role, Scott works on developing new legal theories, managing strategic alliances, and organizing amicus efforts to strengthen the jurisprudence protecting reproductive rights. Scott began his career as a clerk to the Honorable Robert P. Patterson, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and the Honorable Robert D. Sack of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. After clerking, Scott practiced litigation at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP and Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP and received multiple awards for his pro bono work. Scott graduated with an A.B. from Harvard University, magna cum laude, where he was a Harvard National Scholar (awarded to the top 5% of the entering class), a John Harvard Scholar, a Carol K. Pforzheimer Fellow for his research in women’s studies, an Institute of Politics Public Service Fellow, and an editor of the nation’s oldest college literary magazine. Scott received a J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was a James Kent Scholar, published author, Senior Editor of the Columbia Law Review, and intern with the NOW Legal Defense & Education Fund and the New York Civil Liberties Union’s Reproductive Rights Program. Scott is admitted to the Supreme Court, the Second Circuit, the Tenth Circuit, the Southern District of New York, the Eastern District of New York, and the District of Colorado.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
The Intersection of LGBTQ Rights and Reproductive Rights in the Newly Configured Supreme Court
The Intersection of LGBTQ Rights and Reproductive Rights in the Newly Configured Supreme Court
Richard Saenz - Richard Saenz is a Senior Attorney and the Criminal Justice and Police Misconduct Strategist at Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those living with HIV. Currently, Richard is leading Lambda Legal’s response to the Trump Administration’s changes to the federal Bureau of Prisons Transgender Offender Manual. Richard is lead counsel in Dorn v. Michigan Department of Corrections, a challenge to a Michigan Department of Corrections policy directive alleging violation of federal disability law because it unlawfully discriminates against incarcerated people living with HIV. In addition, Richard was a lead member of the litigation team in Hicklin v. Precythe, a successful challenge to Missouri’s Department of Corrections “freeze frame” policy denying appropriate health care to transgender people in its custody, in one of the first court decisions to rule specifically that “freeze-frame” policies are unconstitutional as they are in violation of the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. Richard has been named a Hispanic National Bar Association’s Top Lawyers Under 40 and a National LGBT Bar Association’s Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40. He received his Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law, where he was a Stein Scholar for Public Interest Law and Ethics. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University.
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
The Criminalization to Incarceration Pipeline of LGBTQ+ People
The Criminalization to Incarceration Pipeline of LGBTQ+ People
David Sakowitz - David Sakowitz concentrates his practice in securities, international corporate finance transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate matters. David has extensive experience with advising on the issuance of high-yield debt, equity, and equity-linked securities in SEC-registered, Rule 144A, Regulation S, and private placement transactions. He has been involved in public and private offerings in Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the United States, including initial public offerings, rights offerings, and debt-for-equity exchanges. David also counsels domestic and foreign private issuers regarding ongoing compliance with SEC and New York Stock Exchange reporting obligations. Additionally, David advises clients regarding public disclosure obligations and corporate governance issues. David is an adjunct professor at the Cornell University School of Law, where he teaches its course on securities regulation.
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Heterosexism, Global Business Travel and LGBTQ Rights
Heterosexism, Global Business Travel and LGBTQ Rights
Kenneth Sanchez - Ken Sanchez is a Director of Business Development for Bliss Lawyers for Southern California and Western States where he engages with in house legal departments and law firms to help ensure their talent team is aligned with their business goals. He does this by expanding opportunities for the lawyers in Bliss’ network and ensures consistency with the company’s mission and values. Prior to joining Bliss, Ken has held business development roles at Reed Smith, Thomsen Reuters and Bloomberg LP. He is a graduate of Boston College Law School and Fordham University where he studied political science and Spanish language and literature. Ken is a native New Yorker and currently lives in Los Angeles.
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
The Alternative Path to Diversity, Inclusion and Equity
The Alternative Path to Diversity, Inclusion and Equity
Hema Sarang-Sieminski - Hema Sarang-Sieminski is a Senior Attorney at the Victim Rights Law Center. She provides local and national training and technical assistance to enhance access to civil legal services for sexual assault survivors. Additionally, she provides direct representation and supervision, with a focus on immigrant and LGBTQ communities. Hema has worked with survivors of partner abuse and sexual violence for over fifteen years in a variety of capacities including private immigration practice, community engagement in LGBTQ communities with The Network/La Red, and as a Staff Attorney at the Immigration Unit of Greater Boston Legal Services. Hema has dedicated her career to creating opportunities for wholeness and dignity for survivors and is committed to approaches to ending sexual violence that address and challenge the intersections of various forms of oppression. Hema is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and a Steering Committee member of the Massachusetts Women of Color Network and Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC). Hema was named Best LGBTQ Lawyers Under 40 by the LGBT Bar Association. Hema received her BA from the University of Pennsylvania and her JD in 2005 from Northeastern University School of Law.
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Redefining Intimate Partner Violence & Sexual Violence for Trans, Queer & HIV-Affected Communities
Redefining Intimate Partner Violence & Sexual Violence for Trans, Queer & HIV-Affected Communities
Bridget Schaaff - Bridget (“B”) Schaaff, Esq. is the 2018-2019 If/When/How Reproductive Justice Federal Policy Fellow at the National LGBTQ Task Force. Bridget works primarily on administrative and legislative advocacy related to healthcare, immigration, education, employment, and more. Bridget is passionate about employment and labor protections, especially for LGBTQ people. Bridget has published law review articles on rights of workers in the sharing economy and health benefits for transgender and nonbinary employees. During law school, Bridget worked at the Oregon Department of Justice, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and the Oregon House of Representatives, and as a tutor in the Legal Research and Writing Program at the University of Oregon School of Law. Bridget graduated from the University of Oregon School of Law in May 2018, with a concentration in Public Law and Policy. Bridget graduated summa cum laude from Flagler College with a major in Communication and a minor in Political Science.
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Medicare for All - what's in it (or should be) for LGBTQ persons?
Medicare for All - what's in it (or should be) for LGBTQ persons?
Paula Schauwecker - Paula Schauwecker is a Principal at Beveridge & Diamond, P.C. in New York, NY. Paula represents industrial manufacturing and refining companies in toxic torts, product liability suits, and suits brought under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and other similar statutes. She is sought after for her consensus-building skills in joint defense or other multi-party groups. Paula specializes in cases concerning groundwater contamination and impacts to drinking water wells. She is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Pace Law School where she has taught courses in Land Use Law, Environmental Litigation, and Toxic Torts and she is on the editorial board for Natural Resources & Environment, the flagship publication of the American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy & Resources. Paula served as the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion principal and Diversity & Inclusion Committee Co-Chair. She currently serves as the Corporate Secretary for the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. An avid golfer, Paula is a member of the LPGA Amateur Golf Association, a non-profit organization that supports women’s and girls’ leadership development through golf. Paula was the first woman and first openly LGBT attorney elected to shareholder in the Firm’s New York City office; she was also the first openly LGBT shareholder elected to Beveridge & Diamond’s firm-wide Management Committee. Paula served on the Board of Directors of the Victory Institute, the educational organization that supports training LGBT individuals to run for public office.
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
New Frontiers of Environmental and Energy Law: from Climate Change to Corporate Sustainability
New Frontiers of Environmental and Energy Law: from Climate Change to Corporate Sustainability
Murray Scheel - Murray Scheel is a senior staff attorney at Whitman-Walker Health in Washington, DC, the nation’s oldest medical-legal partnership, dedicated to queer and HIV health. He focuses on legal services and policy initiatives to address the needs of elderly individuals who are trans, lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, or genderqueer or living with HIV/AIDS. He came to Whitman-Walker Legal Services in 2013 from the firm of Karp, Wigodsky, Norwind, Kudel and Gold, where he served as a senior associate in civil litigation. Before private practice, he clerked for the Honorable Judge Kramer on the DC Superior Court and the Honorable Vanessa Ruiz on the DC Court of Appeals. During law school, he spent a summer internship with the National Lawyers Guild and the San Francisco Human Rights Commission developing draft protocols for the proper treatment of transgender prisoners in the local jails. Scheel graduated with honors from George Washington University Law School in 2003. He is a member of the Maryland and District of Columbia Bars.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Federal Benefits for LGBT Spouses/Partners and Children
Federal Benefits for LGBT Spouses/Partners and Children
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Estate Planning: Everything You Need to Know But Didn’t Think to Ask!
Estate Planning: Everything You Need to Know But Didn’t Think to Ask!
Rebekah Scherr - Rebekah Scherr is an associate in Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP's Corporate Department and a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions practice group. Rebekah’s practice is focused on advising U.S. and multinational clients on a range of antitrust and competition issues, with an emphasis on merger notification compliance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act and globally. Rebekah also counsels clients in various industries with respect to general compliance with antitrust laws.
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
An Intersectional and Inclusive Approach to Workplace Trainings and Policies (Sponsored by Target Corporation)
An Intersectional and Inclusive Approach to Workplace Trainings and Policies (Sponsored by Target Corporation)
Bianca Scherr - Bianca Scherr is an Assistant District Attorney at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. As a member of the Trial Division, Bianca prosecutes felony offenses including robberies, assaults, grand larcenies, and domestic violence cases. She is also a member of the office’s Human Trafficking Response Unit. Bianca graduated from UConn School of Law in 2016. In her prior life, Bianca covered crime, politics, and other local news as a reporter and anchor in Anchorage, Alaska and Burlington, Vermont, and served as Press Secretary to Governor Peter Shumlin of Vermont.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
An Exploration of anti-LGBTQ Biases in the Criminal Justice System
An Exploration of anti-LGBTQ Biases in the Criminal Justice System
Scott Schoettes - Scott A. Schoettes, who lives openly with HIV, is Counsel and HIV Project Director at Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization dedicated to making the case for equality on behalf of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and people living with HIV, through impact litigation, education and policy work. Schoettes litigates impact cases involving discriminatory denial of employment and services based on a person’s HIV status, as well as on HIV criminalization and access to care. He also does amicus work on issues of import to people living with HIV, notably co-authoring multiple friend-of-the-court briefs submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court. On the policy side, Schoettes was point-person for Lambda Legal’s work on the repeal of the HIV travel ban, is committed to ending the ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men, and works on the legislative reform of laws criminalizing conduct based on HIV status.
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
What Do You Mean My HIV Prevents Me From Serving My Country?
What Do You Mean My HIV Prevents Me From Serving My Country?
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Moving the Legislative Ball on HIV Criminalization Reform at the State Level
Moving the Legislative Ball on HIV Criminalization Reform at the State Level
Joseph Schuster - Joseph Schuster has extensive experience in consumer finance law, especially consumer credit cards, consumer and small business loan agreements, consumer deposit accounts, and payments. Experience with all aspects of a federally chartered national bank. Experienced attorney and skilled on regulations relating to consumer lending, anti-money laundering, privacy, and marketing. His areas of expertise include: Consumer Finance Laws and regulations including: Truth in Lending Act (Regulation Z); Truth in Savings Act (Regulation DD); Gramm Leach Bliley Act (Regulation P); Fair Credit Reporting Act (Regulation V); Telephone Consumer Protection Act; Bank Secrecy Act (Anti-Money Laundering); Expedited Funds Availability Act (Regulation CC); Servicemember Civil Relief Act (SCRA); Equal Credit Opportunity Act (Regulation B) Tax reporting and registrations Privacy policies and notices Marketing Review Debt Sales Debt Collection Contract Negotiation Consumer dispute resolution State Law Tracking and Analysis Credit and Debit Terms and Conditions Online Application and Account Management.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Innovative Approaches to Deepen and Enhance Law Firm/In-House Relationships (Sponsored by Shell Oil Company)
Innovative Approaches to Deepen and Enhance Law Firm/In-House Relationships (Sponsored by Shell Oil Company)
Katie Sgarro - Katie is a social entrepreneur and LGBTQ advocate. She is the co-founder and president of AsylumConnect, a tech nonprofit providing the first digital platform for LGBTQ asylum. For her work on AsylumConnect, Katie was selected as the winner of MCC15’s Millennium Peace Prize at the UN, named to the Clinton Foundation’s CGI U Alumni Honor Roll of social innovators and a Mogul Influencer (2017), and a Washington Post’s WP BrandStudio Influencer in the nonprofit sector (2018). In 2019, she became a Roddenberry Fellow and joined Urban Justice Center’s Social Justice Accelerator. She has been a featured speaker on LGBTQ rights and public good technology, and her work has appeared in national outlets including The HuffPost, Forbes.com, The Advocate and The Hill. Katie received a B.A. cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania and a M.S. in management from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Saving LGBTQ Asylum in the Age of Divided Politics: The Case for Lawyers & Technology (Sponsored by Thomson Reuters)
Saving LGBTQ Asylum in the Age of Divided Politics: The Case for Lawyers & Technology (Sponsored by Thomson Reuters)
Elisabeth Sheff - Dr. Elisabeth Sheff is a sociologist, expert witness, professor, and consultant. The foremost worldwide expert on polyamorous families with children, Dr. Sheff has conducted the only longitudinal study of these families to date. As the CEO of Sheff Consulting, Dr. Sheff provides expert testimony on legal cases pertaining to polyamory, BDSM, and other sex and gender minority issues. Sheff has a PhD in Sociology (CU Boulder, 2005), is certified as a Sexuality Educator by the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT), and served for five years as a Court Appointed Special Advocate in Fulton County Juvenile Court (Atlanta, Georgia). Dr. Sheff has published extensively on BDSM, consensual nonmonogamies, and issues relevant to sex and gender minorities.
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Consensual Non-Monogamy, Polyamory, and Polyparenting
Consensual Non-Monogamy, Polyamory, and Polyparenting
Judy Shepard - In October 1998, Judy and Dennis Shepard lost their 21 year-old son, Matthew, to a murder motivated by anti-gay hate. Matthew’s death moved many thousands of people around the world to attend vigils and rallies in his memory. Determined to prevent others from suffering their son’s fate, Judy and Dennis decided to turn their grief into action and established the Matthew Shepard Foundation to carry on Matthew’s legacy. The Foundation is dedicated to working toward the causes championed by Matthew during his life: social justice, diversity awareness & education, and equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. Judy Shepard is the founding president of the Matthew Shepard Foundation Board of Directors, and served as its first executive director as well, from 1999 to 2009. In her continuing role as board president, she travels across the nation speaking to audiences about what they can do as individuals and communities to make this world a more accepting place for everyone, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, sex, gender identity and expression, or sexual orientation. Speaking from a mother’s perspective, Judy also authored a 2009 memoir, “The Meaning of Matthew,” exploring the family’s journey through the prosecution of Matthew’s assailants, the ensuing media coverage, and their continuing work to advance civil rights. Originally trained as a teacher, Mrs. Shepard holds a Bachelor of the Arts degree in Secondary Education from the University of Wyoming where she later pursued some post-graduate studies. She and Dennis continue to make their home in Casper, Wyoming.
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Joining Together to "Erase Hate" and Embrace Diversity: How LGBTQ+ Lawyers Can Live Their Best Lives at Work
Joining Together to "Erase Hate" and Embrace Diversity: How LGBTQ+ Lawyers Can Live Their Best Lives at Work
Randall (Randy) Shorr - Randy is an attorney in solo practice in Cleveland, Ohio. His law practice focuses on the representation of nonprofit and for-profit developers, housing authorities and lenders in affordable housing and other community development projects throughout Ohio and neighboring states. Randy received JD (cum laude) and MBA degrees from Case Western Reserve University, where he served as an Articles Editor of the Case Western Reserve Law Review. He was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1986, and established his solo practice in 1994. He has served on the Cleveland Landmarks Commission and on the boards of various nonprofit organizations. Randy has been a frequent speaker at affordable housing conferences and seminars, and currently serves as the liaison between the ABA Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development Law and Diversity Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Old New World: What is on the Horizon for LGBT Elders (and Your Future) (Sponsored by Horvitz & Levy LLP)
Old New World: What is on the Horizon for LGBT Elders (and Your Future) (Sponsored by Horvitz & Levy LLP)
Kathy Silver - Kathy heads Jackson Walker’s Energy Litigation Marketing Group and is a Hiring Partner in the Houston office. A litigation attorney who focuses primarily on commercial litigation and oil and gas litigation, Kathy has distinguished herself as a skilled trial lawyer who is absolutely dedicated to her clients’ success. Kathy has represented numerous large and small companies in complex commercial and contract disputes, both as plaintiffs and defendants. For example, Kathy has defended a chemical company in high-profile commercial disputes, including defending a significant matter brought by the Mexican national oil company against several U.S. energy and chemical companies related to claims of conversion of millions of dollars of alleged stolen hydrocarbons. She has handled lawsuits involving contractual and fiduciary duties between joint venturers in a natural gas field; duties owed by operators and working interest owners under joint operating agreements; express and implied covenants in oil and gas leases; royalty disputes; disputes regarding the purchase and sale of hydrocarbons, drainage claims; failed production tubing in a gas well; claims of lease termination, trespass, fraud, fraudulent inducement, and slander of title; and an arbitration involving post-closing accounting and title issues related to the purchase of oil and gas properties. In addition, Kathy has developed experience in health care litigation, representing a managed care company in benefit disputes and in disputes with health care providers related to allegations of underpayment of provider claims and breach of in-network contracts. Kathy also has developed experience in employment litigation and recently tried an employee theft case and two federal lawsuits involving claims brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Kathy’s approach to litigation combines thorough preparation with a deep understanding of both the legal aspects of the case and her clients’ business objectives. She has been described as a “quick study” who leaves nothing to chance in preparing for trial. Prior to joining Jackson Walker, Ms. Silver was in the Trial Department of Baker Botts, where her practice focused on oil and gas litigation, commercial litigation, and pharmaceutical litigation.
Lateral Program: August 9, 2019 | 8:30 am - 10:00 am
Making The Move: Best Practices for Lateral Candidates
Making The Move: Best Practices for Lateral Candidates
Ames Simmons - Ames Simmons is a queer trans man serving as Equality NC’s Policy Director. He provides vision and strategic direction for Equality NC’s policy and advocacy agenda with the North Carolina General Assembly and the state’s executive branch and administrative agencies. He also works with local governments and federal policymakers to achieve Equality NC’s mission of equity and safety for all LGBTQ North Carolinians. His work is rooted in community-based efforts prioritizing anti-violence, anti-oppression and transgender justice. Ames attended Agnes Scott College in Decatur, GA, graduating with a B.A. in Political Science and Spanish, and Emory University Law School, where he earned a juris doctor degree. He previously served for almost two decades as in-house counsel at a healthcare consulting company based in Atlanta.
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Redefining Intimate Partner Violence & Sexual Violence for Trans, Queer & HIV-Affected Communities
Redefining Intimate Partner Violence & Sexual Violence for Trans, Queer & HIV-Affected Communities
Matthew Skinner - Matthew Skinner is the Executive Director of The Richard C. Failla LGBTQ Commission of the New York State Courts, where he works closely with senior court system leadership in efforts to promote equal participation in and access to the courts and legal profession by all persons regardless of sexual orientation. gender identity, or gender expression. Prior to assuming his current position with the state court system, Skinner led The LGBT Bar Association and Foundation of Greater New York (LeGaL), litigated at Proskauer Rose LLP, and clerked for the Honorable Richard K. Eaton at the U.S. Court of International Trade. He graduated from Albany Law School and the University of Notre Dame.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Turning Crumbs Into Wedding Cake: What We Can Learn From the Historic Role of State Courts in Relationship Recognition
Turning Crumbs Into Wedding Cake: What We Can Learn From the Historic Role of State Courts in Relationship Recognition
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
SOGI Issues in the Courts: What Courts Are Doing to Assure Procedural Fairness and Advance Access to Justice for LGBTQ+ Court Users
SOGI Issues in the Courts: What Courts Are Doing to Assure Procedural Fairness and Advance Access to Justice for LGBTQ+ Court Users
Chalia Stallings-Ala'ilima - Chalia Stallings-Ala’ilima is an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division of the Washington State Attorney General’s Office (AGO), enforcing state and federal anti-discrimination laws. Ms. Stallings-Ala’ilima litigates Attorney General-initiated matters—including as co-counsel for Washington State, Plaintiff-Intervenor in Karnoski v. Trump; prosecutes cases for the Washington State Human Rights Commission; works on AGO amicus briefs—including G.G. v. Gloucester Cty. School Board (4th Cir. and U.S. Supreme Court) and Texas v. United States (N.D. Tex.); and enforces Fair Chance Act and Pregnancy Accommodation state laws. Ms. Stallings-Ala’ilima co-chaired the AGO’s Diversity Advisory Committee and authored the Affirmative Civil Rights Enforcement chapter, in National Association of Attorneys General State Attorneys General Powers and Responsibilities, 4 th edition. Ms. Stallings-Ala’ilima received the AGO’s William V. Tanner and Excellence awards, and Washington State Bar Association’s Achieving Professional EXcellence (APEX) in Diversity award. Ms. Stallings-Ala’ilima graduated from the University of Washington School of Law.
Concurrent Session C: August 7, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Open and Authentic Service: Update and Strategies re Transgender Service Members
Open and Authentic Service: Update and Strategies re Transgender Service Members
Megan Stanley - Megan Stanley is the Interim Director of the Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations (CHR), and joined the CHR in April of 2018. She has over 10 years of progressive experience in social policy and advocacy, ranging from direct service to policy research and analysis, with a focus on low-income and vulnerable populations. Her areas of expertise include program design, technical assistance, and evaluation. Megan holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Public Administration from Northwestern University.
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
On the Basis of Sex(ual Orientation or Gender Identity): Administrative Options for LGBTQ+ Employees in a Time of Title VII Uncertainty
On the Basis of Sex(ual Orientation or Gender Identity): Administrative Options for LGBTQ+ Employees in a Time of Title VII Uncertainty
Edward Stein - Edward Stein is a Professor of Law at Cardozo School of Law in New York City and the Director of the Gertrud Mainzer Program in Family Law, Policy, and Bioethics. He holds a B.A. from Williams College, a J.D. from Yale Law School, and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from M.I.T. He has been a visiting professor at UCLA Law School and UC-Hastings School of Law and was the Maurice R. Greenberg Visiting Professor of Law at Yale Law School. Before arriving at Cardozo, he taught philosophy at Yale University, NYU, Williams College, and Mount Holyoke College. He also clerked for Judge Dolores Sloviter on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Stein’s research interests include legal and philosophical topics related to families, sexual orientation, bioethics, cognition and science. He has written extensively on these and other legal, philosophical, and scientific topics and is the author of two books, The Mismeasure of Desire: The Science, Theory and Ethics of Sexual Orientation and Without Good Reason: The Rationality Debate in Philosophy and Cognitive Science, both published by Oxford University Press, and the editor of an anthology, The Forms of Desire: Sexual Orientation and the Social Constructionist Controversy, published by Routledge.
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Consensual Non-Monogamy, Polyamory, and Polyparenting
Consensual Non-Monogamy, Polyamory, and Polyparenting
Michael Stevens - Michael W. Stevens is a Senior Associate in Seyfarth Shaw LLP’s San Francisco office and a member of the Labor & Employment department. Michael practices large-scale, complex litigation, advising and representing clients in all stages of litigation from pleadings through trial. His practice focuses on employee benefits litigation, where he represents employers, plan sponsors, and benefits plans in disputes with providers and beneficiaries. Michael graduated cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center, and was recently selected by the National LGBT Bar Association as one of 40 Best LGBT Attorneys Under 40.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
LGBTQ Employment Law in Practice (Sponsored by Wells Fargo)
LGBTQ Employment Law in Practice (Sponsored by Wells Fargo)
Chase Strangio - Chase Strangio is a Staff Attorney with the ACLU’s LGBT & HIV Project. Chase’s work includes impact litigation, as well as legislative and administrative advocacy, on behalf of LGBTQ people and people living with HIV across the United States. Chase has particular expertise on the treatment of transgender and gender non-conforming people in police custody, jails, prisons and other forms of detention. Prior to joining the ACLU, Chase was an Equal Justice Works fellow and the Director of Prisoner Justice Initiatives at the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, where he represented transgender and gender non-conforming individuals in confinement settings. In 2012, Chase founded the Lorena Borjas Community Fund, an organization that provides direct bail/bond assistance to LGBTQ immigrants in criminal and immigration cases. Chase is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law and Grinnell College.
General Attendance Session Two: August 8, 2019 | 9:00 am - 10:30 am
2018-2019 SCOTUS Review: The Conservative Face of the Court
2018-2019 SCOTUS Review: The Conservative Face of the Court
Tristan Sullivan-Wilson - Tristan Sullivan-Wilson is the Georgetown Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellow at HIPS in Washington, DC. At HIPS, Tristan advocates for local policies that promote the health, rights, and dignity of individuals and communities impacted by sexual exchange and/or drug use due to choice, coercion, or circumstance. This work includes facilitation of the Sex Worker Advocates Coalition, which advocates for the decriminalization of adult consensual sex work in the District of Columbia. Tristan is a 2018 graduate of Northeastern University School of Law, where she was the Executive Articles Editor of the Northeastern University Law Review and concentrated on poverty law and economic justice. In law school, she served as Research Assistant to Professor Wendy Parmet, focusing on public health law and to Professor Emeritus Steve Subrin, focusing on American legal history and development. Tristan has held legal internship positions with the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, the National Institute for Reproductive Health, and the National Women’s Law Center.
Krisztina Szabo - Krisztina Szabo (she/her/hers) is a Staff Attorney at Whitman-Walker Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center that specializes in HIV and LGBTQ care and offers wrap-around legal services to achieve optimal health outcomes. Krisztina represents clients on a variety of legal issues, including access to healthcare and public benefits, such as SSI/SSDI, Medicaid, Medicare, and other public assistance programs. Krisztina also facilitates transgender clients access to gender-affirming care through appealing insurance coverage denials, filing administrative complaints, and challenging discriminatory employee health benefits. In addition, Krisztina helps transgender clients with name and gender on their ID documents, and also offers representation in employment or public accommodation discrimination cases. Prior to joining WWH, Krisztina worked at Ayuda and at the National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project, where she assisted and advocated for immigrant survivors of violence. Krisztina received her law degree from Charleston School of Law and graduated with distinction from the American University Washington College of Law’s and Government LLM Program. She is a member of the Virginia and District of Columbia Bars.
Ria Tabacco Mar - Ria Tabacco Mar is a senior staff attorney with the national ACLU’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender & HIV Project. Her work includes fighting attempts to use religion to discriminate against LGBTQ people at school, at work, and in public places. Ria was part of the ACLU’s litigation team in Miller v. Davis, the challenge to Kentucky clerk Kim Davis’s refusal to issue marriage licenses after the Supreme Court’s marriage equality decision, and Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, the case of the same-sex couple refused a wedding cake because they are gay. Ria has been recognized on The Root 100 annual list of the most influential African Americans ages 25 to 45 and as one of the Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40 by the National LGBT Bar Association. Prior to joining the ACLU, Ria served as Assistant Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, where she participated regularly as amicus curiae on cases involving marriage equality and was a member of the Board of Directors of the New York Civil Liberties Union. Ria served as a law clerk to Judge Victor Marrero of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and to Judge Julia Smith Gibbons of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. She also worked as a litigation associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. Ria graduated from New York University School of Law and Harvard College.
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
After Pena-Rodriguez: Recent Cases on Anti-LGBT Jury Bias
After Pena-Rodriguez: Recent Cases on Anti-LGBT Jury Bias
Aaron Tax - Aaron Tax is the Director of Advocacy for SAGE, where he advocates for LGBT-inclusive federal aging policies that account for the unique needs of LGBT older adults. Until June 2011, Aaron served as the Legal Director at Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), the leading organization challenging “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) in Congress and in the courts. He started there as a staff attorney in 2006, and for nearly five years at SLDN, he took part in a multifaceted approach to advancing the civil rights of LGBT service members through law, policy, outreach, and education. As the Legal Director, Aaron was responsible for running the legal services program at SLDN, the only organization providing free legal services to service members impacted by DADT and related forms of discrimination, including those who are HIV positive and/or transgender.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Old New World: What is on the Horizon for LGBT Elders (and Your Future) (Sponsored by Horvitz & Levy LLP)
Old New World: What is on the Horizon for LGBT Elders (and Your Future) (Sponsored by Horvitz & Levy LLP)
Shannon Taylor - As an Oklahoma City family law attorney, Shannon has built a reputation of providing compassionate guidance and representation for adoption, guardianship, probate/estate administration, child custody, divorce, estate planning and other family law matters. The combination of her life experiences, work history, and education give her a unique perspective and genuine understanding of the complexities of her clients’ needs. Shannon focuses on helping clients navigate their legal situations with compassion, empathy, and attentiveness. When appropriate, she favors mediation, negotiation, collaborative law, and other dispute resolution techniques to help clients swiftly and amicably resolve their legal matters. However, when warranted, she is also a willing and capable advocate in the courtroom. After graduating from Putnam City West High School, she attended Oklahoma City University on a Bishop’s Scholarship, majoring in religion. She left OCU to explore life, got married, and had two children. Following divorce, Shannon returned to OCU, and graduated in 1998. OCU School of Law followed from 2001 – 2005. While in law school, Shannon worked as a full time legal assistant, and later, as a Licensed Legal Intern. She enjoyed solo practice for six years, then spent a year researching and writing for a small firm. She returned to solo practice in 2018. Shannon is also a mediator, certified by the Oklahoma Supreme Court in 2005, and enjoys serving as a Guardian ad Litem for children and incapacitated adults. Shannon enjoys spending time with her wife and family, cycling, rowing, gardening, and most other outdoor activities. She gratefully attributes much of her success to the help of her parents and children, as well as her children’s father and his wife.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Red State Rebuttal - Advocating for LGBTQ Clients in Conservative Regions
Red State Rebuttal - Advocating for LGBTQ Clients in Conservative Regions
Jorge G. Tenreiro - Jorge G. Tenreiro is a Senior Trial Counsel in the Division of Enforcement of the SEC, New York Regional Office. Mr. Tenreiro has significant experience litigating various matters brought by the agency, including fraudulent offerings, pump and dump schemes, and matters in the digital asset space, including by filing and leading the litigation in the SEC’s first two ICO scam cases. Prior to joining the SEC in December 2013, Mr. Tenreiro was a law clerk for the Honorable Julio M. Fuentes for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and a law clerk to the Honorable Allyne R. Ross of the Eastern District of New York. From October 2006 to August 2007 and from September 2008 to August 2012, Mr. Tenreiro was an associate in the litigation department of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton LLP. Mr. Tenreiro is a 2006 graduate of Yale Law School where he was awarded the William K.S. Wang Prize for best performance in contracts and Harlan Stone Prize for Moot Court competition semi-finalists. In May 2003, Mr. Tenreiro obtained his B.A., magna cum laude with distinction in Economics and Mathematics from Yale University. He was Phi Beta Kappa and also received the Henry M. Nodelman Scholarship for Excellence in Sciences. Throughout his career, Mr. Tenreiro has devoted significant time to matters of interest to the LGBTQ community. As a law student, Mr. Tenreiro joined a suit in the District of Connecticut against the Department of Defense’s enforcement of the Solomon Amendment, requiring law schools to permit military recruiters on campus despite the military’s anti-gay “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. In 2009, Mr. Tenreiro was co-counsel in lawsuit securing a victory at summary judgment under the ADA on behalf of an HIV+ teenager denied admission to a basketball summer camp on the basis of his HIV-status. In 2011, Mr. Tenreiro authored an amicus brief in support of the law school in the Supreme Court case Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, which recognized the school’s ability to impose rules barring discrimination against LGBTQ individuals on law school student groups. In 2012, Mr. Tenreiro co-authored a brief in support of a disabled veteran’s request for same-sex spousal benefits before the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. From 2015 to 2018, Mr. Tenreiro served as a member of the LGBT Committee of the New York City Bar. Finance Law Institute
Kellye Testy - Kellye Y. Testy is the president and chief executive officer of the Law School Admission Council, a not-for-profit organization that’s committed to promoting quality, access, and equity in law and education worldwide by supporting individuals’ enrollment journeys and providing preeminent assessment, data, and technology services. Named the nation’s second most influential leader in legal education in 2017, Dean Testy joined LSAC after leading the University of Washington School of Law for eight years as the school’s fourteenth dean and the first woman to hold that post. Dean Testy also served as a professor and dean of Seattle University’s School of Law where she founded several key programs, including the Access to Justice Institute and the Korematsu Center for Law & Equality. Known throughout academic and legal communities for her dedication to the rule of law and its commitment to justice and equality, Dean Testy served as president of the American Association of Law Schools (AALS) in 2016. She is a member of the American Law Institute and has served on the Board of Governors of the Society of American Law Teachers, as well as several committees and initiatives of the ABA Section on Legal Education, among many other Boards and organizations. Dean Testy is a first-generation college graduate who is proud to have obtained both her undergraduate degree (Journalism) and her law degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, her hometown.
Morgan J. Tilleman - Morgan J. Tilleman is senior counsel and a business lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP and is a member of the Insurance & Reinsurance Industry Team and the Health Care Industry Team. His practice is concentrated on corporate and regulatory insurance and reinsurance law and on the intersection of health care and insurance.
Morgan represents insurers, and reinsurers in transactions, restructurings, reinsurance transactions, mergers, acquisitions, shell transactions, affiliations, joint ventures and insurance program arrangements, as well as providing regulatory and business counseling to a wide range of U.S. and international insurance industry participants. He also focuses on advising health insurers and HMOs regarding formation, licensure, operations, compliance, strategy, and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to law school, Morgan served as the volunteer coordinator for the American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis.
Harper Jean Tobin - As Director of Policy, Harper Jean leads NCTE’s advocacy with Congress and federal agencies and oversees NCTE’s state policy work. She also serves on the board of HIPS, an organization that promotes rights, health and safety for those involved in sex work, sex trade, or drug use in the DC area. Harper Jean previously worked at the Federal Rights Project of the National Senior Citizens Law Center (now Justice in Aging). A Kentucky native, she received degrees in law and social work from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and attended Oberlin College.
Travis Torrence - Travis Torrence serves as Global Litigation Bankruptcy & Credit Team Lead at Shell Oil Company. Travis graduated from Yale Law School in 2005 and received his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, in Communication and Political Science from Tulane University. Prior to joining Shell, Travis was a senior associate at Fulbright & Jaworski LLP (now known as Norton Rose Fulbright), where he chaired the Houston office’s Recruiting Committee and served as a founding member of the firm’s Diversity Advisory Council. Before working at Fulbright, Travis served as a law clerk for the Honorable Edward C. Prado of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Travis has been honored by Texas SuperLawyers as a Rising Star in the area of Bankruptcy & Creditor/Debtor Rights and the Houston Business Journal as a “40 Under 40” honoree and a finalist in its Best Corporate Counsel Awards. Travis currently serves on the board of directors of the National LGBT Bar Foundation and Texas Bar Foundation, and is the Chair of the Houston Bar Foundation. He is also a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for Tulane University’s School of Liberal Arts and the Yale Law School Fund Board. He is a former member of the executive committee of the board of directors State Bar of Texas and President of The Arthur L. Moller/David B. Foltz, Jr. American Inn of Court and the Bo’s Place board of directors. He has also served as Co-Chair of the Texas Minority Counsel Program. Travis is a former champion of Dancing With The Houston Stars and has been featured, along with several NFL players (including JJ Watt and Kareem Jackson) and local leaders, as a “celebrity model” for fashion shows during galas to benefit programs conducted by Bo’s Place. Travis has also chaired numerous philanthropic events, including the World AIDS Day Luncheon, the Victory Fund Champagne Brunch, the Montrose Center’s Out For Good Gala, and the Camp For All Gala. Travis previously worked as an on-air personality for B-97 FM; New Orleans’ #1 Hit Music Station.
Wayne Turner - Wayne Turner (he/him/his) is a senior attorney in the National Health Law Program’s (NHeLP) Washington, DC office, and also teaches a seminar class on LGBT Health Law and Policy at Georgetown Law School. Wayne focuses on consumer protections in Medicaid managed care, eligibility using Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) methodologies, prescription drug access, and nondiscrimination protections in health care. Wayne is the principal author of several NHeLP guides for advocates and legal services providers, as well as NHeLP’s HIV/AIDS discrimination complaint filed with the HHS Office for Civil Rights. Before making the transition to a legal career, Wayne spent more than a decade as an HIV/AIDS activist and is a founding member of the direct action group ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) in Washington, DC. He also served as the primary organizer of DC’s medical marijuana Initiative 59, which was approved by 69% of District voters in 1998. Wayne earned his B.A. at Reed College and graduated magna cum laude from the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. In law school, Wayne worked as a fellow in the HIV/AIDS Legal Clinic, where he prepared living wills and standby guardianships for clients with HIV/AIDS and their children. Wayne is featured in the 2011 PBS documentary, Out in America, in which he describes the impact of the AIDS pandemic on the LGBT community through his personal account of serving as a caregiver and ultimately losing his life-partner Steve Michael, to the disease.
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Medicare for All - what's in it (or should be) for LGBTQ persons?
Medicare for All - what's in it (or should be) for LGBTQ persons?
Joseph Vardner - Joseph P. Vardner is a Director and the Antitrust Compliance Officer for Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. He designed and oversees the bank’s antitrust, anti-competitive, and anti-tying compliance programs. Prior to joining Wells Fargo, Mr. Vardner worked at a top global law firm and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. At the DOJ, Mr. Vardner represented the United States at trial in its challenge of a provision in agreements between a credit card network and merchants. He was also on the litigation team for its challenge to the merger between AT&T and T-Mobile. He was awarded the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award and twice awarded the Antitrust Division’s Award of Distinction. At all three organizations, he served on the board of their LGBT diversity programs and is currently the finance chair of Wells Fargo’s PRIDE team member network. He lives in Washington, D.C. with his fiance and their two kittens.
Judge Javier Vargas - The Honorable Javier E. Vargas has been a Judge of the Family Court of the State of New York, Kings County, since December 2015. Prior thereto, Judge Vargas served with distinction for the New York State Unified Court System since 1993 in various capacities, including as Senior Court Attorney at the New York State Court of Appeals; Principal Law Clerk in N.Y.S. Supreme Court and the Appellate Division; Chief Court Attorney for the Supreme Court’s Appellate Term; and, most recently, as a Civil Court Judge assigned to the Housing Part in Bronx County between 2013 and 2015. Judge Vargas received his B.S. from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, his J.D. from SUNY School of Law, and an LL.M. from New York University School of Law in 1993.
Judge Vargas is actively involved with the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) as a Regional Deputy President, the Latino Judges Association of N.Y., where he is a Board Member, and the International LGBT Judges Association, as a Board Member. Judge Vargas has lectured in various capacities and has received several accolades, including the 2018 Spirit Award from the NYS Cervates Society, 2017 HNBA Latino Judge of the Year, a 2016 Special Recognition Award by the National Hispanic Pre-Law Conference and Law Fair, and the 2016 Annual Recognition by the Association of Housing Court Judges. Among the other positions he has held are: HNBA Secretary of Elections, President-Elect of the Puerto Rican Bar Association (PRBA), Chair of the PRBA Scholarship Fund Selection Committee, selecting hundreds of law students scholarship recipients, and Co-Chair of the HNBA-NY Law School-Sin Limites Program, working with a team of HNBA members to mentor dozens of high school and college students on their path to law school. Judge Vargas’s commitment and contributions to communities of color is further evidenced by his membership in charitable and professional associations, including the New York City Bar Association and Lesbian and Gay Law Association of Greater New York.
Ronald Vaske - Ron Vaske focuses on matters involving banking, payment systems, and commercial transactions. He provides advice to banks, service providers, program managers and financial services companies in nearly all areas of their business, including compliance, regulatory supervision and enforcement, privacy, data security, and third party relationships. He also advises on issues related to emerging payment systems and the implementation of new financial products. Ron regularly assists clients in relationships with financial institutions and third party service providers. Several of the clients he advises serve the under-banked and subprime markets. Ron is an authority on the CARD Act and the Truth in Lending Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act; The Electronic Funds Transfer Act; The Dodd-Frank Act; and the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Innovative Approaches to Deepen and Enhance Law Firm/In-House Relationships (Sponsored by Shell Oil Company)
Innovative Approaches to Deepen and Enhance Law Firm/In-House Relationships (Sponsored by Shell Oil Company)
Arun Venkataraman - Arun Venkataraman is Senior Director, Head of International Affairs, advancing Visa’s global government engagement strategy on a range of international policy issues including digital economy, trade, tax and sanctions. Prior to joining Visa, he was Trade & Investment Policy Advisor at Steptoe & Johnson LLP, where he counseled multinational firms and other organizations on e-commerce, intellectual property rights, and U.S. and foreign trade policies. Arun has more than 15 years of experience advising officials at the highest levels of government on trade and economic policy, including in the Office of the US Trade Representative and the US Department of Commerce, and as a Legal Officer in the World Trade Organization. As the first ever Director of Policy at the US Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, Arun helped shape the US government’s responses to critical challenges faced by firms in the US and in markets around the world, including China and India, and led the International Trade Administration’s efforts to conclude negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership and secure passage of Trade Promotion Authority legislation. Prior to serving at the Department of Commerce, Arun spent several years in policy and legal roles at the Office of the US Trade Representative. Arun led the development and implementation of US-India trade policy as the Director for India, and, as Associate General Counsel, represented the United States in litigation before the World Trade Organization and in negotiations on international trade agreements. Arun also served as a Legal Officer for the Appellate Body Secretariat of the WTO, advising the seven Members of the Appellate Body on a wide range of issues raised in appeals of trade disputes between countries. Arun holds a J.D. from Columbia Law School, a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and a B.A. in International Relations and French Literature from Tufts University.
Vince Vetri -
Vince partners with legal departments and law firms to design innovative solutions that improve efficiency, quality and outcomes. With over 10 years of experience, Vince works closely with customers to develop and execute strategies in the areas of legal operations, legal spend management, pricing and profitability, project management, contract lifecycle management, litigation services, flexible resourcing and data analytics.
Vince is an active member of Elevate’s Synergy team, where he participates in diversity and inclusion initiatives design to create an open and inclusive company culture.
Vince previously worked for Baker McKenzie, where he collaborated with law firm management in more than 30 countries across a variety of financial and operational initiatives. He also held positions at KPMG and PwC, where he delivered complex transactional due diligence and advisory services. Vince graduated from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, where he received Bachelors and Masters degrees in Accounting.
Farhaad Virani - Farhaad Virani is currently Associate General Counsel at Amazon Studios where he oversees the legal team supporting development of Amazon’s original scripted series and feature films, including Comedy, Drama, Genre, Kids, and Young Adult programming, as well as local-language content for India, Japan, Europe and Latin America. Prior to his time at Amazon Studios he supported Amazon’s music business in Seattle, and prior to that he was a transactional real estate attorney working in the wine industry, clean tech, and commercial real estate in San Francisco and Houston. Farhaad currently serves on the board of directors of Outfest Film Festival and the ACLU of Southern California. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 2004 and Rice University with a B.A. in Economics in 2001.
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
The Alternative Path to Diversity, Inclusion and Equity
The Alternative Path to Diversity, Inclusion and Equity
Denise Visconti - Denise M. Visconti currently serves as the Office Managing Shareholder of the San Diego Office of Littler Mendelson, the largest law firm in the world exclusively devoted to representing management in employment, employee benefits and labor law matters. In addition to running Littler’s San Diego office, Denise maintains an active law practice. She handles a broad variety of employment litigation matters, which includes defending clients in class action litigation, representative actions, private attorney general matters, as well as single-plaintiff actions. Denise also regularly provides advice and counseling to both large and small organizations and their human resources teams in all aspects of the employment relationship, including wage and hour issues, reductions in force, policies and procedures, performance management issues, and termination decisions. Denise regularly provides advice and counseling to clients regarding gender identity and gender expression-related issues, gender transitions in the workplace, and various issues relating to domestic partnerships and same-sex couples. Denise also has extensive experience conducting pay equity audits for all types of employers, from start-ups to Fortune 50 companies, and helped develop the Littler Pay Equity Assessment™, including counseling employers on a broad range of state and federal issues related to pay equity, from compliance, to updating policies and job descriptions, to training managers and recruiters, and more. Denise received her J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law. She also has a B.S. and M.S. in Applied History and Political Science from Carnegie Mellon University.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
LGBTQ Employment Law in Practice (Sponsored by Wells Fargo)
LGBTQ Employment Law in Practice (Sponsored by Wells Fargo)
Emily Walpole -
Emily Walpole recently graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law. There, she was a board member of the Lambda Law Alliance student group for her first and second years. During her second year, she became a member of the LGBT Bar Association's Law Student Congress, serving as secretary. The following year, she took over as a Co-Chair of the Law Student Congress, a position which she left in May of this year. Originally from rural North Carolina, Emily came to the law by the long way around, working in the theatre while holding side jobs in demolitions, furniture sales, fast food, and carpentry. She is grateful to the community members at UVA who helped her feel at home in law school. She also thanks her friends at the LGBT Bar Association who helped her get to where she is today. After taking the bar exam this fall, she will begin work in New York with the Labor and Employment practice group of Morgan Lewis & Bockius, LLP.
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Breaking ID Barriers: Progress in ID Policy Work and Litigation
Breaking ID Barriers: Progress in ID Policy Work and Litigation
Jen Warner - Jen serves as Columbia Sportswear Company’s Vice President of Legal. Jen is a collaborative senior executive with a focus on strategic business solutions. Jen regularly spe writes on the topics of leadership, diversity, legal operations, and personal development. She is also a previous recipient of the National LGBT Bar Association Best LGBT L Under 40 Award. Prior to joining Columbia, Jen served as Chief Development Officer of AsheWorks, Inc. She also served as Global Chief Compliance Officcer and General Counsel Americas o Logistics, Inc. (NYSE: XPO) and as Vice President of Compliance and Deputy General Counsel of Con-way, Inc. (NYSE: CNW). Along with other earlier in-house and law Jen received her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law where she was a Dillard Fellow and her B.A. from the University of Utah. Corporate Counsel Institute
Melanie L. Webber - Melanie Webber is a partner in the firm’s Cleveland office and serves as co-chair for the firm’s Women’s Initiative and Leadership Counsel. She represents and advises clients in all aspects of employment law, including harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and leave-related complaints. Over her career, she has represented employers on traditional labor issues – such as union organizing campaigns, unfair labor practice charges and labor arbitrations – before administrative agencies that include the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Ohio Civil Rights Commission (OCRC).
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Before, During and After: What are an employer's responsibilities when an employee transitions gender?
Before, During and After: What are an employer's responsibilities when an employee transitions gender?
Jillian Weiss - Jillian Weiss is Of Counsel to Outten & Golden LLP, and a member of the firm’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer Workplace Rights (LGBTQ) Practice Group. Prior to joining the firm in 2019, Dr. Weiss was Executive Director of the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, a Professor of Law & Society at Ramapo College, and in private law practice. She received her B.A. from Yeshiva University in 1983, her J.D. from Seton Hall University in 1986, and her Ph.D. (Law & Society) from Northeastern University in 2004. Dr. Weiss co-litigated the first transgender employment rights cases with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice. She has published several law review articles on transgender legal issues, was the first transgender member of the Board of Directors of Lambda Legal, and is a member of the Committee on Labor & Employment for the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. She was the longtime Chair of the annual Transgender Law Symposium, and founding Executive Director of the National Transgender Bar Association. Dr. Weiss has also consulted with major corporations, public agencies and educational institutions regarding gender identity policies, including Harvard University, Boeing and New York City. She has received several awards for her advocacy for the LGBTQ community, including the New York State LGBT Bar Association’s Community Vision Award and the Arthur Leonard Award for Service from the LGBT Rights Committee of the New York City Bar Association. Transgender Law Institute
Jacob Westlund - Jacob Westlund assists banks and financial institutions with a range of matters involving consumer financial services, payments products, third-party relationships, data privacy, commercial lending, and other regulatory compliance challenges. Jacob approaches his clients’ needs with full awareness of the challenging regulatory environment in which financial institutions operate and the importance of efficient, reliable legal services. Jacob’s experience includes the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), Electronic Funds Transfer Act (EFTA), Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) privacy requirements, Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and a wide range of other state and federal laws and regulations affecting banking and the provision of financial products and services. In particular, Jacob advises banks and program managers on new regulatory requirements applicable to prepaid cards and accounts. Jacob also has assisted banks with drafting compliant consumer-facing disclosures, notices, and other documentation; UDAP/UDAAP issues; application of state and federal money transmitter requirements to Fintech and other novel business models; BSA/AML, financial crimes, and sanctions obligations; and review of GLBA privacy materials. Jacob also has assisted with transactions among various participants in the payments ecosystem, as well as in the commercial and syndicated lending contexts. Prior to joining Ballard Spahr, Jacob served at a large national bank where he was responsible for conducting a rigorous, enterprise-wide assessment of top compliance and risk issues. The assessment evaluated the effectiveness of senior leadership – including the board of directors, senior management, and top-level committees – as well as the bank’s governance, strategy-setting, and overall risk management infrastructure. This background allows Jacob to approach his clients’ concerns from an experienced and risk-oriented perspective grounded in the real-world, business implications of legal advice.
Concurrent Session B: August 7, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Innovative Approaches to Deepen and Enhance Law Firm/In-House Relationships (Sponsored by Shell Oil Company)
Innovative Approaches to Deepen and Enhance Law Firm/In-House Relationships (Sponsored by Shell Oil Company)
T. Christopher Wharton - T. Christopher Wharton is an attorney and senior partner at Wharton O’Brien, PLLC. Chris’s practice focuses on family law, criminal defense, and LGBTQ advocacy. Chris graduated magna cum laude from Westminster College with a Bachelor of Arts in history and political science. He received his J.D. in from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law. Chris opened his own practice in 2012, where his work in the areas of family law and LGBTQ advocacy has gained local and national attention. In 2013, Chris helped lead a team of attorneys in submitting amicus briefs to the United States Supreme Court for Hollingsworth v. Perry and United States v. Windsor. In January 2018, Chris argued before the Utah Supreme Court that a judge in Ogden, Utah erred when he denied two transgender Utahns gender-marker changes. The Utah Supreme has yet to issue a decision in that case. In addition to law practice, Chris is also a member Salt Lake City Council. Chris’ pronouns are he/his.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
Red State Rebuttal - Advocating for LGBTQ Clients in Conservative Regions
Red State Rebuttal - Advocating for LGBTQ Clients in Conservative Regions
Amy Whelan - Amy Whelan has been a Senior Staff Attorney at the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) since 2011 and works on NCLR’s full range of litigation, policy, and public education work. Amy litigates complex civil cases around the country regarding marriage equality, employment discrimination, Title IX, family law, access to healthcare, prisoners civil rights, the First Amendment, and other constitutional matters. Before joining NCLR, Amy was a lawyer at the San Francisco firm of Rosen, Bien, Galvan & Grunfeld LLP (RBGG). There, she represented individuals, organizations, and classes of people in litigation before federal and state courts and administrative agencies, principally in the area of civil rights. In 2008 and 2009, Amy was a member of the trial team in Coleman/Plata v. Schwarzenegger, a combined lawsuit challenging the California prison system’s unconstitutional provision of medical and mental healthcare. A unanimous three-judge panel ruled in favor of the prisoners in that case and the United States Supreme Court affirmed that decision on May 23, 2011. Amy received her Bachelor’s Degree from Princeton University and her Juris Doctorate from Northeastern University School of Law.
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
The Criminalization to Incarceration Pipeline of LGBTQ+ People
The Criminalization to Incarceration Pipeline of LGBTQ+ People
Joey White - Joseph White joined Office Depot in 2009 and is Vice President, Associate General Counsel in transactions. Joseph received his undergraduate degree (BS), summa cum laude, from the College of Charleston in 1996 and his JD degree, magna cum laude, from the University of South Carolina in 1999, where he served on the South Carolina Law Review. Prior to joining Office Depot, Joseph was an attorney with the law firms of Dewey Ballantine, LLP, Kilpatrick Stockton LLP, and Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, LLP and served as in-house counsel for Compass Group, The Americas Division, where his practice concentrated in mergers & acquisitions and general corporate and contract law. Joseph is licensed to practice law in New York and Florida (Authorized House Counsel). He is a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel and serves on the National Legal Industry Council of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.
Corporate Counsel Luncheon Program (Sponsored by ACC Foundation): August 9, 2019 | 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
ACC Presents: Building a Diverse Leadership Pipeline and Disrupting General Counsel Demographics
ACC Presents: Building a Diverse Leadership Pipeline and Disrupting General Counsel Demographics
Keola Whittaker - Keola is a senior associate at McGuireWoods, where he represents financial institutions and Fortune 500 corporations in complex business cases. He is known for his extensive oral advocacy experience. In law school, he was ranked the top speaker in the United States and the third best speaker in the world in the Jessup International Moot Court Competition and was hired by the Wharton School to assist students with their oral advocacy and presentation skills. As a lawyer, he has argued countless motions and has taken cases to trial in state and federal courts. The ABA Business Law Section awarded Keola the Business Law Fellowship, and he serves on the section's Business and Corporate Litigation Committee. Keola serves on the board of OutRight Action International, and also has volunteered for Lambda Legal, The Trevor Project, Equality California and Immigration Equality. The National LGBT Bar Association, of which he is a member, named him one of the "40 Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40" in 2014. He also is a member of the National Hispanic Bar Association. Originally from Hawaii, Keola's name means "the life" in Hawaiian.
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
The Global Movement for LGBTIQ Freedom: Colonial-Era Anti-Sodomy Laws, American Evangelicals, "Gender Ideology," and Why It All Matters
The Global Movement for LGBTIQ Freedom: Colonial-Era Anti-Sodomy Laws, American Evangelicals, "Gender Ideology," and Why It All Matters
Stephanie Williams -
Corporate Counsel Luncheon Program (Sponsored by ACC Foundation): August 9, 2019 | 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
ACC Presents: Building a Diverse Leadership Pipeline and Disrupting General Counsel Demographics
ACC Presents: Building a Diverse Leadership Pipeline and Disrupting General Counsel Demographics
Melanie Wilson - Dean Melanie D. Wilson, the Lindsay Young Distinguished Professor of Law, began her tenure as dean of the College of Law in 2015. Wilson earned a JD (magna cum laude and Order of the Coif) from the University of Georgia School of Law. She holds a bachelors degree in journalism with a minor in business, also from the University of Georgia. She previously served as professor of law, associate dean for academic affairs, and director of diversity and inclusion at the University of Kansas School of Law. Before entering academia, Wilson clerked for a federal district court judge and enjoyed thirteen years of law practice in both the private and public sectors, including six years as an assistant United States attorney and four years as an assistant attorney general for the state of Georgia. As an academic, Wilson enjoys both teaching and scholarship. She received the Howard M. and Susan Immel Award for Teaching Excellence at the University of Kansas School of Law in 2011 and was named Outstanding Woman Educator of 2015 by the University of Kansas. She also co-authored three books on criminal procedure and has published more than a dozen articles and essays addressing prosecutorial ethics and the Fourth and Sixth Amendments.
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Joining Together to "Erase Hate" and Embrace Diversity: How LGBTQ+ Lawyers Can Live Their Best Lives at Work
Joining Together to "Erase Hate" and Embrace Diversity: How LGBTQ+ Lawyers Can Live Their Best Lives at Work
Daniel Winterfeldt - Daniel is a partner in Reed Smith’s Global Capital Markets practice. Currently based the London office, Daniel’s practice focuses on representing US, UK, European and Asian investment banks and corporate issuers in a wide range of securities transactions, including Rule 144A and Regulation S equity and debt offerings; Category 3, Regulation S transactions for US companies listing in the United Kingdom; rights offerings; exchange offers; equity-linked securities offerings; initial public offerings and secondary and follow-on offerings of equity securities, including SEC-registered transactions. Daniel founded the Forum for US Securities Lawyers in London in 2006 to address US securities issues in the London market across law firms, banks and intermediaries. The Forum was short-listed by the British Legal Awards in 2009 for ‘Law Firm Innovation’. The Forum was 'Highly Commended" by the FT Innovative Lawyers Awards in 2016 in the category ‘Innovation in Navigating Regulation’. Daniel is also the founder and chair of the InterLaw Diversity Forum, which seeks to promote meritocracy and inclusion for diverse groups in the legal sector. The InterLaw Diversity Forum was "Highly Commended" by the FT Innovative Lawyers Awards in 2016 for 'Innovation in Human Resources". Daniel was named the "Legal Innovator of the Year" at the FT Innovative Lawyers Awards in 2012 for his work in capital markets and diversity and inclusion.
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Heterosexism, Global Business Travel and LGBTQ Rights
Heterosexism, Global Business Travel and LGBTQ Rights
Jessica Witte - Jessica Witte is an associate at Thompson & Horton in the Austin office. She focuses her practice on the representation of schools, colleges, and other public entities and has particular expertise in the areas of employment law, special education laws, and Title IX. Prior to joining Thompson & Horton, Ms. Witte served as a judicial law clerk for the Hon. Debra H. Lehrmann, Justice on the Supreme Court of Texas, and as a judicial law clerk for the Hon. J. Scott Hacker, Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Ms. Witte was also previously an attorney with Kramer, Levin, Naftalis & Frankel LLP, where she practiced white collar criminal defense, employment defense, and complex commercial litigation in New York City. While in law school, she interned for the United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights and participated in litigation before the United States Supreme Court through the University of Pennsylvania Law School Supreme Court Clinic. Before attending law school, Ms. Witte taught elementary school special education as a Teach for America Corps Member in New York City. Prior to teaching, Ms. Witte was a lobbyist to the Missouri State Legislature on public higher education access and affordability. Jessica received her J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Law School where she served as Senior Editor of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, was a Levy Scholar, received Legal Writing Honors, and received the Exceptional Pro Bono Service Award. Jessica also holds a master’s degree in Science in Teaching from Pace University.
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Title IX and the Future of Protection for Students
Title IX and the Future of Protection for Students
Jaime Wojdowski - Jaime Wojdowski is a Lead Human Rights Officer/EEO Investigator at the DC Office of Human Rights (OHR), where she investigates claims of discrimination under the DC Human Rights Act. Jaime spearheaded OHR’s #SafeBathroomsDC project, which enforces DC’s regulation requiring public single-stall restrooms to be gender inclusive. Jaime also helped to create the LGBT cultural competency training currently required of all DC government employees. Before joining OHR in 2011, Jaime served as a law clerk for the Senior Judges Chambers in the DC Superior Court and completed a post-graduate fellowship at the Alliance for Justice, where she researched the civil rights records of nominees to the federal appellate bench. Jaime currently serves as a volunteer attorney for the Whitman-Walker Clinic’s Name and Gender Change Clinic, assisting transgender individuals in changing their name and gender markers on identity documents, and frequently volunteers for other LGBT organizations throughout DC. In her spare time, she plays on soccer teams year-round, does yoga, travels the world to film live music, takes care of her feline furchild, visits her girlfriend in Denmark, and tries to learn Danish. Jaime graduated magna cum laude from the Georgia State University College of Law in 2007 and is barred in Georgia and DC. She received her B.A. in Communications in 2003 from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, GA.
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
On the Basis of Sex(ual Orientation or Gender Identity): Administrative Options for LGBTQ+ Employees in a Time of Title VII Uncertainty
On the Basis of Sex(ual Orientation or Gender Identity): Administrative Options for LGBTQ+ Employees in a Time of Title VII Uncertainty
Tobias Barrington Wolff - Tobias Barrington Wolff writes and teaches in the fields of civil procedure and complex litigation, the conflict of laws, federal jurisdiction, and constitutional law. He is co-author (with Linda Silberman and Allan Stein) of Civil Procedure: Theory and Practice (Aspen, 3d ed 2009) and his recently published articles include Civil Rights Reform and the Body (Harvard Law & Policy Review), Redeeming the Missed Opportunities of Shady Grove (with Stephen Burbank) (University of Pennsylvania Law Review), and Federal Jurisdiction and Due Process in the Era of the Nationwide Class Action (University of Pennsylvania Law Review). Wolff has served as counsel or counsel for amici curiae in many civil rights cases seeking equal treatment under law for LGBT people. He won the A. Leo Levin Award for Excellence in an Introductory Course in 2009.
Concurrent Session E: August 8, 2019 | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Defending Anti-Conversion Therapy Laws & Suing Conversion Therapists in a Post-NIFLA World
Defending Anti-Conversion Therapy Laws & Suing Conversion Therapists in a Post-NIFLA World
Shin-Ming Wong - Ming Wong is the Supervising Helpline Attorney at the National Center for Lesbian Rights where he also coordinates their Poverty Law work. He obtained his JD at U.C. Hastings in 2007, with a focus on Public Interest law. He serves on the board of the Pride Law Fund, which funds projects – a number of which have been housed at legal aid organizations – that serve and advocate for LGBTQ people and those living with HIV and AIDS. He previously served on the Executive Committee of the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, an organization committed to protecting human rights over property rights, and providing legal support to communities and mass movements for change. Ming is an immigrant to the U.S. and lives in Oakland, California. Claudia Work – Claudia Work is a 1992 graduate of the University of New Mexico School of Law and has practiced in Arizona and New Mexico. Her practice focuses primarily on civil litigation and all aspects of family law, including protecting and enforcing the rights of unmarried opposite and same sex couples and their children at all stages of their relationships. Ms. Work frequently works as a Court Appointed Advisor and a Best Interests Attorney in Family Court. A frequent local and national CLE presenter, Ms. Work serves on the National Family Law Advisory Council for the National Center for Lesbian Rights and is a founding member of the Family Law Institute for the National LGBT Bar Association. She currently serves on the Executive Council of the Family Law Section of the State Bar of Arizona, the Continuing Legal Education Committee of the State Bar of Arizona, is a former member and past Chair of the Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity of the State Bar of Arizona and a past member of the Committee on the Rules of Professional Conduct. Ms. Work is a member of the Arizona Bar Association, National and Arizona LGBT Bar Associations, the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts Arizona Chapter, and is currently admitted to practice in the State of Arizona and the Ninth Federal District Court.
Colin Wright - Colin S. Wright is Senior Intellectual Property Counsel with Landis+Gyr, a maker of smart utility meters. Until recently, he served as Senior Counsel for Technology & Cybersecurity at Change Healthcare, a provider of healthcare software and data services. Previously, he worked as in-house counsel at McKesson, where he championed the creation of OPEN, McKesson’s LGBTQ Employee Resource Group. In 2014, for his work at McKesson and in the Atlanta community, Colin was given the Out & Proud Corporate Counsel award by the National LGBT Bar Association. Colin is admitted to practice law in Georgia and Washington D.C. and is also a registered Patent Attorney. He holds a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech and a J.D. from the University of Georgia, and lives in Atlanta with his husband, Toby.
Concurrent Session F: August 8, 2019 | 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm
Shhh It's a Secret (or Isn't It?): Practical Ins and Outs of Health Care Privacy and Cybersecurity
Shhh It's a Secret (or Isn't It?): Practical Ins and Outs of Health Care Privacy and Cybersecurity
Jason Wu - Jason Wu is a staff attorney at The Legal Aid Society (NYC), where he represents low income communities of color to preserve and expand affordable housing. He is currently a Trustee, and was previously the LGBTQ Caucus Representative (2013-2017), of the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys – UAW 2325. He is a graduate from UCLA School of Law, with a specialization in Critical Race Studies. In his spare time, he serves on the Steering Committee for GAPIMNY, an all-volunteer, membership-based Queer & Trans API community-based organization in NYC that promotes movement building through an intersectional lens. In 2018, he was recognized by The National LGBT Bar Association as one of the “Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40.”
Law Student Career Planning Programming (NALP) and Continental Breakfast (Sponsored by Walmart Legal): August 9, 2019 | 8:00 am - 10:15 am
Career Planning Program
Career Planning Program
Ezra Young - Ezra Young is a nationally recognized civil rights attorney based in New York City. Ezra's work centers on trans rights, with a focus on rights of recognition, employment protections, and health care and insurance coverage issues. Ezra has represented trans clients in several ground-breaking Title VII cases, including, Jamal v. Saks (S.D. Tex.), Chavez v. Credit Nation Auto Sales (11th Cir.), EEOC v. Lakeland Eye Clinic (M.D. Fla.), EEOC and Brittany Austin v. Deluxe Financial Services (D. Minn.), Schawe-Lane and Lane v. Amazon.com.KYDC LLC (E.D.Ky.), United States and Rachel Tudor v. Southeastern Oklahoma State University et al. (W.D. Okla. and 10th Cir.), and Texas et al. v. United States et al. and Rachel Tudor (5th Cir.), and Darin B. v. OPM (EEOC 2017). In November 2017, Ezra served as lead trial counsel in the nation’s first transgender sex discrimination federal jury trial, ultimately securing a historic $1.165 damages award. Ezra has also represented transgender patients in insurance appeals cases, including Lauderdale v. Unitedhealthcare (HHS 2016), the first case in which the Medicare Appeals Council ordered a health plan to cover vaginal reconstruction surgery for a transgender woman. Ezra currently serves on the board of the Jim Collins Foundation and was a founding board member and is an immediate past co-chair of the National Trans Bar Association. Ezra received his BA in Philosophy from Cornell University and his JD from Columbia Law School. While a law student, Ezra served as Executive Managing Editor of the Columbia Journal of Gender and Law and Online & Consulting Editor of the Columbia Journal of Race and Law. From 2012 to 2014, Ezra was a Post Doctoral Scholar at Columbia Law School, focusing on trans rights, Critical Race Theory, and intersectionality. Ezra's studies were supervised by renowned scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw. Concurrently, Ezra served as research director of the Columbia Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies and legal director of the African American Policy Forum. From 2014 to 2016, Ezra served as an associate at a small plaintiffs’ side firm. From mid-2016 through mid-2017, Ezra served as director of impact litigation at the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc. Ezra currently maintains a boutique private practice.
Concurrent Session D: August 8, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
From the Middle to the Center: Visibilizing Bisexuality and Non-Binary Sexual Orientations in the Discourse Around LGBTQ+ Access to Justice
From the Middle to the Center: Visibilizing Bisexuality and Non-Binary Sexual Orientations in the Discourse Around LGBTQ+ Access to Justice
Sean Young - Sean J. Young is the Legal Director of the ACLU of Georgia and is active in litigating cases involving the First Amendment, voters’ rights, reproductive justice, criminal justice, and other civil rights and civil liberties issues. Since he joined the ACLU of Georgia, the Legal Department has filed a lawsuit challenging Georgia’s ban on abortion, prevented 160,000 voters from being wrongfully removed from the active voter rolls, blocked discriminatory polling place closures throughout Georgia, won the First Amendment right of protestors to carry signs into the Gold Dome during the legislative session, and filed a first-in-the-nation lawsuit challenging a flawed methodology used by the police to throw innocent people in jail on the erroneous belief that they have been smoking marijuana. Prior to joining the ACLU of Georgia, he was an attorney for the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project at the organization’s national office in New York.Young has also served as a judicial law clerk at both the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and was an associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. He is a 2006 graduate of Yale Law School and a 2002 graduate from Duke University. Young was awarded 2019 Attorney of the Year by the Daily Report, Georgia’s leading legal newspaper, and received the Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40 Award – Class of 2019 by the National LGBT Bar Association & Foundation.
Alfred Zaher - Alfred Zaher is a partner and chair of Montgomery McCracken’s Intellectual Property Department. He also serves as the firm’s Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer. Alfred focuses his practice on patent, trademark and trade secret litigation, licensing and counseling. He has experience representing clients before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the U.S. Copyright Office.He counsels companies in the biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, electronics and software industries. Having close relationships with Chinese officials and law firms, Alfred has a particular focus on managing clients’ patent and trademark portfolios in China, including securing and prosecuting infringers in the Chinese court system. In his role as the firm’s Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Alfred is responsible for overseeing, implementing, and providing leadership to Montgomery McCracken’s diversity initiatives. Prior to his legal career, Alfred was a research engineer and electrical engineer with more than 10 years of technical experience with companies like The Boeing Company and Litton Industries. "}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":15233,"3":{"1":0},"10":0,"11":4,"12":0,"14":{"1":2,"2":0},"15":"Calibri","16":12}">Alfred Zaher is a partner and chair of Montgomery McCracken’s Intellectual Property Department. He also serves as the firm’s Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer. Alfred focuses his practice on patent, trademark and trade secret litigation, licensing and counseling. He has experience representing clients before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the U.S. Copyright Office.He counsels companies in the biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, electronics and software industries. Having close relationships with Chinese officials and law firms, Alfred has a particular focus on managing clients’ patent and trademark portfolios in China, including securing and prosecuting infringers in the Chinese court system. In his role as the firm’s Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Alfred is responsible for overseeing, implementing, and providing leadership to Montgomery McCracken’s diversity initiatives. Prior to his legal career, Alfred was a research engineer and electrical engineer with more than 10 years of technical experience with companies like The Boeing Company and Litton Industries.
Concurrent Session A: August 7, 2019 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
A Comparative Discussion on the Intersectionality of American, Civil and Islamic Jurisprudences and its Impact on Everyday Life (Sponsored by VERMEG)
A Comparative Discussion on the Intersectionality of American, Civil and Islamic Jurisprudences and its Impact on Everyday Life (Sponsored by VERMEG)