The 2026 Lavender Law® Conference & Career Fair, to be held in Chicago from July 13-15, is calling for proposals from LGBTQ+ legal professionals and allies ready to shape the future of advocacy. Our conference is known for its stellar programming, and we depend on you to help make that happen.

The landscape of LGBTQ+ legal advocacy is evolving rapidly. Courts, legislatures, workplaces, and communities are shifting — and with them, the strategies, skills, and visions that sustain our movement. The Lavender Law® Conference is likewise shifting its programming focus, to highlight themes that will illuminate, challenge, and expand the possibilities of LGBTQ+ lawyering.

The Lavender Law® 2026 program will highlight five overarching themes:

1. 1. Defending LGBTQ+ Rights in Crisis: Protecting Rights, Shaping Policy
      Successful submissions for this category will include those which cover strategies for litigation, legislation, and advocacy responding to urgent threats and building lasting equality, or summaries of the current state of the law and predictions for the future.
   2. Intersectional Justice & Community-Rooted Lawyering: Centering Communities, Shifting Power
      Successful submissions for this category will include those which educate and support advocacy informed by race, and Indigeneity, gender identity, migration, disability, and class — transforming who leads and who benefits.
   3. Inclusive Corporate Leadership, DEI & Business Transformation: Values, Strategy, Impact
      Successful submissions for this category will include those which address how to build inclusive workplaces, navigate risk, and align corporate action with equity, safety, and reputation.
   4. Becoming, Belonging & Leading: LGBTQ+ Legal Careers Across the Arc From Classroom to Courtroom and Beyond
      Successful submissions for this category will include those which envision supporting LGBTQ+ law students and lawyers through mentorship, leadership, equity, and thriving careers at every stage and in every type of legal practice, whether BigLaw, solo or small practice, medium firm practice, corporate counsel, nonprofit lawyering, government lawyering, JD advantage careers, and beyond. (Submissions need not be all things in one and may specialize, but broader coverage for our very diverse attendee base is helpful.)
   5. Provocations & Possibilities: Bold Ideas, New Horizons in LGBTQ+ Advocacy
      Successful submissions for this category will include those which present emerging research, cross-disciplinary experiments, and visionary strategies redefining LGBTQ+ legal advocacy. We are seeking innovative approaches and suggestions for advancing movement work – creative caps on!

Programs addressing these 2026 Conference themes and meeting our speaker diversity/educational innovation requirements will be prioritized and, if accepted, highlighted on the ultimate program.

In addition, we will accept:

6. 6. Historic Partner/Caucus Programming:
      Submissions from our historic partners including NAPABA’s LGBTQ+ Network, HNBA’s LGBT Division, NBA’s LGBTQ Division, the Disability Caucus, the Bi+ Caucus, the Prosecutor Caucus, the Legal Aid Caucus, the Law Student Congress, and others continue to be welcome.
   7. Institute Programming:
      Workshops developed for consideration for inclusion in one of our standing Practice Area Institutes are welcome for submission. These include the Employment Law Institute, Finance Institute, IP Institute, and the Tech/Telecom Institute. (Please note that programming for the Transgender Law Institute, the Family Law Institute, the Trusts & Estates Institute, and the Corporate Counsel Institute is developed independently and submissions are not accepted for those Institutes.) Please note in the Learning Objectives section of this application which Institute you suggest your submission may fit.
   8. Other Time-Sensitive or Topical Matters:
      We will accept a limited number of proposals on important LGBTQ+ related topics that do not fit into the prior seven categories, as space permits.

All proposals must present a diverse group of at least three suggested speakers meeting the requirements outlined in the Proposal Guidelines in order to be considered. Moreover, we are seeking practical tools, research, and stories that inspire, equip, and connect attendees; priority will be given to proposals which clearly set out innovative teaching techniques and opportunities for audience participation and engagement. The Bar will work with accepted panel leaders to finalize the speaker line-up and panel title/description.

Submit your proposal for a 75 minute workshop by midnight on Saturday, February 28, and be part of a movement driving justice, inclusion, and professional power in law. Be sure to carefully review our 2026 Workshop Proposal Guidelines prior to submitting a proposal. As a friendly reminder, all accepted workshops MUST include speaker-provided CLE materials by May 1, 2026 unless you receive specific approval to submit a proposal that will not be offered for CLE credit (write to Judi O’Kelley, Chief Program Officer, at judi@lgbtqbar.org, BEFORE the workshop submission deadline of February 28, 2026 for such approval.)

Submissions will close midnight on February 28, 2026.