Jason Burch, an LGBT Bar Board Member, is a fourth-year associate at Sidley Austin LLP in New York City, where he works in regulatory compliance and enforcement. “I enjoy it,” he says about his position. “I’m on the phone a lot so I talk to many different people and I get to write and travel, that’s what I really like.”
Jason first heard of the LGBT Bar in 2012, but began his tenure as a board member this spring. A desire to mentor younger lawyers and to seek advice from more experienced lawyers prompted Jason to join the Board. He is also eager to think creatively about ways to make the LGBT Bar even better at serving the legal community.
“I think it is always to a lawyer’s advantage to know other people and to be well known,” Jason replies when asked what makes the LGBT Bar so helpful. “Bar associations generally provide networking opportunities, but the programming put on by the LGBT Bar is extra beneficial because it frequently takes on a more personal, progressive tone. It is about onward advancement which can be very inspiring.”
The first time that Jason attended the LGBT Bar’s Annual Conference and Career Fair was in 2012. At the time, he was a 3L at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and saw the conference as “a good opportunity to start networking and learn what other roles lawyers play in the community.” He enjoyed the experience, especially the opportunity to meet people in different practice areas. “We all have stories to share,” Jason explains. “We have all dealt with being LGBT in different ways and it was good to connect with people on a more personal level. It felt like more than just a networking event.”
Since 2012, Jason has continued to attend the conference both as an attendee and as a speaker. “I try to keep up to speed on what the association is doing and I always find it to be a very rewarding experience.”
“When I was looking into law school I was given some off the cuff advice that LGBT lawyers tend to look out for each other,” Jason says. “I have definitely found that to be true.”
The LGBT Bar is proud to have Jason as both a member and as a Board Member!