Gary Gassman pursues his passions every day – as a shareholder at Cozen O’Connor; as the Chair-Elect of the American Bar Association’s Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section; as the co-leader of Cozen O’Connor’s LGBTQ+ attorney resource group; and as a devoted partner, son, brother, uncle, friend, and proud dog parent. A practicing attorney for […]

FROM CAMPUS TO THE COURTROOM Sean Young has always felt a deep commitment to fighting for justice and equity. While completing his undergraduate degree in economics at Duke University, Young became involved in many racial justice initiatives through student government and extracurricular activities. Though passionate about ensuring equity for all students, Young was cognizant of […]

SERVING HER COUNTRY AND HER COMMUNITIES Paula M. Neira holds both a law degree and a nursing degree, but she didn’t grow up thinking she’d be interested in either field. Neira graduated with distinction from the United States Naval Academy in 1985 and served primarily as a surface warfare officer until 1991, when she came to terms […]

FROM THEATER TO MORGAN LEWIS  Emily Walpole grew up in rural North Carolina, where she held several professional theater jobs over the course of a decade, including acting, directing, and carpentry. Over time, Walpole realized that being on stage was less fulfilling than the problem-solving and behind-the-scenes aspect of the profession. She decided it was […]

Preston Mitchum chose to study law to challenge the notion that all laws are morally right simply because they’re “the law.” Mitchum states, “If we just rested on the laurels of ‘well, that’s the law’ then nothing would change because no one would force it to change.” For Mitchum, the recognition that the law is […]

From Music to Law  Before becoming a lawyer and vital member of Seyfarth Shaw LLP, Laura Maechtlen began her career in music. At college, she studied violin performance and education, working hard to excel in an extremely competitive field. After completing college, she decided to retire from her music career and pursue something a little […]

From Cabaret to Courtroom Deian McBryde has a long history of working in several different industries and companies before he became a lawyer focusing on family law and divorce. In the LGBTQ+ community, he served as the Executive Director of OutMusic, and he created the OutMusic Awards, a community-based international LGBTQ+ music award. He was […]

Jay Larry went to undergrad and later law school at Vanderbilt University, where he cast a wide net studying English and History Interdisciplinary Studies, Spanish, Film Studies, and Philosophy. It was his Philosophy of Law class together with his Securities Regulation class that made him “fall in love” with the work he’s doing now as […]

The Honorable Tiffany Palmer, a highly experienced LGBTQ+ family law specialist and now a Family Court Judge in Philadelphia, first interacted with the National LGBT Bar when she began attending Lavender Law® early in her legal career as a way to connect with other lawyers committed to LGBTQ+ civil rights. When the Lavender Law® Conference […]

Matthew Jannusch, an Assistant State Attorney with the Cook County State Attorney’s Office for the past 18 years, currently works in the Office’s Community Justice Unit. He works to reduce violence in Chicago neighborhoods through data-driven prosecution and is additionally tasked with reaching out to at-risk and marginalized populations, including but not limited to homeless […]