SPEAKER BlOGRAPHlES - National LGBT Bar Association

Transcription

WELCOME
Greetings from the
National LGBT BAR ASSOCIATION
LAVENDER LAW 2013
Welcome to San Francisco!
This year marks an important milestone as we celebrate Lavender’s Law 25th
Anniversary. We are thrilled to be back in San Francisco, where the dream
of Lavender Law® first became a reality in 1988. Twenty-five years later, it is
wonderful to see how far Lavender Law has come and celebrate the incredible
progress that the LGBT community has made during that time. We are proud to
commemorate the achievements of the past 25 years while remaining mindful
that there is still much work to be done to achieve full equality.
Table of Contents
LGBT Bar Board and Staff............ 7
Sponsors....................................... 9
Dan Bradley Award..................... 17
Michael Greenberg
Writing Competition............... 18
Student Leadership Award......... 19
Best LGBT Attorneys Under 40.. 20
Corporate Counsel Division........ 21
Thursday Schedule..................... 23
In honor of our anniversary, our comprehensive programming will analyze
how to build on past victories to achieve further success in the coming years.
Workshops on topics such as employment benefits, immigration and tax law
will focus on the rapidly changing legal landscape following the Supreme Court
decisions in Windsor v. United States and Hollingsworth v. Perry. A general
attendance session will look back on the last quarter century of LGBT rights
advocacy and examine the tremendous achievements that have since been
realized.
We hope that you will take full advantage of the many excellent opportunities
at Lavender Law and return home inspired to continue the work of achieving
greater progress for the LGBT community.
Friday Schedule.......................... 24
Saturday Schedule...................... 31
Career Fair Recruiters................. 38
Recruiter Employment
Benefits Comparison............. 40
Speaker Biographies................... 45
L ave n d e r Law 2013
D’Arcy Kemnitz
Executive Director
Jason Gibson
President
National LGBT
Bar Association
Todd Brown
President
National LGBT
Bar Foundation
| 1
BMW 2013
National LGBT
Bar Association
bmwusa.com
1-800-334-4BMW
The Ultimate
Driving Machine
®
ad
AN OPEN MIND LEADS
TO OPENED DOORS.
At BMW, we believe the key to opening doors is diversity. We also understand the critical role
it plays in our success. The innovative thinking that diversity fosters has long been a core pillar
of our business strategy. As a company that embraces independent thinking, BMW proudly
supports the efforts of organizations, that believe all doors should be open to everyone.
BMW SALUTES THE 2013 LAVENDER
LAW CONFERENCE AND CAREER FAIR.
©2013 BMW of North America, LLC. The BMW name, model names and logo are registered trademarks.
BMG-050_2013_LGBT_Diversity_BW.indd 1
7/10/13 11:31 AM
2014 LAVENDER LAW
CONFERENCE & CAREER FAIR
AUGUST 21-23, 2014
SHERATON NEW YORK
TIMES SQUARE
ad
BEYOND BOUNDARIES
As a proud 11th consecutive year sponsor of the 2013 Lavender Law®
Conference & Career Fair, Thomson Reuters wishes the National Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Bar Association and its Foundation
continued success in its promotion of justice in and through the legal
profession for the LGBT community in all its diversity. Thomson Reuters is
proud to celebrate the conference’s 25th Anniversary.
As the leading provider of integrated information solutions to the global
legal market, we are committed to meeting the diverse needs of our
customers throughout the world. We strive to create a work environment
that respects all types of diversity. We celebrate our differences in ethnicity,
thought, culture, perspective, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/
expression and experience.
lawschool.westlaw.com
thomsonreuters.com
careers.thomsonreuters.com
© 2013 Thomson Reuters W-311729/7-13
NATIONAL 25th ANNIVERSARY COMMITTEE
NATIONAL 25th ANNIVERSARY COMMITTEE
The National LGBT Bar Association would like to thank
the National 25th Anniversary Committee for their
commitment to the success of the 2013 Lavender Law
Conference & Career fair.
Hope Adams, Senior Counsel, PNC Bank
Laura Maechtlen, Partner, Seyfarth Shaw
Charles Berardesco, General Counsel, NERC
Paul Marchegiani, Director, NBCUniversal
Wes Bizzell, Assistant General Counsel, Altria
Matthew Morningstar, Executive Director, Morgan Stanley
Matthew Cook, Associate, Fried Frank
John Olson, Partner, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher
Darek DeFreece, Managing Counsel, Wells Fargo
Andrea Reister, Partner, Covington & Burling
Nicole Dogwill, Partner, Shartsis Friese
James Showen, Partner, Hogan Lovells
Christian Dowell, Legal Director, Yahoo!
John Sullivan, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, &
Corporate Secretary, Imation (retired)
Theodore Furman, Vice President, GlaxoSmithKline
Tristan Higgins, Director, Sony
Cisselon Nichols Hurd, Senior Litigation Counsel,
Shell Oil Company
David Tsai, Counsel, Perkins Coie
Brian Winterfeldt, Partner, Katten Muchin Rosenman
| 5
Sullivan & Cromwell
is a proud sponsor of
the 25th Anniversary
Lavender Law®
Conference and
Career Fair
At S&C, we believe that attracting, developing
and retaining the finest lawyers of all backgrounds
is vital to providing the highest level of service
to our clients.
www.sullcrom.com
new york . washington , d . c . . los angeles . palo alto
london . paris . frankfurt
tokyo . hong kong . beijing . melbourne . sydney
S&C LG5157_Lavender-Law Ad_Draft-2.indd 1
7/9/2013 12:26:21 PM
BOARD & STAFF
National LGBT Bar Association - National LGBT Bar Foundation
Boards of Directors and Staff
National LGBT
Bar Association
Board of Directors
Heron Greenesmith
Family Equality
Council
Malcolm “Skip”
Harsch
American Bar
Association
Executive Committee
Jason S. Gibson
President
EquityOne, Inc.
Kevin Kraham
Littler Mendelson
Nicole Dogwill
President-Elect |
Treasurer
Shartsis Friese LLP
Mario Sullivan
Peter Anthony
Johnson PC
Brad Evan Rosen
Development
Committee Chair
Quinn, Emanuel,
Urquhart and
Sullivan
Mark Brennan
Hogan Lovells US
LLP
Brian Castro
Ashley Dunn
Dewey & LeBoeuf
LLP
Casey Payton,
ABA Law Student
Division Chair
Howard University
School of Law
Ashley E.
McGovern
Law Student
Competitions Chair
Cornell Law School
Jeremy Protas
Marshall, Gerstein
& Borun LLP
Eduardo Juarez
Secretary
Equal Employment
Opportunity
Commission
Alan Boudreau
Law Office of Alan
H. Boudreau LLC
Law Student Division
Representatives
Barry Parsons
Freddie Mac
Jeffrey
Schimelfenig
Past President
Consultant
At-Large Board Members
Kenny Cantrell,
Delegate to the
ABA’s Young
Lawyers Division
Quintairos, Prieto,
Wood & Boyer, P.A.
Affiliate Representatives
W. Cleveland
Acree II
Quintairos, Prieto,
Wood & Boyer, P.A.
Alfred Zaher
Blank Rome LLP
David Ahlvers
Target Corp.
John T. Hendricks,
ABA Delegate
Law Offices of John
T. Hendricks
Mark Johnson
Roberts
Del. to ABA’s
Comm. on Women
in the Profession
Gevurtz, Menashe,
Larson & Howe, P.C.
Richard Wilson,
Rep. to the ABA’s
AIDS Coordinating
Committee
Grund & Leavitt, P.C.
National LGBT
Bar FOUNDATION
Board of Directors
Todd Brown
President
Liberty Mutual
Insurance Group
Charles M. Sprock,
Jr.
Past President
Baldwin &
Sutphen, LLP
Joseph A. Vallo
President-Elect |
Treasurer
Greenberg Traurig,
LLP
Brian Esser
Secretary
Baker & Hostetler,
LLP
Wesley Bizzell
Altria Client
Services Inc.
Delegates
Bianca Bines
IT Administrator
National LGBT BAR
ASSOCIATION STAFF
D’Arcy Kemnitz
Executive Director
Kelly Simon
Director of
Development &
Communications
Ted Furman
GlaxoSmithKline
Laura Maechtlen Seyfarth Shaw, LLP
Sharon Zealey
The Coca-Cola
Company
Liz Youngblood
Program Manager
| 7
Take pride in
who you are
and where
you are going.
You’ve got a vision, and there’s nothing that’s
going to stop you. With your tenacity and our
technology, you can accomplish anything.
At Microsoft Legal and Corporate Affairs, we
believe people are free to be themselves, and
be amazingly successful at it. Congratulations
to the National LGBT Bar Association for
25 years of supporting diversity in the
legal profession.
www.microsoft.com/legal
2013 SPONSORS
Special Thanks to Our 2013 Sponsors
Platinum — $50,000+
Gold — $40,000
Bronze — $20,000
| 9
move
Liberty Mutual proudly
supports The National LGBT
Bar Association in its quest to
protect all Americans’ civil and
political rights and secure their
access to justice.
Responsibility. What’s your policy?®
EMBRACING DIVERSITY.
ERASING INJUSTICE.
13COR1270_TNLGBTBarAd_v1.indd 1
7/16/13 1:44 PM
Our hat’s off to you.
American Airlines is proud to sponsor The LGBT Bar
celebrating 25 years. Thank you for your commitment
to the LGBT community. Learn more about
American’s support of equality on aa.com/equality.
AmericanAirlines, aa.com and the Flight Symbol logo are marks of American Airlines, Inc.
oneworld is a mark of the oneworld Alliance, LLC.© 2013 American Airlines, Inc.
All rights reserved.
10124344-4_7.5x4.875_HatsOff_BW.indd 1
6/27/13 11:41 AM
2013 SPONSORS
Supporter — $10,000
Above the Law
Association of Corporate Counsel
Baker Botts LLP
BP America
Covington & Burling LLP
Fish & Richardson P.C.
GlaxoSmithKline
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Littler Mendelson
McGuireWoods LLP
Morrison & Foerster LLP
Navigant Consulting, Inc.
Norton Rose Fulbright
O’Melveny & Myers LLP
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
Perkins Coie LLP
Proskauer Rose LLP
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Winston & Strawn LLP
BENEFACTOr — $5,000
Alston & Bird LLP
Arnold & Porter LLP
Axiom
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell
& Berkowitz P.C.
Baker Hostetler LLP
BALIF
Bank of America
BuckleySandler LLP
Carlton Fields
Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen and Hamilton LLP
Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP
Crowell & Moring LLP
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
Faegre Baker Daniels
Fenwick & West LLP
Foley & Lardner LLP
Freddie Mac
The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Goodwin Procter LLP
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Hewlett-Packard Company
K&L Gates LLP
Kaye Scholer LLP
McDermott Will & Emery
MetLife
Microsoft
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP
National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
Nossaman LLP
Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.
Patton Boggs LLP
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
Pepper Hamilton LLP
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
The Prudential Insurance Company of America
Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi LLP
Ropes & Gray LLP
Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP
Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP
Sidley Austin LLP
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen and Katz
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
| 11
the power of pride
Perkins Coie proudly supports Lavender Law and
its continuing efforts to promote inclusion and
diversity within the legal profession.
Congratulations on another successful year.
ANCHOR AGE · BEIJING · BELLE VUE · BOISE · CHIC AGO · DALL A S · DENVER · LOS ANGELES · M ADISON · NEW YORK
PA L O A LT O · P H O E N I X · P O R T L A N D · S A N D I E G O · S A N F R A N C I S C O · S E AT T L E · S H A N G H A I · TA I P E I · WA S H I N G T O N , D. C .
Contact: 800.586.8441 www.perkinscoie.com Perkins Coie llp ATTORNEY ADVERTISING
WE ARE PROUD TO SUPPORT
LAVENDER LAW
25
TH
ON THE OCCASION OF ITS
ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE & CAREER FAIR
1133 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10036-6710
212.336.2000 fax 212.336.2222 www.pbwt.com
2013 SPONSORS
FRIENDS — $2,500
Ackerman Brown PLLC
Husch Blackwell LLP
Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis LLP
Irell & Manella LLP
Allen & Overy LLP
Jenner & Block LLP
Arent Fox LLP
Jones Day
Baker & McKenzie
Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP
Ballard Spahr LLP
Kenyon & Kenyon LLP
Bass, Berry & Sims PLC
Linklaters
Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod LLP
Major, Lindsey & Africa
Bingham McCutchen, LLP
Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP
Blank Rome LLP
Mayer Brown LLP
Bryan Cave LLP
Mintz Levin
Burr & Forman LLP
Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company
Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP
Nixon Peabody LLP
Chadbourne & Parke LLP
Paul Hastings
Chapman and Cutler LLP
Quarles & Brady LLP
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Richards, Layton & Finger
Cooley LLP
Schiff Hardin LLP
Cozen O’Connor
Sedgwick
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Shell Oil Company
Dechert LLP
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP
Dickinson Wright PLLC
Shipman & Goodwin LLP
Dickstein Shapiro LLP
Special Counsel
Dinsmore & Shohl
Squire Sanders
DLA Piper LLP
Steptoe & Johnson LLP
Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Strasburger Price LLP
Duane Morris LLP
Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP
Farella Braun + Martel
Thompson Coburn LLP
Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP
Thompson & Knight LLP
Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.
Troutman Sanders LLP
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Vinson & Elkins LLP
Haynes and Boone, LLP
Wells Fargo Bank
Hogan Lovells
Wiley Rein LLP
Holland & Knight LLP
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP
WilmerHale
Hunton & Williams LLP
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
The 2013 Lavender Law Conference and
Career Fair is proudly sponsored by:
| 13
“The real beauty of diversity is
found in the individual pieces
that make up the whole.”
Cultural diversity is what makes our
world so rich and unique – and the
more we learn about each other the
more enriched we become and the
more connected we feel. In celebration
of this beautiful mosaic of life, Kilpatrick
Townsend is proud to support the
25th Anniversary of the LGBT Bar
Association.
www.kilpatricktownsend.com
TalenT has no gender.
curiosiTy has no age.
experTise has no eThniciTy.
At Prudential, we believe that having a mix
of backgrounds and perspectives makes for
a more dynamic organization in which to
work and grow.
We’re a company that celebrates the power
of diversity, from the people we hire to the
partners we do business with.
To learn more, visit www.prudential.com
© 2013. Prudential, the Prudential logo, the Rock symbol and Bring Your Challenges are service marks of Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities, registered in many
jurisdictions worldwide.
0199711-00003-00
A4101
2_MB_ Diversity_nonRecruit_LLC_7.5x4.875_BW.indd 1
7/22/13 10:05 AM
AWARDS
LAW & SEXUALITY
TULANE JOURNAL OF Law & Sexuality:
A Review of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Law
Tulane Journal of Law & Sexuality is the official legal journal of the National
LGBT Bar Association. First published in 1991, Law & Sexuality is the first and
only student-edited law review in the country devoted solely to covering legal
issues of interest to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community
on a wide variety of subjects, including constitutional, employment, family,
health, insurance and military law. The Journal addresses all of these issues
and more with theoretical and practical articles by academicians, practitioners
and students. This journal is published every year and has broad national and
international circulation.
As the official legal publication of the National LGBT Bar Association,
the Journal publishes the winning article of the annual LGBT Bar Michael
Greenberg Student Writing Competition. This exciting competition is
dedicated to encouraging and recognizing outstanding law student scholarship
on the legal issues affecting LGBT persons.
Subscriptions are $12.00 per year for students, $18.00 for domestic individual
orders, $20.00 for domestic institutions, and $25.00 for international subscribers.
The Journal also welcomes the submission of unsolicited articles, essays, and
book reviews at:
Law & Sexuality
Tulane University Law School
6329 Freret Street
New Orleans, LA 70118
| 15
The National Employment Lawyers Association
and
The Employee Rights Advocacy
Institute For Law & Policy
send our heartfelt congratulations to
Lavender Law for 25 years of protecting
the rights of the LGBT Community.
To join NELA and for more information please visit www.nela.org.
For more information about The Employee Rights Advocacy
Institute For Law & Policy please visit www.employeerightsadvocacy.org.
AWARDS
Dan Bradley AWARD
This year, the National LGBT Bar Association is proud to present James Esseks with the 2013 Dan Bradley
Award, the organization’s highest honor. James Esseks is the Director of the ACLU LGBT & AIDS Project and
previously served as the project’s Litigation Director. He oversees litigation, legislative lobbying, policy advocacy,
organizing, and public education around the country that aims to ensure equal treatment of LGBT people by the
government; equal protections for LGBT couples and families; protection from discrimination in jobs, schools,
housing, and public accommodations; and fair treatment of people with HIV/AIDS. James was counsel in United
States v. Windsor, in which the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act and in successful
challenges to Florida, Arkansas, and Missouri’s bans on adoption or parenting by lesbians or gay men. He has
also been involved in efforts to pass LGBT non-discrimination laws at the federal, state, and local levels; worked
on successful ballot initiative campaigns for marriage equality in Maryland, Washington, and Maine; and
challenged schools that seek to stifle the speech or association rights of LGBT students. Please join the National
LGBT Bar Association in thanking James Esseks for all of his hard work on behalf of the LGBT community.
The Dan
Bradley
Award is
the National
LGBT Bar
Association’s
highest honor. It
recognizes the efforts of a member of the lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender legal community
whose work has led the way in
our struggle for legal equality. Dan
Bradley was the first chair of the
American Bar Association Section
of Individual Rights and Responsibilities’ Committee on the Rights
of Gay People. Bradley saw the
law as a powerful instrument of
social justice, and he believed
that lawyers had an obligation to
place their skills as advocates at
the service of the least powerful
among us.
Dan Bradley Award RECIPIENTS:
2013 | San Francisco, CA
James Esseks, Director, LGBT & AIDS Project, ACLU
2012 | Washington, DC
Jennifer Levi, Director, Transgender Rights
Project, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders
2011 | Hollywood, CA
Nancy Polikoff, Professor of Law, American
University Washington College of Law
2010 | Miami Beach, FL
Jon W. Davidson, Legal Director, Lambda Legal
2009 | Brooklyn, NY
Dr. Frank Kameny, LGBT Civil Rights Pioneer
2008 | San Francisco, CA
Shannon Minter, Legal Director, National Center
for Lesbian Rights • Therese Stewart, Chief
Deputy City Attorney, City of San Francisco
2007 | Chicago, IL
Hon. Patricia M. Logue, Associate Judge, Circuit
Court of Cook County
Urvashi Vaid, Former Executive Director of the
Arcus Foundation
2005 | San Diego, CA
Arthur S. Leonard, Professor of Law at New York
Law School and author of Law Notes
2004 | Minneapolis, MN
Ruth E. Harlow, former Legal Director of Lambda
Legal Defense and Education Fund; Lead Counsel
in the landmark case, Lawrence v. Texas
2003 | New York, NY
Matthew Coles, Director, ACLU National Lesbian
and Gay Rights Project • Leslie Cooper, Staff
Attorney, ACLU Lesbian and Gay Rights Project
Please join the
National LGBT
Bar Association
in thanking
James Esseks
for all of his
hard work
on behalf
of the LGBT
community.
2002 | Philadelphia, PA
Kate Kendell, Executive Director, National Center
for Lesbian Rights, San Francisco, CA
2001 | Dallas, TX
Phyllis Randolph Frye, Transgender Activist and
Civil Rights Leader, Houston, TX
Mark D. Agrast, Legislative Director & Counsel to
Rep. William H. Delahunt, Former LGBT Bar CoChair
1999 | Seattle, WA
Hon. Stephen M. Lachs, Los Angeles County
Superior Court Judge
1998 | Boston, MA
John Ward, Founder & Former Executive Director
of Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders
1997 | West Hollywood, CA
Abby Rubenfeld, Rubenfeld & Associates,
Nashville, Tennessee; Former Legal Director of
Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund
1996 | New Orleans, LA
Suzanne Goldberg, Attorney for Lambda Legal
Defense & Education Fund • Tom Stoddard,
Former Executive Director of Lambda Legal
Defense & Education Fund • Jeanne Winer, Trial
Counsel for Plaintiffs in Evans v. Romer
1994 | Portland, OR
William E. Adams, Jr., Nova University School of
Law, Fort Lauderdale, FL
1992 | Chicago, IL
Sue Wilson, Attorney for Sharon Kowalski
1990 | Atlanta, GA
Nan Hunter, Professor, Brooklyn Law School;
Former Head of Gay & Lesbian Rights Project, ACLU
| 17
AWARDS
Michael Greenberg
WRITING COMPETITION
National LGBT
Bar Association
Law Student
Division
Established in memory of Michael Greenberg, a former National LGBT Bar Association
board member and Philadelphia attorney who died in 1996 from complications of AIDS,
this exciting competition is dedicated to encouraging and recognizing outstanding law
student scholarship on the legal issues affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender
(LGBT) persons. Each year, the LGBT Bar receives dozens of submissions from law
students on the cutting edge legal issues affecting the LGBT community.
Congratulations go out to the award winner and runners-up of the 2013 Michael
Greenberg Student Writing Competition. The honorees will be recognized at
Saturday’s Awards Lunch sponsored by Sullivan & Cromwell.
FIRST PLACE: Natacha Lam, J.D. Student, Harvard Law School
“Clash of the Titans: Seeking Guidance for Adjudicating the Conflict Between
Equality and Religious Liberty in LGBT Litigation”
FIRST RUNNER-UP: Brian Kaufman, J.D. Student, Emory University School of Law
“The Ambivalence of Colonial Residue: Comparative Perspectives of Sexual Identity
Construction, Politics, and Culture in Zimbabwe and South Africa”
Second Runner Up: Elizabeth Levy, J.D. Student, UC Irvine School of Law
“Virgin Fathers: Paternity Law, Assisted Reproductive Technology, and the Legal Bias
Against Gay Dads”
| 18
We would also
Tomas Main
Alisha Williams
Elizabeth McIntyre
like to extend our
Jason Beekman
Carl Charles
Julia Belian
sincere thanks to
Michele Joo
Danya Wright
Matthew Benedetto
our competition
Victor Flatt
Blake Johnson
Valerie Schneider
judges!
Brian Moulton
Matt Castello
Josephine Ross
Ashley E. McGovern
Marc Poirier
Christopher Tozzo
Anjali Nair
Jessica Wood
Heron Greenesmith
Sean Preston
David Austin
Shawn Crincoli
Sam Pearson-Moore
Charles Sprock
Anya Mukarji-Connoly
Sonia Katyal
Erica Kagan
Lave nd e r L aw 2 0 1 3
AWARDS
Student Leadership
2013 AWARD WINNER
The National LGBT
Bar Association would
like to congratulate
Ms. Failey and Ms.
Dooley for their hard
work and numerous
contributions to the
LGBT community.
The 2013 Student
Leadership Award will
be presented Saturday,
August 24 at the Law
Student Division and
presentation of Best
LGBT Lawyers Under
40 (class of 2013)
Lunch, sponsored by
Sullivan & Cromwell.
This year, the National LGBT Bar Association is proud to present MIEKO FAILEY,
a student at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, with the 2013 Student Leadership
Award, the organization’s highest honor for law students. Through Ms. Failey’s work
in Loyola’s OutLaw group, she made connections with community activists in Los
Angeles and strengthened the group’s ties with alumni. In hosting a reception to honor
alumni contributions to the movement, she attracted lawyers from LGBT organizations
throughout Los Angeles and impacted far more than just Loyola’s OutLaw group. Ms.
Failey developed a program in conjunction with the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center for OutLaw
students to volunteer with the Center’s legal department to gain experience and help an
organization advocate for many of the most vulnerable members of the LGBT community.
She is a previous recipient of the Donald L. Snow Scholarship, given by the Lesbian and
Gay Lawyers Association for Commitment to LGBT Civil Rights.
2013 Student Leadership Award Runner-up
The National LGBT Bar Association would also like to recognize ELIZABETH DOOLEY, a
student at Stanford University Law School. As Co-President of Stanford’s OutLaw group
she helped add gender identity to Stanford Law School’s non-discrimination statement,
partnered with a veteran’s organization to address the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
and its impact on transgender soldiers and expanded the group’s outreach to prospective
students. Additionally, she helped organize a slate of speakers for a panel to discuss the
impact of bullying of LGBT students in schools. In the past year, Ms. Dooley was part of
a team of students working in Stanford’s Supreme Court Litigation clinic. In recognition
of her work in the clinic, she was awarded the Judge Thelton E. Henderson Prize for
Outstanding Performance in Supreme Court Clinic Practice. She was also a recipient of
the BALIF Lavender Law Scholarship in 2012.
| 19
AWARDS
Best LGBT LAWYERS
UNDER 40 (CLASS of 2013)
The National LGBT Bar Association is proud to announce the recipients of its fourth annual Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40 Award.
The LGBT Bar established this award to recognize lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender legal professionals under
the age of 40 who have distinguished themselves in their field and demonstrated a profound commitment to LGBT equality.
The National LGBT Bar Association’s congratulations go out to all of this year’s winners:
Aaron Tidman
Associate
Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky,
& Popeo, PC
Alan Schoenfeld
Counsel
WilmerHale
Alexander Edelman
Partner
Edelman, Liesen, & Myers LLP
Amanda Shooshtary
Attorney
Law Offices of Amanda Shooshtary
Amy Crawford
Partner
Andrew Parlen
Partner
Andrew Sachs
Attorney
Wrenn Bender LLP
Beverly Luther
Associate Counsel
Ameriprise Financial, Inc.
Brian McDonald
Partner
Jones Day
Kinna Crocker
Family Law Attorney
Sonoma County
Laura E. Nelson
Associate
Robins, Kaplan, Miller, & Ciresi LLP
20
| Madeleine Findley
Partner
Wiltshire & Grannis LLP
David Castleman
Associate
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
Randall D. Katz
Assistant U.S. Attorney
U.S. Department of Justice
Marc Hearron
Associate
Morrison & Foerster
Dipal Shah
Director of Policy Development &
Programming
American Constitution Society
Richard Saenz
Staff Attorney
Queens Legal Services - HIV/LGBT
Advocacy Project
Doug Champion
Associate
Gibson Dunn
Ryan H. Nelson
Associate
Jackson Lewis LLP
Edward Sadtler
Partner
Scott Willoughby
Senior Corporate Counsel
Clorox
Emily Hecht-McGowan
Director of Public Policy
Family Equality Council
Sean Riley
Deputy Attorney General
Office of the Attorney General of
Kentucky
Marek Bute
Associate Attorney
Snell & Wilmer, LLP
Martin Jackson
Partner
Sidley Austin LLP
Michael Vincent Sosso
Managing Counsel, Antitrust
BP
Mika Mayer
Partner
Morrison & Foerster
Miko Hernandez
Partner
Christian Dowell
Legal Director, Global Brand & IP
Litigation
Yahoo! Inc.
Courtney Selby
Associate Dean of Information
Systems, Director of Law Library/
Associate Professor of Law
Maurice A. Deane School of Law,
Hofstra University
Dan Torres
LGBT Program Director
California Rural Legal Assistance
Holly Lincoln
Trial Attorney
U.S. Department of Justice
Jeffrey Jacobi
Senior Associate
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
LLP
Kate Mogulescu
Supervising Attorney
The Legal Aid Society
Omar J. Alaniz
Special Counsel
Baker Botts
Patrick Costello
Attorney
Miami, Florida
Paul Southwick
Associate
Tara Newberry
Partner
Connaghan Newberry Law Firm
Terra Slavin
Lead Staff Attorney
L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center
Wayne Thomas
Managing Attorney
GLBTQ Domestic Violence Project
The Best LGBT
Lawyers Under 40
Class of 2013 will
be recognized at
Saturday’s Awards
Lunch.
AWARDS
Corporate Counsel Division
The National LGBT Bar Association’s corporate counsel division is comprised of professionals from around the country working
to address the specific needs of the LGBT legal community within the corporate arena. The group has organized networking
events, presented awards and developed best practices for companies large and small as they relate to LGBT issues.
The corporate counsel division offers sponsors and invited guests the opportunity to network at these various events, including
the LGBT Bar’s signature Out & Proud Corporate Counsel Award Reception series and programs held in conjunction with the
Lavender Law® Conference featuring corporate counsel and law firm speed interviews; networking dinners; and, launched in
2012, the Corporate Counsel Institute.
2012-2013 OUT & PROUD CORPORATE COUNSEL AWARD WINNERS
San Francisco 2013: Andrew
Vu, Senior Associate General
Counsel, WalMart Global
eCommerce
Los Angeles 2013: Paul
Marchegiani and the Legal
Department of NBCUniversal
New York 2013: Matthew
Morningstar, Executive Director,
Legal & Compliance, Morgan
Stanley
Houston 2013: Brad Bryan,
Assistant General Counsel,
BP America
Upcoming Out & Proud Corporate
Counsel Award Receptions
October 10, 2013 – Boston
November 14, 2013 - London
February 6, 2014 - Chicago
February 27, 2014 - New York
March 27, 2014 - Los Angeles
May 1, 2014 - Toronto
June 12, 2014 - San Francisco
Dallas 2013: Legal Department
of American Airlines
London 2012: Tim Hailes,
Managing Director &
Associate General Counsel,
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
San Diego 2012: Tristan
Higgins, Director, Law
Department, Sony
Electronics, Inc.
*Dates and locations subject to change
For more information, please contact
Kelly Simon at (202) 637-7661 or
[email protected]
The National LGBT Bar Association would like to thank the following corporations
for their participation in this year’s Lavender Law® Conference & Career Fair:
BMW of North America · Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company · Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. · Freddie Mac · JPMorgan Chase · Microsoft
GlaxoSmithKline · Colgate Palmolive · Bank of America · Google Inc. · Grindr · Navigant Consulting · Xerox · American Airlines
Target · Liberty Mutual · Sony · Yahoo! · BP America · Bloomberg · Wells Fargo · Major, Lindsey & Africa
The Prudential Insurance Company of America · MetLife · Hewlett-Packard Company
| 21
DIVERSITY
IS WOVEN INTO
OUR CULTURE.
The Association of Corporate
Counsel congratulates
The National LGBT Bar
Association on 25 years of
promoting justice in and
through the legal profession
for the LGBT community in
all its diversity.
DEEPER UNDERSTANDING. BETTER SOLUTIONS.
www.acc.com
Recognizing that experience and diversity are inextricably intertwined, Baker Botts is committed to
fostering diversity in the firm, as well as in the legal profession. We believe diversity is a common thread
that binds us together and brings valuable perspectives, knowledge and talents to the firm, thereby
allowing us to be more creative and effective in the practice of law and in service to our clients.
The firm’s uncompromising commitment to diversity has lead to important diversity recognition. Baker
Botts is consistently ranked among the Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity by Multicultural Law Magazine
and on the American Lawyer’s annual Diversity Scorecard. In addition, we have received high marks,
including perfect scores of 100, on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality
Index, which ranks organizations for policies, practices and benefits for LGBT employees.
Baker Botts proudly supports the the National LGBT Bar Association.
We congratulate the organization on its 25th Anniversary.
BakerBotts.com
© 2013 Baker Botts L.L.P.
ABU DHABI
AUSTIN
LONDON
BP is honored to be a
part of the National
LGBT Bar Association’s
2013 Lavender Law
Conference
ACC-LGBT_Bar-LL_JULY13-QuarterPage.indd 1
BEIJING
MOSCOW
BRUSSELS
NEW YORK
DALLAS
PALO ALTO
DUBAI
RIYADH
HONG KONG
HOUSTON
WASHINGTON
BB 10158 Diversity Ad.indd 1
6/11/13 3:44 PM
7/11/13 5:11 PM
The BP Legal Department and its
US Diversity & Inclusion Team are
proud to support the National
LGBT Bar Association.
Through understanding,
acceptance and respect of every
individual’s uniqueness, we
celebrate the rich dimensions of
diversity.
COVINGTON
At Covington, we recognize the differences
among us as an asset and source of strength.
BEIJING
BRUSSELS
LONDON
NEW YORK
We are a proud supporter of
Lavender Law
and the
SAN DIEGO
SAN FRANCISCO
SEOUL
National LGBT Bar
Association.
SHANGHAI
SILICON VALLEY
WASHINGTON
WWW.COV.COM
We believe that excellence in the practice
of law knows no racial, ethnic, gender,
religious, sexual orientation, or other
boundaries.
DAILY PROGRAM
THURSDAY
THURsday, AUGUST 22, 2013
10:30am – 4:00pm Individual Career Counseling
Schedule as of July 19, 2013. For the most up to date
information, please see the app.
Sponsored by Littler Mendelson P.C.
Nob Hill D
8:00am – 5:00pm Recruiter and Attendee Check-In
North Registration
9:00am – 10:30am Career Services and Job Search
Strategies for Law Students
Sponsored by Morrison & Foerster LLP
Nob Hill A-C
A panel of legal practitioners with experience working in
government, non-profit, small and large firms guided by
a law career services professional will discuss the tools,
considerations and critical aspects to find, research and
evaluate gay-friendly employers in each of these legal
areas.
Moderator: Mark Goldfarb
Speakers: Grover Cleveland, Jim Leipold, Joshua
Wayser
9:00am – 5:00pm Trangender Law Institute
(Accepted applicants only)
Sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline
Foothill GI/G2
9:00am – 5:00pm Family Law Institute
Sponsored by XXX
Club Room, Foothill E & F
10:00am – 10:30am Coffee Break
Sponsored by Norton Rose Fulbright
Grand Assembly
10:00am – 5:00pm Career Fair
Yerba Buena 1-8
12:00pm – 1:30pm The Guerilla Guide to Gaining/
Maintaining Employment/Business in the New
Legal Services Paradigm
Sponsored by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher &
Flom LLP
Location xxx
Times are tougher than ever. How will you stand out
amongst your peers? How will you advance in the new
legal services paradigm? Come and hear the experts, in
painfully honest terms, and get the real deal on what it
takes to succeed in the new economy, where legal work
is harder to come by than ever. Start building your brand
before you even graduate – you will be selling yourself
every single day, so think about how to best market/
present yourself to partners, clients, judges, juries,
adversaries, et al. Your success depends on it.
N
Speakers: Elaine Arabatzis, Jim Holmes, Jim Leipold
12:00pm – 1:30pm Recruiter and Student Lunch
Sponsored by Proskauer Rose LLP, McGuireWoods
LLP and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
Grand Assembly
4:00pm – 6:00pm VIP Reception
(By invitation only)
Sponsored by American Airlines
View Lounge
4:00pm – 5:30pm Law Student Congress Meeting
Sponsored by Fish & Richardson P.C.
Nob Hill A-B
6:00pm – 8:00pm Welcome Reception
Sponsored by Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Salon 8
| 23
DAILY PROGRAM
FRIday, AUGUST 23, 2013
area of practice, type of firm and geography. This
program is an easy way for in-house counsel facing
mandates to diversify their vendors/suppliers and to
establish personal connections with outside lawyers
in the LGBT community. Law firm associates and
partners can practice their interview skills and business
development pitches in a safe environment and begin
the conversations that can lead to longer-term working
relationships.
8:00am – 5:00pm Attendee Check-In
North Registration
8:00am – 10:00am Corporate Counsel Power
Breakfasts (By invitation only)
Atrium
9:00am – 10:30am General Attendance
Session One
Sponsored by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Grand Assembly
From Hardwick to Windsor:
The Last 25 Years of the LGBT Equality Movement
10:45am – 12:15pm Junior Scholars I
Sponsored by Liberty Mutual
Sponsored by Covington & Burling
Yerba Buena 7
Juniper
Twenty-five years ago, Bowers v. Hardwick, the case
that held that sodomy was a crime, was still rippling
through the LGBT community. Friends and family
members were dying of AIDS on a daily basis, but
President Ronald Reagan resisted even saying the word
until movie star Rock Hudson died of AIDS in 1985. The
AIDS quilt was created just one year earlier and had not
yet gained traction or support beyond a small group of
activists. Same-sex couples were staging “kiss-ins” to
raise awareness and the first victory in a relationship
recognition case would not come for eight years. We
have come a long way since then. Panelists will discuss
the groundbreaking victories in cases such as Lawrence
v. Texas and Macy v. Holder and how those rulings
influenced the equality movements. Specific topics such
as family law, HIV/AIDS, transgender equality and tax
law will all be examined in terms of how far the legal
profession has come in supporting diversity. Speakers
on this panel have seen firsthand the dramatic advances
made by the LGBT community.
The objective of this panel is to encourage and foster
the development of junior scholars writing on sexual
orientation and gender identity issues. The Forum
provides an opportunity for these scholars, chosen from
a call for papers, to present their current scholarship
and to receive feedback and mentoring from more
established scholars in the field.
Coordinator: Courtney Joslin
10:45am – 12:15pm Concurrent Workshops
Session One
The New LGBT Legal Employment Market
Sponsored by Axiom
Yerba Buena 1
Historically, law firms were among the most inhospitable
employers for LGBT people. Yet, many LGBT law
grads still struggle in the job market. Designed for law
students, graduates, faculty, and CSO professionals, this
session will examine how the employment market has
changed and will provide strategies for maximizing LGBT
graduate employment opportunities. Curricular reform,
support for student groups, on-campus programming,
off-campus networking, and digital job hunting and due
diligence all contribute to making the most of the current
market for out and proud LGBT job applicants.
Speakers: Marty Grenhart, James G. Leipold, Larry
Levine, J. Kelly Strader
Speakers: Judge Phyllis Frye, Nan Hunter, Scott
Schoettes, Therese Stewart
10:00am – 12:00pm Corporate Counsel Speed
Networking (By invitation only)
Foothill G
Corporate Counsel Speed Networking provides focused,
intimate networking opportunities for corporate
legal departments to identify LGBT outside counsel
specifically chosen to meet their needs based on
| 24
DAILY PROGRAM
Friday
Till Equality Do Us Part: Divorce for Same-Sex
Couples in States That Do Not Recognize Their
Marriages
Sponsored by Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton &
Garrison LLP
Yerba Buena 2
A growing number of states recognize marriages
between same-sex spouses, or comprehensive
registered domestic partnerships or civil unions with the
rights and responsibilities of marriage. As with many
couples, some married same-sex couples break-up and
decide to divorce, but they may not be able to if they
live in states that do not recognize their relationships.
This can have serious legal and financial consequences,
and prevents them from remarrying. However, new
laws allow non-residents to divorce in some states.
Additionally, some attorneys in non-recognition
states have been able to obtain orders ending these
relationships through creative approaches.
Moderator: Cathy Sakimura
Speakers: Lauren Barros, Karen Langsley, Allison Mendel
Ensuring Access at the Courthouse for Trans Persons
Sponsored by Alston & Bird
Yerba Buena 3
There is much discussion about including legal rights
of transgender persons into state and federal nondiscrimination legislation, but less discussion about the
courtroom and how to make it and court processes
more accessible. Court rules and policies may or may
not include transgender people within their scope.
Judges, advocates, activists, and trans people need to
know how to modify or work within court processes
to make experiences and treatment of trans people
in courtrooms fairer. This panel of judges, judicial
educators, and others will discuss best practices, tools,
and approaches for ensuring access and fairness for
transgender persons in court.
Speakers: Judge Anthony Cannataro, Judge Victoria
Kolakowski, Judge Debra Silber
Basic Estate and Income Tax Planning for Same-Sex
Couples
Sponsored by Arnold & Porter
Yerba Buena 4
This panel of practitioners from different states will
discuss the nuts and bolts of estate planning for same
sex couples, including trusts, wills, financial powers
of attorney, and medical directives and the impact on
such work that the recent Supreme Court decisions will
likely have. Included in this discussion will be a review
of the legal and tax issues associated with the decision
of whether to get married, the importance of naming
guardians for minor children, and how beneficiary
designation forms play an important role in making any
estate plan ‘hang together.’
Moderator: Elise S. F. Baker
Speakers: Joan M. Burda, Tamara Kolz Griffin, Scott
Squillace
Not the Usual Suspects: Civil Rights Organizations Advancing LGBT Rights
Sponsored by Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell &
Berkowitz P.C.
Yerba Buena 5
The role of allied organizations in advancing LGBT rights
is critical, but not often highlighted. Allied organizations,
organizations whose primary mission does not explicitly
address LGBT rights, have been essential in moving
LGBT rights forward. These organizations understand
not only the weight of their voice, but that progress
towards justice for all benefits not only LGBT people,
but makes their entire organization more inclusive and
ultimately strengthens the organization’s broader agenda.
How can staff and lay/volunteer leaders facilitate allied
organizations’ participation in expanding LGBT rights?
What opportunities exist for allied organizations?
Speakers: James Esseks, Alesdair H. Ittelson, Seth M.
Marnin, Matthew Barragan, Karin Wang
Can’t Go Back to Yesterday: How the Dodd-Frank
Act Has Changed Financial Services Regulation and
Litigation
Sponsored by Bank of America
Yerba Buena 6
The impact of Dodd-Frank and the establishment of
the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are being
felt not just on Wall Street and Main Street, but also in
Silicon Valley and everywhere in between as companies
realize their business activities – mobile payments,
new software and hardware, B2B transactions, and
even virtual currency – could trigger new regulatory,
enforcement, and litigation risks. Hear from a panel
of outside and in-house counsel on the ways in which
regulatory compliance expectations and litigation
risks – particularly for a host of industries never before
| 25
DAILY PROGRAM
considered to be within scope of regulated financial
institutions – have been upended, and how to navigate
successfully these new and evolving risks.
Speakers: Valerie Hletko, Sandra Neely, Greg Todd,
Donna Wilson
Bruised Rainbows: Making LGBT Survivors of
Domestic and Sexual Violence Visible in the Legal
Community
Sponsored by Baker Hostetler
Nob Hill A
Domestic and sexual violence in LGBT communities
is as common as or more common than among nonLGBT individuals, but unique dynamics have resulted in
an invisibility of the issue and the potential for further
victimization by the legal process of LGBT survivors.
This training will examine domestic violence and sexual
violence in LGBT communities as well as the landmark
legislation the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA),
how we passed the nation’s third federal LGBT-inclusive
Fish is a proud sponsor of the
National LGBT Bar Association
and the Lavender Law Conference
and Career Fair.
At Fish, we embrace the value of variety. We work
hard to cultivate a creative, respectful, and inclusive
culture which values the diversity of people, experiences,
perspectives, talents and capabilities; builds and
strengthens the overall diversity of the firm; and
allows ingenuity to thrive. As a firm serving the world’s
greatest innovators, we know innovation often results
from seeing the world in a different way.
www.fr.com
| 26
bill, and what it means for increasing legal services and
the visibility of the issue.
Speakers: Terra Slavin, Andrew Sta. Ana, Wayne
Thomas, Judge Zeke Zeidler
Navigating Your Employer-Provided Benefits
Following the Supreme Court’s Same-Sex Marriage
Decisions
Sponsored by McDermott Will & Emery
Nob Hill B
As a result of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA),
individuals within the LGBT community have been
denied important protections under federal law, including
in connection with their employer-provided benefits.
Nonetheless, in recent years, a large number of
employers have voluntarily extended LGBT employees
equal benefits. However, in doing so, those employers
have faced significant administrative and other
challenges. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court ruled
in Windsor v. U.S., on the constitutionality of DOMA,
and in Hollingsworth v. Perry, on the constitutionality of
California’s Proposition 8 which denied same-sex couples
the right to marry based on a popular vote. Our panel
will address key considerations for employer-provided
plans, including health and welfare and retirement plans,
based on the Supreme Court’s decisions in these cases.
We will also discuss practical planning opportunities for
LGBT employees in light of the affect the Supreme Court
decisions’ have had on employee benefit plans.
Speakers: Pat Cain, Joseph M. Manicki, Richard M.
Segal, Todd A. Solomon
Still on the Books: Sodomy Laws in the United States
Sponsored by Carlton Fields
Nob Hill C
In April 2013, Montana’s Governor signed a bill that
repealed the state’s sodomy law. A surprising number
of states still have a law criminalizing same-sex
intimacy despite the landmark ruling in Lawrence v.
Texas in 2003, legalizing same-sex sexual activity in all
states. Given the specific nature of state law and the
Lawrence case, courts have ruled that states’ sodomy
statutes were not wholly invalidated by the 2003 ruling.
Advocates of legal equality still face challenges almost
a decade after the momentous decision. This panel will
discuss the reasons that sodomy laws are still on the
books and how activists can work to eliminate them
altogether.
Speakers: Peter Renn, Brian Simons, Paul Smith, Phillip
Tahmindjis
DAILY PROGRAM
Friday
Inside the GC’s Playbook: 5 Practical Ways to
Improve Legal Spend and Efficiency
Sponsored by Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
Nob Hill D
This session highlights five key methods that global
companies have applied to reduce Total Cost of
Ownership (TCO) of their legal department. Pioneering
in-house chief of staff, legal operations directors/
managers, law firm partners and executives discuss
their real life experiences, challenges and successes
implementing these principals into their operations. This
session will be facilitated by Elevate, a leading provider
of legal consulting, managed services and technology.
The 5 Methods: 1. Key Metrics, Benchmarking and GC
Dashboards 2. Value-driven Legal Spend and Outside
Counsel Management 3. Working Differently (Alternative
Legal Services) 4. Not More Technology, but Smarter
Use 5. Managing Change.
Speakers: Becca Bloomquist, Connie Brenton, Kunoor
Chopra, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, Nicole Dogwill, J.D.
Fugate, Gavin Gray, Pratik Patel
as well as for children raised by non-biological parents
or by more than two parents. The law often does not
easily fit the realities of LGBT families, and creative
legal approaches may be needed. Because changes
in family law often come about through litigation
rather than through legislation, it is vital that attorneys
representing LGBT parents pay attention to the potential
consequences their case may have on other families.
Moderator: Courtney G. Joslin
Speakers: Patience Crozier, Paul Thorndal, Richard Wilson
Cutting Edge Issues in Trans Rights
Sponsored by Davis Polk & Wardwell
Yerba Buena 2
From multiple wins on identity document polices, health
care insurance bulletins in several states, new policies
on jails and prisons, school controversies related to trans
kids, restroom-related legislation, to EEOC and other
agency rulings on sex, the field of transgender rights is
constantly evolving and expanding through litigation and
legislation/policy. Panelists will assess where and why
12:15pm – 2:15pm International Association of
LGBT Judges Meeting (By invitation only)
Foothill F
12:30pm – 1:45pm Dan Bradley Award Celebration
Lunch
Sponsored by Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver &
Jacobson LLP
Yerba Buena 8
2:00pm – 5:30pm Corporate Counsel Institute
(By invitation only)
Sponsored by the Association of Corporate Counsel
Club Room
C h a n g i n g
t h e
w o r l d
GlaxoSmithKline develops medicines, vaccines, and healthcare products that help
2:00pm – 3:30pm CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS
SESSION TWO
Are you My Mommy?
Litigating Contested Parentage Cases
Sponsored by Crowell & Moring
Yerba Buena 1
There are many different ways that LGBT parents are
forming families. Questions about legal parentage can
come up for children conceived by assisted reproduction
involving sperm donors, egg donors, and/or surrogates,
people ‘do more, feel better, live longer.’ And we do so by ensuring that we seek,
value, and draw upon the differing knowledge, perspectives, experiences, and styles
resident in our global community.
It is our honor to congratulate the National LGBT Bar Association for 25 years
of groundbreaking work as they mark the silver anniversary of their Lavender Law
Conference and Career Fair in San Francisco.
www.gsk.com
| 27
DAILY PROGRAM
we are winning and losing, and will explain which types
of litigation and legislative efforts are strategic right now
in each of the highlighted topics.
Speakers: Judge Phyllis Frye, Jamison Green, Bennett
Klein, Dru Levasseur, Elana Redfield, Harper Jean Tobin,
Joseph Wardenski
Coordinators: Ez Cukor, Cathy Sakimura, Dan Torres
Advanced Estate and Income Tax Planning
for Same-Sex Couples
CAUCUS: Legal Aid Services for Low-Income
LGBT Clients
Sponsored by Fenwick & West
Sponsored by Debevoise & Plimpton
Yerba Buena 4
Yerba Buena 3
This caucus is a networking and informational meeting
for legal aid and legal services advocates interested
in providing services to low-income LGBT clients. All
advocates involved in providing services to low-income
individuals are invited to attend. In this caucus, we
will discuss issues such as the challenges in serving
and reaching the LGBT community, tips for providing
competent services, strategies for effective outreach
to the LGBT community, and examples of successful
LGBT-focused projects started by legal services
This workshop will focus on various tax issues that arise
for same-sex couples. The panelists will focus primarily on
estate tax issues and the difference in treatment between
couples whose relationships are recognized and those
whose relationships are not recognized. Some attention
will be given to related income tax issues as well.
Speakers: Pat Cain, Tamara Kolz Griffin, Wendy
Hartmann, Michael Tucker
Teaching Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity
and the Law: A Roundtable Discussion
Sponsored by Foley & Lardner
Yerba Buena 5
This workshop is intended for individuals who teach,
have taught, or will teach Sexual Orientation/Gender
Identity courses in law school or undergraduate settings.
The workshop will be structured as an informal,
facilitated discussion in which participants can share
ideas about teaching-related topics. Topics will be
participant-generated, but will likely include: 1) overall
course structure and philosophy, 2) the use of textbooks
versus other reading materials, and 3) how to meet the
challenge of keeping pace with doctrinal developments
while maintaining a predictable course arc. The workshop
welcomes faculty regardless of tenurial status, and
especially invites adjuncts to join our discussion.
Moderator: Leonore F. Carpenter
Speakers: Denise Brogan-Kator, Sharra Greer, Art
Leonard, Larry Levine
New Frontiers: Ending Psychological
Abuse of LGBT People
Sponsored by Gibson Dunn & Crutcher
Yerba Buena 6
LGBT people have endured a tragic history of medical and
psychological abuse under false promises of changing
sexual orientation to straight including shock treatment,
| 28
organizations. The organizers will provide an overview of
a pilot LGBT competency training curriculum for legal aid
offices being developed by the speakers.
DAILY PROGRAM
FRIday
lobotomies, and “reparative therapy.” Aversive techniques
are now uncommon, but other sexual orientation change
efforts continue nationally and internationally. This panel
will examine current strategies against SOCE including
legislation, litigation, and administrative actions. Emphasis
will be on California’s first-ever law protecting youth from
SOCE including ensuing litigation and a groundbreaking
case on behalf of SOCE survivors under New Jersey’s
Consumer Fraud Act.
Speakers: Senator Ted Lieu, Shannon Minter, Sam
Wolfe, Tobias Barrington Wolff
Judicial Vacancies
Sponsored by Goodwin Proctor
Nob Hill A
The current vacancy rate in the judiciary is alarmingly
high. Many existing vacancies have been designated
as “judicial emergencies” by the courts. Despite these
vacancies, however, judicial nominees in the last four
years have faced unprecedented delays and opposition.
A functioning court system is integral to the nation’s
political livelihood and criminal justice system. This panel
will discuss the current state of judicial vacancies and
what steps can be taken to ensure that the courts are
fully represented with diverse and qualified nominees.
Speakers: Andrew Blotky, Praveen Fernandes, Robert
Raben
Legal Issues in the Post-DADT Military
Sponsored by Greenberg Traurig
Nob Hill B
This workshop will present an overview of challenges
faced by LGBT service members after the repeal of the
law that prohibited the open service members discovered
to be gay, lesbian or bisexual. Although the law popularly
known as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was repealed and service
members can no longer be separated because of their
sexual orientation, a number of challenges remain. The
obstacles are a result of the lack of protections provided
to servicemembers based on sexual orientation and
gender identity. For example, under federal law, and
in the military, sexual orientation and gender identity
are not protected classes. Military Equal Opportunity
regulations do not include protections against these
types of discrimination and the MEO may not investigate
complaints arising from that discrimination. The LGB
servicemember is limited to seeking redress within the
chain of command, or through the slow and cumbersome
mechanism of Inspector General Complaints.
Transgender servicemembers are still barred from open
service. Panelists will discuss the legal issues that
servicemembers continue to face, even after the repeal
of DADT.
Speakers: Beth Hillman, Diane Mazur, David McKean,
Jillian Weiss, Bridget Wilson
Role of In-House Legal Departments and Law Firms
in the Public Dialogue on LGBT Civil Rights
Sponsored by Faegre Baker Daniels LLP
Nob Hill C
As states continue to deal with legislative and ballot
initiatives to expand LGBT equality (or prevent efforts
to limit rights), law firms and corporations are being
asked to take public positions on these policy issues
based on their roles as employers, business leaders,
and advocates for the law. This panel will bring together
lawyers from law firms and in-house legal departments
that have dealt with these questions and taken different
Littler Mendelson, P.C.
is proud to support the
2013 Lavender Law
Conference and
Career Fair
®
littler.com • Littler Mendelson, P.C.
| 29
DAILY PROGRAM
positions with varying results. Panelists will share their
experiences and offer suggestions for dealing with
similar situations.
3:45am – 5:15pm Junior Scholars II
Sponsored by Covington & Burling
Yerba Buena 2
The objective of this panel is to encourage and foster
the development of junior scholars writing on sexual
orientation and gender identity issues. The Forum
provides an opportunity for these scholars, chosen from
a call for papers, to present their current scholarship
and to receive feedback and mentoring from more
established scholars in the field.
Coordinator: Courtney Joslin
Moderator: Brian Moulton
Speakers: Christopher Dolan, Marya Rose, John
Sullivan, Kirk Wallace
Running a Solo or Small LGBT-Focused Law Practice
Sponsored by MetLife
Nob Hill D
Solo and small firm attorneys from around the country
will discuss law office management, marketing, ethics
and case management for those interested in starting or
who are presently operating a firm with LGBT-focus.
3:45pm – 5:15pm Concurrent Workshops Session
Three
Moderator: Debra E Guston
Speakers: Jodi Argentino, Alan Boudreau, Karen
Moulding, Zack Paakkonen, Abby Rubenfeld, Kathleen
Womack
Advanced Topics in Elder Law: Planning for LGBT
Older Adults
Sponsored by Cravath Swaine & Moore
Yerba Buena 1
This panel provides a comprehensive overview of the
special challenges facing LGBT older adults as they age.
Increased life expectancy, the spiraling cost of health
care, and uncertain retirement income have complicated
the aging process for all Americans, but LGBT older
adults are often at a pronounced disadvantage due to
their reliance on chosen family, financial insecurity, and
continuing discrimination. Panelists will discuss how
to navigate the complex system of federal benefits in
a post-Windsor world, including: pension rights, social
security, Medicare/Medicaid. They will also address
issues related to caregiving, LGBT-friendly senior living
facilities, and health care decision making.
Moderator: Larry Chanen
Speakers: David Godfrey, Nancy Knauer, Robin Maril,
Gerald McIntyre, Hillary Meyer
We Have an Anti-Discrimination Law! Now What?
Sponsored by K&L Gates
Yerba Buena 3
It takes a village to pass a GLBT-inclusive antidiscrimination law, but how is it enforced once it’s on
the books? Though many are familiar with what goes
into passing these laws, most know less about the
government agencies tasked with giving them teeth.
In this workshop, individuals from several state human
rights agencies talk about the role of enforcement
agencies, as well as the difficulties and successes they
have experienced in working with their states’ specific
anti-discrimination laws. Special attention is given to
As a national law firm with 19 offices
worldwide, McGuireWoods knows the
value of diversity. This is reflected in
our culture, our commitment to clients
and our leadership. We are proud to
sponsor the
National LGBT Bar
Association’s Lavender
Law® Conference and
Career Fair
Michael W. Graff Jr., Partner
703.712.5110 | [email protected]
1750 Tysons Boulevard | Suite 1800 | Tysons Corner, Virginia 22102
900 Lawyers | 19 Offices | www.mcguirewoods.com
30
| Lave nd e r L aw 2 0 1 3
DAILY PROGRAM
FRIday/SATURDAY
the practical challenges and political pressures these
agencies face in enforcing the newest amendments to
these laws to include gender identity and expression.
Speakers: Tico Almeida, Jaime Wojdowski, John C.
Hummel, Harper Jean Tobin, Jeffrey Wortman
Disenfranchisement for All?: The Continuing
Problem of Voter Suppression
Sponsored by Kate Scholer
Yerba Buena 4
During the 2012 Presidential Election, voter
suppression measures were front and center in the
public dialogue. Many states enacted measures that
would prevent certain groups from voting, including
members of the LGBT community. An increasing
number of states are proposing and enacting
legislation that eliminates early voting, requires a photo
ID for all voters and changes residency requirements.
Panelists will talk about the impact these laws have
on all voters, including the transgender community.
For example, Pennsylvania voter suppression law
was challenged by a transgender voter. Additionally,
the impact on past elections as well as those that are
upcoming will be analyzed.
Speakers: Jody Herman, David Rosenblum
Juries and LGBT Bias: Issues and Best Practices in
LGBT-Related Voir Dire and Jury Matters
Sponsored by Morgan Lewis & Bockius
Yerba Buena 5
The speakers will discuss best practices regarding
LGBT jury issues, including approaches to LGBTrelated voir dire, juror challenges based on LGBT
prejudice, and detecting implicit bias against LGBT
folks during voir dire. The panel will discuss both
research and experience from the bench, as well
as proposed legislation on LGBT “Batson”-related
challenges. A must-attend for both criminal and civil
practitioners.
Speakers: Todd Brower, Shelbi Day, Giovanna Shay,
Judge Zeke Zeidler
Religious Exemptions
Sponsored by Winston & Strawn
Yerba Buena 6
The equality movement has come a long way in
securing equal benefits and opportunities for the
LGBT community, but despite the achievements that
have been realized, there are still obstacles to justice,
most notably in the case of religious exemptions. The
religious and LGBT movements have long been depicted
as conflicting ideologies. Religious exemptions allow
religiously affiliated organizations, or even just religious
individuals, not to obey LGBT non-discrimination rules in
employment, housing and public accommodations. As the
LGBT community turns to legislative action, most notably
in the two relationship recognition cases heard by the
Supreme Court, the tension between the accommodation
of religious beliefs and the commitment to LGBT
equality under the law becomes increasingly noteworthy.
This panel will explore current legal and legislative
developments on religious exemptions, and discuss
effective messaging against religion-based discrimination
against LGBT people.
Speakers: James Esseks, Jenny Pizer, Tobias Barrington
Wolff
There may be a firm
where you can be the person
you’d like to be.
Embrace your mojo, think mofo.
Learn more at mofomojo.com
©2013 Morrison & Foerster LLP, mofomojo.com
| 31
DAILY PROGRAM
Transgender Athletes
Sponsored by Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP
Nob Hill A
How can the world of sports be more inclusive of
transgender athletes? More and more transgender
athletes are seeking the opportunity to compete in
accordance with their gender identity, and regulatory
bodies are grappling with how to craft policies of
inclusion. Panelists will discuss the law that governs this
area and the developing best practices for inclusion in
K-12, collegiate, recreational, and professional sports.
They will analyze the “fairness” concerns sometimes
raised when transgender women compete in “women’s
events” and discuss whether the gender-identity-based
policies adopted by many K-12 and recreational leagues
can work at all levels of competition.
Intersectionalities: LGBT and HIV Equality in
Immigration Reform
Sponsored by Ogletree Deakins
Nob Hill B
This presentation will focus on the rights of LGBT and
HIV-affected people at the intersection of immigration
and criminal justice systems. The panel will address
how efforts to criminalize HIV-affected people negatively
impact immigration protection and relief. It will also
explore strategies to counteract the criminalization of
HIV, and explain how plans and proposals for overhauling
the broken immigration system should be informed by
the experiences of LGBT and HIV-affected immigrants.
Panelists will also discuss the role of citizenship and
belonging in the movement for LGBT and HIV equality.
Speakers: Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, Nan Hunter, Ayako
Miyashita, Maya Rupert
Gay and Trans Panic Legal Defenses: Seeking Justice
Sponsored by Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi
Nob Hill C
Gay panic and trans panic legal defenses are surprisingly
long-lived historical artifacts, remnants of a time when
widespread public antipathy was the norm for lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transgender (‘LGBT’) individuals.
These defenses ask a jury to find that a victim’s sexual
orientation or gender identity is to blame for the
defendant’s violent reaction. They claim that sexual
orientation and gender identity can not only explain,
but excuse, a perpetrator’s loss of self-control and
subsequent assault of an LGBT individual. By fully or
partially acquitting the perpetrators of crimes against
LGBT victims, these defenses imply that LGBT lives
are worth less than others. This panel will discuss the
different applications of the gay and trans panic defenses
as well as recommendations to lessen their use and
effectiveness.
Speakers: Lousene Hoppe, John Hughes III, Ryan Scott,
Amy Slusser
The Changing Business of Law and the Value of
Networking I: Building your Book of Business
Sponsored by Navigant Consulting
Nob Hill D
The discussion will focus on the importance of
possessing broad business knowledge and leveraging
that through a personal networking in order build a
book of business throughout your professional career.
Key components of the discussion will revolve around
understanding the goals and business challenges of the
Speakers: Erin Buzuvis, Helen Carroll, Elizabeth Kristen,
Scott Skinner-Thompson, Matt Wood
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE
NATIONAL LGBT BAR ASSOCIATION
Thank you for 25 years of service. The
contributions made during this pivotal time
in our history have resulted in tremendous
progress and justice for the LGBT community.
navigant.com
©2013 Navigant Consulting, Inc. All rights reserved. 00001861 Navigant Consulting is not a certified public accounting firm and does not provide audit, attest, or
public accounting services. See navigantconsulting.com/licensing for a complete listing of private investigator licenses.
32
| Lave nd e r L aw 2 0 1 3
DAILY PROGRAM
Saturday
clients. Particular emphasis will be on the observation
that often firms have a communication breakdown
within different segments of the firm e.g., partners,
billing, marketing and firm management, that leads to
the loss of potential clients. Finally, we will address
how these communications breakdowns and lack of
business knowledge can all be addressed through
networking.
Moderator: Kenneth Sanchez
Speakers: Kate Fitzgerald, Michael Lundberg, Mike
Sosso, Bill Underwood
5:30pm – 6:30pm Academic Advisory Committee
Meeting (All scholars invited)
organizations to continue discriminating against the
LGBT community by denying benefits, employment
and housing, among other things. While religious
liberty is undoubtedly an essential right for our country,
that freedom is infringing upon the rights of other
communities. Panelists will discuss what victories the
LGBT community should look towards in the next 25
years, how tensions between religious freedom and the
push for full LGBT equality can be addressed and how
we can build on the success of the past to achieve full
equality in the future.
Moderator: Tobias Barrington Wolff
Speakers: Bill Eskridge, Julie Greenberg, Shannon
Minter, Jenny Pizer
Sponsored by U.S. Securities & Exchange
Commission
Nob Hill C/D
Sponsored by Baker Botts LLP
Grand Assembly
7:00pm – 10:00pm Gala Dinner
Yerba Buena 8
SATURday, AUGUST 24, 2013
8:00am – 5:00pm Attendee Check-In
North Registration
9:00am – 10:30am GENERAL ATTENDANCE
SESSION TWO
Still to Come: Looking Forward to the
Next 25 Years
Sponsored by Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP
Yerba Buena 7
The LGBT community has reached unprecedented
levels of equality and acceptance in 2013. Despite
the gains we have made, however, there is still
much to be done. Employees are still being fired
simply because of their sexual orientation or gender
identity. Committed same-sex couples are still not
legally recognized in many states. The transgender
community faces increased discrimination and
prejudice simply because their appearance or name
does not conform with their listed gender on identity
documents such as passports, drivers licenses and
military documents. Religious exemptions allow
| 33
DAILY PROGRAM
10:45am – 12:15pm CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS
SESSION FOUR
The Changing Business of Law and the Value of
Networking II: Advancing your Business Knowledge
Finding and Defining the Right Legal Career for You
Sponsored by Navigant Consulting
Sponsored by Freddie Mac
Yerba Buena 2
Yerba Buena 1
Recognizing today’s legal career trajectory is like a river
with forks and turns, this panel’s objective is to guide
attorneys through the whitewater and help them meet
their career goals. We will address the considerations that
go into making career choices, whether in public service,
government, corporate in-house, or firm partnership.
We will provide pointers for new attorneys or seasoned
veterans seeking a career change. We will suggest
formulating plans that concretely lay out the steps for
finding career satisfaction. Finally, we will discuss how to
use your LGBT status to your best advantage regardless
of your legal career goals.
This panel will provide a follow-up discussion to the
issues discussed during Session Three. The discussion
will continue to focus on the importance of leveraging
broad business knowledge through personal networking.
The speakers will build on the observation that often
firms have a communication breakdown within
different segments of the firm e.g., partners, billing,
marketing and firm management, that leads to the loss
of potential clients. Further analysis will be given to
the communications breakdowns and lack of business
knowledge that can all be addressed through networking.
Moderator: Kenneth Sanchez
Speakers: Jon Dobson, Thomas Gaynor, Tom Murray, Jen
Olmsted
Stop Stealing My IP
Sponsored by Microsoft
Yerba Buena 3
This workshop will focus on recent changes in patent,
trademark, and copyright laws that will affect businesses
and private practice. The panel will include those
involved with the recent legislative changes to Patent
Law (America Invents Act) and major IP cases. Case
discussion will include the recent Apple design patent
decision against Samsung and latest measures to protect
consumer products and movies.
Moderator: David Tsai
Speakers: Q. Todd Dickinson, Tristan Higgins, Greg
McCurdy, Ken Priore, Julius Towers, Bobbie Wilson
From Charge Practice to Pattern or Practice:
Litigating EEOC Discrimination Claims
Sponsored by Nossaman LLP
Yerba Buena 4
This panel will discuss how to file and respond to
administrative charges, including those alleging
transgender discrimination, how to respond from the
employer side, and how charges can grow into large
scale litigation by the EEOC or private plaintiffs, including
plaintiff and defense side views of the same.
Moderator: Laura Maechtlen
Speakers: Erik Emro, Janice Mock, Melissa Romig, Julius
Turman, Michelle Seldin Silverman
Speakers: Megan K. Hey, James D. Moore, Andrew
Parlen, Barry Parsons, Anthony Varona
is proud to sponsor the
National LGBT
Bar Association’s
Lavender Law
Conference and
Career Fair
www.omm.com
| 34
DAILY PROGRAM
Saturday
Queering Legal Services:
Making Equality Gains Accessible to All
Sponsored by Patton Boggs
Yerba Buena 5
This session will provide an advanced level discussion
of serving low-income LGBT clients though direct legal
services and pro bono representation. The panelists will
discuss how legal services in both urban and rural areas
can better serve LGBT clients, providing examples of
work being done by Georgia Legal Services Program in
rural Georgia and a multi-organization effort in New York
City. This session will also cover how LGBT organizations
and pro bono attorneys can serve low-income clients
through direct services programs, explaining the work of
FreeState Legal Project, an LGBT direct services program
in Baltimore, Maryland.
Speakers: Lee Carpenter, Virginia Goggin, Currey
Hitchens, Aaron Merki, Richard Saenz
Creating Change through the Executive Branch
Sponsored by Pepper Hamilton
Yerba Buena 6
When we think about how to create change we often overemphasize litigation and the legislative process. Yet civil
rights activists have made important strides by pushing
for changes through Executive Orders and administrative
agency regulations. From President Lincoln’s Emancipation
Proclamation to President Obama’s executive orders
protecting LGBT rights within the federal system, executive
action has often been the first step in moving forward. This
panel will explore the scope of presidential and agency
power to expand civil rights protections and discuss past,
present and current efforts to improve protections for LGBT
individuals and families through this process.
Speakers: Pat Cain, Jackie Gardina, Brad Jacklin, Bill
Tamayo
Health Care Reform and Transgender People
Sponsored by Ropes & Gray
Nob Hill A
The Affordable Care Act is set to take effect soon. What
will be the implications for transgender people from the
increased access to health coverage the ACA will provide
through Medicaid expansion and the state exchanges?
Most of the health insurance plans that will be models
for the state exchanges, and most state Medicaid plans,
contain explicit exclusions for transition-related care. What
will be the impact of recent developments and pending
challenges to the denial of transgender health care under
federal and state public health plans? Panelists will
discuss legal and policy strategies for challenging those
exclusions and getting transgender health care covered
under health care reform.
Moderator: Ilona Turner
Speakers: Tara Borelli, Danny Kirchoff, Bennett Klein,
Elana Redfield, Harper Jean Tobin
Advancing the Intersex (DSD) Movement
Through the Courts
Sponsored by Schulte, Roth & Zabel LLP
Nob Hill B
This workshop will provide an overview of the Intersex
(Differences in Sexual Development) movement and a
discussion of the first public case on behalf of a child with
an intersex condition. Litigators responsible for this case
will outline their legal strategy and compare the approach
adopted in this case to previous LGBT impact litigation. In
addition, the panel will discuss ways the legal profession can
help advance the rights of people with intersex conditions.
Speakers: Julie Greenberg, Alesdair H. Ittelson, Anne
Tamar-Mattis
Dive In
diversity
and inclusion
at orrick
Orrick commends
the national lgbt
bar association
for its important work on behalf of our
community. We congratulate you on your
25th anniversary.
We are proud to support Lavender Law 2013!
www.orrick.com
united states
|
europe
|
asia
| 35
DAILY PROGRAM
The Iowa Story and More: Fighting for Fair and
Impartial Courts
Nob Hill C
Political attacks pose a threat to courts. In 2010,
voters ousted three Iowa Supreme Court justices
who participated in the unanimous Varnum v. Brien
decision on marriage for same-sex couples under
the state’s constitution. The 2012 elections yielded
a different result: Justice David Wiggins, the fourth
Varnum justice, kept his seat. What changed between
2010 and 2012? Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice
Mark Cady will discuss how the Iowa Supreme Court
changed its approach to public outreach after the 2010
retention election. Defending courts against political
attacks, increasing diversity on the bench, advocating for
adequate court funding, all will be discussed.
Moderator: Praveen Fernandes
Speakers: Chief Justice Mark S. Cady, Eric Lesh, Liz
Seaton
A Day in the Life: Managing Partners
Sponsored by Sponsored by Pillsbury Winthrop
Shaw Pittman LLP
Nob Hill D
A managing partner is the highest formal job title
given to senior law firm partners. Managing partners
have extensive and varied responsibilities. Panelists
represent managing partners from many of the largest
and most respected law firms in the United States.
They will discuss their day-to-day work and the many
unexpected issues that can arise at any given moment
including finances, managing committees, creating
and implementing goals and strategies and supervising
staff members. These experienced panelists will take
attendees through a day in their lives.
Speakers: Lisa Damon, Richard M. Segal, Paul
Smith, Denise Visconti, Joshua Wayser, Keith Wetmore
12:15pm – 1:15pm Law Student Division Awards
Ceremony and Presentation of Best LGBT
Lawyers Under 40 Class of 2013 Lunch
Sponsored by Sullivan & Cromwell
Yerba Buena 7
12:15pm – 3:00pm Affiliates Gathering, Lunch and
Meeting
(Invited representatives of regional, state or
local LGBT voluntary bar associations only)
Sponsored by O’Melveny & Myers LLP
Foothill F
1:30pm – 3:00pm Tax Think Tank
Sponsored by Winston & Strawn LLP
Nob Hill D
1:30pm – 3:00pm CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS
SESSION FIVE
| 36
Let’s Talk About It
Sponsored by the Prudential Insurance Company of
America
Yerba Buena 1
A majority of straight people favor equal rights for the
LGBT community, but the majority of those straight
people are not being vocal, active allies. LGBT rights
and issues are discussed at meetings, conferences,
JP MORGAN
DAILY PROGRAM
Saturday
and in ‘official’ settings, but are still not always the
water-cooler topics amongst straight people. Straight
people who only encounter LGBT issues in a theoretical,
detached way, gain valuable perspectives when they
talk to and about LGBT colleagues and their rights.
This panel consisting of LGBT and Straight people will
explore some of the issues, barriers, misunderstandings
and insights in candid ‘gay-straight’ communications
with an eye towards helping more straight allies find
their voices.
Contributor: Lynda Murray-Blair
Speakers: Dominic Campodonico, Theodore Furman,
Lisa Linsky, Kassem Lucas, Rick Schroder
US Securities and International Capital Markets
Roundup
Sponsored by Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
Yerba Buena 2
Daniel Winterfeldt, London-based Head of US Capital
Markets at global firm CMS Cameron McKenna, leads
a panel discussing the current regulatory landscape and
recent developments affecting international issuers
wishing to access the US and international capital
markets. The panel also discusses the current state of
the international capital markets, particularly in light of
the ongoing Eurozone crisis and important legislation
such as the Dodd-Frank Act and the JOBS Act.
Speakers: Noah Kressler, Beverly Luther, Daniel
Winterfeldt
Hot Topics in Trademarks for 2013
Sponsored by Hewlett-Packard Company
Yerba Buena 3
In this workshop we will cover the year’s hottest topics
in trademark law, including the growing importance of
trademarks on the Internet, online brand promotion and
enforcement, and the future of trademarks on the web.
We will discuss social media, innovative enforcement
strategies, mobile platforms, and the new gTLD
program.
Speakers: Christian Dowell, David Jaquette, Ashley
Watson, Brian J. Winterfeldt
Crossing Borders/Shifting Rights: Securing Legal
Parenthood for Children Conceived Via Assisted
Reproduction
Sponsored by Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP
Yerba Buena 4
LGBT people using assisted reproductive technology
(ART) to conceive children face varying state laws
to establish parental rights. How do laws governing
parentage and marriage overlap? This session will
address ART methods (donor insemination, co-maternity,
IVF, surrogacy) and ways attorneys can proactively secure
legal parental rights for their clients to avoid conflicts
of laws issues that arise in the patchwork of laws both
nationally and internationally. Panelists will discuss prebirth and post-birth parentage orders, second-parent
adoptions and martial presumptions of parentage.
The panelists are Fellows of the American Academy
of Assisted Reproductive Technology Attorneys and
each will address establishing parentage from different
perspectives as well as the ethical issues that arise.
Moderator: Courtney G. Joslin
Speakers: Tiffany L. Palmer, Kimberly Surratt, Michele
Zavos
Proskauer is proud to support the
Lavender Law
Conference
and its mission to advance
diversity in the legal profession.
Diversity is the commitment we all share.
www.proskauer.com
Beijing | Boca Raton | Boston | Chicago | Hong Kong | London | Los Angeles
New Orleans | New York | Newark | Paris | São Paulo | Washington, DC
Proskauer Rose LLP | Eleven Times Square, New York, NY 10036-8299 | 212.969.3000 | Attorney Advertising
| 37
DAILY PROGRAM
Criminalizing LGBT Youth: Causes and Consequences
of the School-to-Prison Pipeline for LGBT Kids
Advanced Issues in Safe Schools Law and Policy
Sponsored by Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
Sponsored by Sidley Austin LLP
Yerba Buena 6
Yerba Buena 5
Although LGBT youth represent 5-7 percent of the nation’s
overall youth population, they comprise 13-15 percent
of the youth in the juvenile justice system. This panel,
composed of lawyers and advocates working on the
front lines of this issue, will explore the reasons for that
disproportionate representation, including the particular
challenges LGBT youth face in each stage of the schoolto-prison pipeline and juvenile justice system, from school
environment and discipline, to the juvenile court process,
to treatment within juvenile detention centers. The panel
will also discuss potential solutions, in terms of policy and
legislation changes, litigation, and community interventions.
Building upon a basic knowledge of anti-bullying law
and practice, this workshop will explore advanced
legal and policy issues relating to schools and the
safety, mental health, and well-being of LGBT young
people. Experts will discuss related topics including
cyber-bullying and first amendment issues, disparate
punishment and criminalization, bullying and suicide, and
federal government approaches to create safer schools.
Speakers will include attorneys from LGBT national
organizations who focus on youth issues and also from
the US. Department of Education, Office of Civil
Rights.
Moderator: Lori Rifkin
Speakers: Shawn Gaylord, Alison Gill, Asaf Orr, Robert
Salem, Suzanne Taylor
Speakers: Currey Cook, Cathy Sakimura, Shannan
Wilber
The Future of LGBT Immigration: A Discussion
of Immigration Issues in Light of Comprehensive
Immigration Reform & Judicial Action on DOMA
Sponsored by Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
Nob Hill A
2013 is sure to be momentous for LGBT immigrants.
The Supreme Court has ruled against Section 3 of
DOMA, Congress may pass immigration reform, and
the White House is implementing new protections for
immigrant detainees. We will recap the coalition building
between immigrant and LGBT rights advocates that
propelled these efforts and comment on what more can
be done to build a strong community at the intersection
of the two movements. Substantively, we will update
participants on relationship recognition, address changes
in asylum and family law that impact LGBT immigrants,
and cover the continuing challenges of immigration
detention, which will be a persistent issue.
Speakers: Mike Jarecki, Shannon Minter, Aaron Morris,
Scott Titshaw, Keren Zwick
Strategies for Students, Faculty & Staff Facing
Discrimination at Religiously Affiliated Law Schools
Nob Hill B
In 2013, the Society of American Law Teachers released
a policy paper Strategies For Students, Faculty, & Staff
Facing Discrimination at Religiously Affiliated Law
Schools. This panel will explore the intersection of LGBT
rights and religious rights at law schools and discuss
whether religious institutions can discriminate based on
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Skadden
National LGBT
Bar Association
Lavender Law
Congratulations on 25 years of promoting
justice in and through the legal profession
for the LGBT community.
Beijing | Boston | Brussels | Chicago | Frankfurt | Hong Kong | Houston | London
Los Angeles | Moscow | Munich | New York | Palo Alto | Paris | São Paulo | Shanghai
Singapore | Sydney | Tokyo | Toronto | Vienna | Washington, D.C. | Wilmington
| 38
DAILY PROGRAM
Saturday
sexual orientation under AALS and ABA regulations as
well as state and federal laws.
Speakers: Jackie Gardina, Larry Levine, Julie Nice, Marc
Poirier
5:00pm – 7:00pm Farewell Reception
Sponsored by BMW of North America
Atrium
Paths to the Judiciary and Ethical Considerations
Nob Hill C
Varying types of judges including: appointed; elected
and/or subject to re-election; Federal; and one judge
who is also permitted to practice law will share their
insights and experiences. The panel will focus on ethical
guidelines or standards associated with panelists’
paths...[continue with what is there until] (arising
especially out of judicial ethics codes), members of
the International Association of LGBT Judges will be
available during and after the session to share their
thoughts with attendees.
Moderator: Judge George Silver
Speakers: Judge J. Gary Cohen, Judge Linda Colfax,
Judge Michael Fitzgerald, Judge Phyllis Frye, Judge
Linda Giles
3:15pm – 4:45pm GENERAL ATTENDANCE
SESSION THREE
Recent Developments in Relationship Recognition
Sponsored by Kirkland & Ellis and BP America
Yerba Buena 7
This year marked a watershed moment for the
recognition of same-sex relationships. Many additional
states this year have allowed same-sex couples to
marry, an additional state passed a civil union law, and
the Supreme Court ruled on both Windsor v. United
States, which challenged the federal government’s
refusal to recognize marriages entered by same-sex
couples under the so-called “Defense of Marriage Act”.
and Hollingsworth v. Perry, which challenged California’s
Proposition 8. This panel will discuss the progress
that has been made and the challenges that still exist.
Panelists will analyze the Supreme Court’s recent
rulings and their implications of those rulings for samesex couples across the nation and the lawyers who
represent them.
Moderator: Paul Smith
Speakers: Pat Cain, Jon Davidson, Art Leonard, Douglas
NeJaime, Nancy Polikoff, Bill Singer
We are proud to sponsor the
2013 Lavender Law® Conference
and congratulate the
on their 25th Anniversary.
| 39
RECRUITERS
2013 Career Fair Recruiters & Exhibitors
2013 Recruiters
Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office
Ackerman Brown PLLC
Cooley LLP
Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory &
Natsis LLP
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver &
Jacobson LLP
Allen & Overy LLP
Alston & Bird LLP
Arent Fox LLP
Arnold & Porter LLP
Baker Botts LLP
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell
& Berkowitz P.C.
Dechert LLP
Baker Hostetler LLP
Baker & McKenzie
Ballard Spahr LLP
Dinsmore & Shohl
DLA Piper LLP
Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price &
Axelrod LLP
Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Goodwin Procter LLP
Government Accountability Office –
Office of the General Counsel
Hogan Lovells
Hughes, Hubbard & Reed LLP
Human Rights Campaign
Duane Morris LLP
Husch Blackwell LLP
Irell & Manella LLP
Farella Braun & Martel LLP
Jenner & Block LLP
BuckleySandler LLP
Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation
Jones Day
Burr & Forman LLP
Fenwick & West LLP
Financial Industry Regulatory
Authority
Blank Rome LLP
Bryan Cave LLP
Carlton Fields
Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton LLP
Consumer Financial Protection
Bureau
| 40
Cozen O’Connor
K&L Gates LLP
Kaye Scholer LLP
Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow,
Garrett & Dunner LLP
Kenyon & Kenyon LLP
Fish & Richardson P.C.
Foley & Lardner LLP
Liberty Mutual
Freddie Mac
Linklaters
Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP
RECRUITERS
Littler Mendelson
Proskauer Rose LLP
Quarles & Brady LLP
Reed Smith LLP
Mayer Brown LLP
Richards, Layton & Finger
Mintz Levin
Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi
Ropes & Gray LLP
Wells Fargo
San Francisco District Attorney’s
Office
Wiley Rein LLP
Schiff Hardin LLP
WilmerHale
Sedgwick
McGuireWoods LLP
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Nationwide Mutual Insurance
Company
Navigant Consulting Inc.
New York City Law Department
Nixon Peabody LLP
Nossaman LLP
Office of the Comptroller of the
Currency
Ogletree Deakins
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
Patton Boggs LLP
Paul Hastings
U.S. Securities & Exchange
Commission
Vinson & Elkins LLP
Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton
LLP
Sidley Austin LLP
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher &
Flom, LLP
2013 Exhibitors
Association of Corporate Counsel
American Constitution Society
BALIF
BMW of North America
The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund
Squire Sanders
It Gets Better Project
LeGaL: The LGBT Bar Association of
Greater New York
Strasburger & Price LLP
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
Thompson Coburn LLP
MetLife
Mexican American Legal Defense &
Educational Fund
National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of
Commerce
Pepper Hamilton LLP
Thomson Reuters
Point Foundation
Perkins Coie LLP
Society of American Law Teachers
Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office
U.S. Department of State
Thomson Reuters
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton &
Garrison LLP
| 41
…includes sexual
orientation as a
protected class
…includes gender identity
as a protected class
…include gender/identity expression diversity
training including gender
identity/expression
...offers health care
covering trans related
care
…offers domestic
partner benefits
...adjusts gross salary
for domestic partners to
offset tax burden
…offers domestic partner
bereavement leave
paternity and maternity
leave
…offers a healthcare
plan that covers family
planning (e.g. IVF, IUI)
…offers to defray the
cost of family planning
(e.g. adoption fees)
RECRUITERS
Ackerman Brown PLLC
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Allen & Overy LLP
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory &
Natsis LLP
Y
Y
N
N
Y
N
Y
DNO
DNO
DNO
Alston & Bird LLP
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Arent Fox LLP
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
N
Arnold & Porter LLP
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Baker & McKenzie
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Baker Botts LLP
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell &
Berkowitz, PC
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Y
Ballard Spahr LLP
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Bank of America
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod LLP
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Blank Rome LLP
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Bryan Cave LLP
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
BuckleySandler LLP
Y
IP
N
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Burr Forman LLP
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
N
DNO
DNO
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Cartlon Fields
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Y
Y
N
N
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
Cook County State's Attorney's Office
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Cooley LlP
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Cozen O'Connor
Y
IP
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
DNO
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
IP
N
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Dechert LLP
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Dinsmore & Shohl
Y
Y
DLA Piper LLP
Y
Y
Key:
Y = Yes
N = No
DNO = Does not offer this benefit
IP = In process
Firm/Organization…
| 42
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
N
N
Y
N
Y
N
N
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Y
Y
Y
Y
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Y
Y
Y
Y
Farella, Braun + Martel
Y
Y
Fenwick & West LLP
Y
Y
Y
Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett
& Dunner LLP
Y
Y
FINRA
Y
Foley & Lardner LLP
Freddie Mac
Y
Y
leave
care
Y
bereavement leave
identity/expression
Y
offset tax burden
Duane Morris LLP
…offers domestic
partner benefits
…includes sexual
orientation as a
protected class
RECRUITERS
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
DNO
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
N
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson
LLP
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
GlaxoSmithKline
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Goodwin Procter LLP
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Government Accountability OfficeOffice of the General Counsel
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
DNO
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
N
DNO
Y
DNO
DNO
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Hogan Lovells
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP
Y
Y
N
N
Y
N
Y
DNO
DNO
DNO
Human Rights Campaign
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Husch Blackwell LLP
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Irell & Manella LLP
Y
IP
Y
Y
Y
Jenner & Block LLP
Y
Y
Y
Jones Day
Y
Y
K&L Gates LLP
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Kaye Scholer LLP
Y
Kenyon & Kenyon LLP
Y
Kilpatrick Towsend
Key:
Y = Yes
N = No
IP = In process
Y
DNO
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
IP
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
N
Y
N
N
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
DNO
DNO
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Liberty Mutual
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Linklaters
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Littler Mendelson
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Y
IP
N
N
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
Y
| 43
…includes sexual
orientation as a
protected class
identity/expression
care
…offers domestic
partner benefits
offset tax burden
bereavement leave
leave
RECRUITERS
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
N
Y
N
N
DNO
Mayer Brown LLP
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
McGuireWoods LLP
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
N
Y
Y
N
Y
Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy
Y
IP
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Mintz Levin
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
N
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
N
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
Y
Navigant
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
New York City Law Department
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Nixon Peabody LLP
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
N
Y
N
DN
Y
Nossaman
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
O'Melveny & Myers LLP
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
N
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
No
DNO
Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak &
Stewart, P.C.
Y
IP
N
N
Y
N
Y
DNO
N
N
Orrick
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Patton Boggs LLP
Y
Y
N
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Paul Hastings
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Y
Pepper Hamilton LLP
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
N
Perkins Coie LLP
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Philadelphia District Attorney's Office
Y
N
Y
N
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Proskauer Rose LLP
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Quarles& Brady LLP
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Reed Smith LLP
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Richards Layton & Finger
Y
IP
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
N
Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P.
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Ropes & Gray LLP
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
San Francisco District Attorney's Office
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Schiff Hardin LLP
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Y
IP
N
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Sedgwick LLP
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Key:
Y = Yes
N = No
IP = In process
| 44
…includes sexual
orientation as a
protected class
identity/expression
care
…offers domestic
partner benefits
offset tax burden
bereavement leave
leave
RECRUITERS
Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton
LLP
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Y
Y
N
N
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Sidley Austin LLP
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom,
LLP
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Society of American Law Teachers
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Special Counsel, Inc.
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Squire Sanders (US) LLP
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
N
Y
Y
Strasburger & Price, LLP
Y
Y
Sullivan & Cromwell
Y
Y
Key:
Y = Yes
N = No
IP = In process
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
Y
Thompson Coburn LLP
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Thomson Reuters
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
U.S. Department of State
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
N
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Vinson & Elkins LLP
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
N
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Wiley Rein LLP
Y
IP
N
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
DNO
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
WilmerHale
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Y
Y
N
N
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DNO
DNO
Y
| 45
WE ARE DIVERSE.
District of Columbia | Maryland | Virginia
ackermanbrown.com
Arnold & Porter is proud to sponsor the
25th Anniversary
Lavender Law Conference
We applaud your work and share your
commitment to equality, diversity and
justice for the LGBT community.
We are proud to support the
National LGBT Bar Association’s
2013 Annual Career Fair & Conference
Atlanta | Brussels | Charlotte | Dallas | Los Angeles | New York
Research Triangle | Silicon Valley | Ventura County | Washington, D.C.
arnoldporter.com
San Francisco
Denver
n
n
Silicon Valley
London
n
n
Los Angeles
New York
n
n
Brussels
Washington, DC
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
The following includes all bios submitted before July 12, 2013. For the most recent bios, please see the app for details.
A
Andrew Sta. Ana – Andrew Sta. Ana is the supervising
attorney at Day One’s direct legal services program. Through
advocacy and direct representation in cases concerning
family law, immigration, and criminal justice advocacy,
Andrew works to protect the rights of young survivors
of intimate partner violence. His practice emphasizes
community partnership, cultural competency, and an analysis
that centers on the experiences of young people and
survivors. At Day One, Andrew provides training on dating
violence, the rights of young people within the legal system,
and the use of technology intimate partner violence. He is a
proud graduate of the City University of New York School of
Law, where he received the school’s Twentieth Anniversary
Scholarship. In 2007, Andrew was the recipient of an Equal
Justice Works Fellowship to confront intimate partner
violence in NYC’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender
(LGBT) communities. As a staff attorney at Sanctuary
for Families, Andrew implemented the LGBT Initiative, a
program to safeguard the rights of LGBT survivors through
a combination of direct services, outreach, education, and
policy advocacy. Andrew utilized these experiences to
enrich the work of advocates around the country by training
thousands on legal remedies for survivors of intimate
partner violence, LGBT rights, and cultural competency. In
September 2011, he was awarded a Courage award from
the NYC City Anti-Violence project for his work to set up and
administer a free legal clinic for LGBTQ survivors of intimate
partner violence. He serves on the advisory board of the
Staten Island LGBT Center.
B
Elise S. F. Baker – Elise Baker, Esq., created Placer Law
Group, APC, after 25 years in the legal profession. Elise
graduated from McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento,
where she earned Traynor Society, Order of Barristers, and
Order of the Coif honors and graduated with distinction.
While a student at McGeorge, Elise took the school’s first
Sexual Orientation and the Law course. She returned to
McGeorge as an adjunct professor in the Appellate Advocacy
practical skills course. Elise became a stay-at-home mom for
several years after her first child was born. When she was
ready to go back to work full-time, Elise decided to open
a law practice that would allow her to continue spending
time with her family. Transactional estate planning and
administration allows her to do that. Elise presents regularly
to professional and community organizations to raise
awareness about the importance of quality estate planning.
She has built a niche practice serving same-sex couples
and enjoys the opportunity to speak at local PFLAG chapter
meetings. Elise has also presented on this issue to the local
Estate Planning Council, which she created in 2008.
Lauren Barros – Lauren Barros is the president of
Jodi A. Argentino – Jodi Argentino is a Partner with
Argentino & Jacobs, LLC, located in Morris County, NJ where
she exclusively practices family law. She is also a State of NJ
Family Law Mediator and is a member of the NJ Association
of Professional Mediators. Jodi obtained her J.D. from
Syracuse University College of Law, where she also received
a Certification of Specialization in Family Law and Social
Policy and was a Teaching Assistant for The Children’s Rights
and Family Law Clinical Program. She is a member of the
Family Law Institute of the National LGBT Bar Association
and is a Member of the Board of Trustees of the NJ Bar
Association LGBT Rights Section. She has been appointed
to the District X Fee Arbitration Committee of the NJ Office
of Attorney Ethics and is an active member of the NJSBA’s
Family Law and Solo and Small Firm Practice Sections. Jodi
writes extensively on Family Law topics, was on the editorial
board for the NJSBA LGBT Rights Section Newsletter, and
was a speaker for the NJ LGBT 2013 Update. Jodi has a wife
and three sons, the youngest two of whom she is proud to
share are infant twins born via co-maternity.
| 47
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
LRBFamilyLaw, a full service family law firm in Salt Lake City,
Utah. In 2013, the readers of the Catalyst magazine named
her one of Utah’s “Catalyst 100,” as a catalyst within our
community. Also in 2013, the Community Foundation of Utah
selected her as one of its “Enlightened 50,” individuals who
are “making a real difference in the lives of Utahns through
innovation, collaboration and commitment to the common
good.” Ms. Barros received the award of “Distinguished
Family Law Practitioner” in 2005-2006 from the Utah State
Bar and a “Most Fabulous Attorney” award from Q Salt
Lake Magazine every year since 2007. She and her husband
received Equality Utah’s Allies Award in 2006. In 2004, Utah
Business Magazine gave her the “Top 40 Under 40 Rising
Stars” award. She is consistently listed in Utah Business
Magazine’s Family Law “Legal Elite.” Ms. Barros is a
Fellow of the American Academy of Assisted Reproductive
Technology Attorneys, Chair of the Equality Utah Legal Panel,
and a member of the Utah State Bar Family Law Executive
Committee (Chair 2011-2012), the Utah Adoption Council,
NCLR’s Family Law Advisory Council, and the Women
Lawyers of Utah (President of the Board, 2001-2002). In the
Baker Donelson is proud to support the
National LGBT Bar Association and the 2013
Lavender Law Conference & Career Fair.
Congratulations on 25 years of promoting diversity in the legal profession.
ALABAMA • FLORIDA • GEORGIA • LOUISIANA • MISSISSIPPI • TENNESSEE • TEXAS •
WASHINGTON, D.C.
www.bakerdonelson.com
THIS IS AN ADVERTISEMENT. Ben Adams is Chairman and CEO of Baker Donelson and is located in our Memphis office, 165 Madison Avenue,
Suite 2000, Memphis, TN 38103. Phone 901.526.2000. ©2013 Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC
| 48
Fall of 2009, Lauren and other concerned attorneys and law
students created Rainbow Law, the first pro bono LGBT Law
Clinic in Utah.
Rebecca Bloomquist – Ms. Bloomquist has served as
patent operations manager at Google for two years.
Previously, she spent two years as the director of legal
recruiting at Solutus & Google and another two years as a
patent litigation associate at Quinn Emanuel. She earned
her J.D. in 2007 from Columbia Law School and was named
a James Kent Scholar. Ms. Bloomquist received her B.A.
in Government from Georgetown in 2003, Phi Beta Kappa;
magna cum laude. She is from Westchester County, NY.
Currently, she is married and living in San Francisco. She is
generally unathletic, but enjoys fundraising triathlons and
arm-wrestling. Ms. Bloomquist loves ocelots and outer space
– hope to combine the two someday.
Andrew Blotky – Andrew Blotky serves as the Director
of Legal Progress at the Center for American Progress in
Washington, DC, where he directs American Progress’s
work around legal policy issues including judicial nominations
and constitutional interpretation. Blotky joined American
Progress after serving as the program manager at the
HJW Foundation, where he directed the foundation’s
progressive infrastructure and legal and public policy
programs. Previously, from 2003 to 2006, Blotky served as
the communications director for Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and
former Rep. Jim Turner (D-TX). From 2006 to 2009, while
attending Stanford Law School, he worked at the law firm
O’Melveny and Myers in Los Angeles and for San Francisco
Mayor Gavin Newsom on education, climate change, and
health initiatives. Blotky has served on the national board
of directors of the American Constitution Society for Law
and Policy, and on the Stanford University Board of Trustees
Committee on Academic Policy, Planning, and Management.
He also worked in the White House Office of Presidential
Speechwriting during the Clinton administration. Blotky
received his B.A. degree in political science with honors in
international security studies from Stanford University and
his law degree from Stanford Law School. He is an adjunct
professor at Stanford University’s Washington, D.C. program
and is a member of the California State Bar.
Tara Borelli – Tara Borelli is a Staff Attorney 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 people with HIV. Borelli coordinates
Lambda Legal’s work on health care fairness, which includes
litigation to obtain equal access to family health benefits
and enforce antidiscrimination protections in health care
settings. Borelli was co-counsel in Esquivel v. Oregon, a
challenge to the State of Oregon’s refusal to provide equal
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
health insurance coverage to transgender employees, which
resulted in the removal of all discriminatory exclusions
from the State’s health plan. Borelli is lead counsel in Diaz
v. Brewer, a federal challenge seeking to protect family
health insurance for Arizona state employees after the
legislature voted to strip that insurance from lesbians and
gay men. Borelli’s work also includes litigation seeking
greater relationship recognition for same-sex couples. Borelli
is currently co-counsel in Sevcik v. Sandoval, a federal case
seeking marriage equality for same-sex couples in Nevada.
Alan H. Boudreau – Alan Boudreau is a mediator and
Collaborative attorney in Chicago, focusing on dispute
resolution, family law and estate planning. Mr. Boudreau
graduated from the University of California, Davis School
of Law. Prior to law school, Mr. Boudreau worked for more
than a decade in the software industry. He received his
undergraduate degree from Harvard University in psychology.
Mr. Boudreau is a volunteer mediator and trainer for the
Center for Conflict Resolution. He serves on the Board of
the National LGBT Bar Association. Mr. Boudreau is the
incoming Chair of the American Bar Association Family Law
Section’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee and
was a Track Chair for the American Bar Association Dispute
Resolution Section’s 2013 Conference. He is also a Fellow of
the Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois and the Chair of the
Chicago Bar Association’s LGBT Committee.
and transgender populations of Southeast Michigan. Prior to
law school, Ms. Brogan-Kator worked as the Chief Financial
Officer for several small-medium size businesses, having
earned her MBA from the University of Colorado in 1986.
She served in the US Navy Submarine Force from 19721976.
Todd Brower – Todd Brower is the Judicial Education
Director for the Charles R. Williams Institute on Sexual
Orientation Law and Public Policy at UCLA School of Law.
He is a professor of Constitutional Law at Western State
University College of Law in Fullerton, California. He has
an LL.M from Yale Law School, a J.D. from Stanford Law
School, an A.B. from Princeton University, and was a
Fulbright scholar in France. Professor Brower served on the
California Judicial Council - Access and Fairness Advisory
Committee and is the author of various law review articles,
research studies and publications on the treatment of
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered persons in the
courts of the United Kingdom, California and New Jersey.
He has worked with the courts of many states and federal
Connie Brenton – Connie Brenton is the General Counsel’s
Chief of Staff and Senior Director for Legal Operations at
NetApp Inc. Prior to joining NetApp, she served as the Legal
Operations Director at Oracle and the Chief of Staff to the
General Counsel and Senior Director for Legal Operations at
Sun Microsystems. Before going in-house, Connie was a civil
litigator. Connie holds a JD, an MBA and a BA in Economics.
She has an expertise in legal process outsourcing, frequently
speaking and writing on the topic. She is a founding member
of CLOC (Corporate Legal Operations Consortium), a bay
area consortium of senior legal operations executives. Connie
was born and raised in Colorado and currently lives in the San
Francisco Bay Area.
Denise Brogan-Kator – Denise Brogan-Kator is the Senior
Legislative Counsel for the Family Equality Council, a national
LGBT family rights organization. She is the immediate
past Executive Director of the statewide LGBT advocacy
organization, Equality Michigan. A 2006 graduate of the
University of Michigan’s Law School, Ms. Brogan-Kator
was the first openly transgender law student to matriculate
at the law school. She now teaches Sexual Orientation,
Gender Identity and the Law at the University of Michigan
Law School. Prior to joining Equality Michigan, Denise and
her spouse, Mary Kator (UM Law class of 1984), founded
the Rainbow Law Center to serve the legal needs of the gay
Proud to support
Lavender Law Conference and
Career Fair
Chicago Cincinnati Cleveland Columbus Costa Mesa Denver
Houston Los Angeles New York Orlando Washington, DC
www.bakerlaw.com
| 49
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
agencies on judicial education programs and with the
National Judicial College, the National Association of State
Judicial Educators, the National Association of Women
Judges, the National Center for Juvenile and Family Court
Judges, and the California Center for Judicial Education and
Research.
Joan M. Burda – Joan M. Burda is a lawyer who practices in
Lakewood, Ohio. She is the award-winning author of Estate
Planning for Same-Sex Couples, Second Edition (ABA 2012)
and Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Clients: A Lawyer’s Guide
(ABA 2008). She writes about LGBT legal issues for online
and print publications. Ms. Burda speaks on LGBT issues at
conferences and workshops around the country. Ms. Burda
is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Case Western Reserve
University School of Law and teaches Sexual Orientation and
the Law. She also teaches Contracts, Civil Procedure and
Administrative Law in the Legal Studies Program at Ursuline
College. Ms. Burda lives in Lakewood with her spouse,
Betsy.
Perspective
Bank of America is a proud sponsor of the National LGBT
Bar Association’s 2013 Lavender Law Conference and
Career Fair, and congratulates the Association on the
25th Anniversary of Lavender Law.
©2013 Bank of America Corporation. | AR199930
| 50
Erin Buzuvis – Erin Buzuvis is a professor of law at Western
New England University in Springfield, Massachusetts. She
researches and writes about gender and discrimination in
sport, including such topics as the interrelation of law and
sports culture, intersecting sexual orientation and race
discrimination in women’s athletics, retaliation against
coaches in collegiate women’s sports, the role of interest
surveys in Title IX compliance, participation policies
for transgender and intersex athletes, and Title IX and
competitive cheer. Additionally, she is a co-founder and
contributor to the Title IX Blog, an interdisciplinary resource
for news, legal developments, commentary, and scholarship
about Title IX’s application to athletics and education.
Professor Buzuvis currently serves as the Director of the
law school’s Center for Gender & Sexuality Studies. She
also teaches courses on administrative law, employment
discrimination, Title IX, torts and property.
C
Judge Mark Cady – Justice Mark S. Cady, Ft. Dodge, was
appointed to the Iowa Supreme Court in 1998 and was
named Chief Justice in 2011. He was born in Rapid City,
South Dakota. Chief Justice Cady earned both his
undergraduate and law degrees from Drake University. After
graduating from law school in 1978, he served as a judicial
law clerk for the Second Judicial District for one year. He was
then appointed as an assistant Webster County attorney and
practiced with a law firm in Fort Dodge. Cady was appointed
a district associate judge in 1983 and a district court judge
in 1986. In 1994, he was appointed to the Iowa Court of
Appeals. He was elected chief judge of the Court of Appeals
in 1997. Chief Justice Cady is a member of the Order of
Coif (honorary), American Bar Association, Iowa State Bar
Association, Iowa Judges Association, and Iowa Academy of
Trial Lawyers (honorary). Chief Justice Cady is the coauthor
of Iowa Practice: Lawyer and Judicial Ethics (Thomson-West
2007). He is also the coauthor of Preserving the Delicate
Balance Between Judicial Accountability and Independence:
Merit Selection in the Post-White World, 16 Cornell J.L. &
Pub. Pol’y 101 (2008), and the author of Curbing Litigation
Abuse and Misuse: A Judicial Approach, 36 Drake L. Rev.
481 (1987). He is married and has two children. His current
term expires December 31, 2016.
Pat Cain – Patricia A. Cain is Professor of Law at Santa Clara
University and the Aliber Family Chair in Law, Emerita, at
the University of Iowa. She is a graduate of Vassar College
and received her J.D. from the University of Georgia. She
began her academic career at the University of Texas at
Austin, where she was a member of the faculty for 17 years,
before moving to Iowa in 1991. She has been at Santa
Clara since 2007. She is the author of Rainbow Rights: the
role of lawyers and courts in the lesbian and gay civil rights
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
movement (Westview Press 2000) and Sexuality Law,
2nd Edition (Carolina Academic Press 2009)(with Arthur S.
Leonard). Professor Cain is a member of the American Law
Institute and a fellow of the American College of Trust and
Estate Counsel. She teaches courses in federal taxation,
property, wills and trusts, and sexuality and the law. Most of
her recent scholarship focuses on tax planning for same-sex
couples. She maintains a blog called Same Sex Tax Law. See
http://law.scu.edu/category/same-sex-tax/
Dominic Campodonico – Dominic Campodonico is a
partner in Gordon & Rees’ San Francisco office. He has
more than 15 years of experience representing healthcarerelated clients. Mr. Campodonico has served as national
litigation coordinating counsel, regional counsel, and local
counsel in litigation involving a variety of pharmaceuticals
and medical devices. He also assists clients with highstakes matters that frequently occur simultaneously with
litigation, such as risk management and compliance, FDA/
regulatory issues, government investigations, suits under
the federal and California False Claims Act, insurance, and
crisis communications. In addition to his legal practice, Mr.
Campodonico is an active member of the Bar Association
of San Francisco including serving on the Board of Directors
of the Justice & Diversity Center and being involved with
the Equality Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender Issues. He is also a member of Bay Area
Lawyers for Individual Freedom where he has participated
on its Judiciary, Dinner, and Amicus Committees, as well as
serving, twice, as a co-chair of the annual fundraising/awards
event. Mr. Campodonico has been published in the San
Francisco Daily Journal, and has presented at national and
local seminars, concerning LGBT issues that impact the legal
community.
Judge Anthony Cannataro – Anthony Cannataro was
elected to the Civil Court of the City of New York in 2011
and is currently serving as an Acting Judge of the Family
Court, Kings County (Brooklyn) specializing in custody,
visitation, and family offense proceedings. Prior to joining
the bench, Judge Cannataro began his legal career as
an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of New York.
He then clerked for the Hon. Carmen Beauchamp Cirparick
at the New York State Court of Appeals, New York’s highest
tribunal. He also served as Law Clerk to the Hon. Lottie
Wilkins in New York Supreme Court. In addition to his
responsibilities on the bench, Judge Cannataro proudly
serves as co-chair of the LGBT Rights Committee of the
New York City Family Court Administrative Judge’s Advisory
Council and as co-chair of the Kings County Family Court
Teen Day Committee. He is active in the New York City Bar
Association, the New York County Lawyers Association, and
the Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association of New York City
(LeGaL).
Leonore Carpenter – Leonore Carpenter is an Assistant
Professor of Law at Temple University’s Beasley School
of Law in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Professor Carpenter
teaches Legal Research and Writing, Sexual Orientation,
Gender Identity and the Law, and Introduction to Public
Interest Law. Her scholarship focuses on LGBT rights and on
public interest lawyering. Professor Carpenter was recently
named one of the 40 best LGBT lawyers under 40 by the
National LGBT Bar Association. Prior to joining the Temple
Law faculty on a full-time basis, Professor Carpenter served
as Legal Director at Equality Advocates Pennsylvania, a public
interest agency that provided direct legal services, education,
and policy reform advocacy for lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender (LGBT) Pennsylvanians. At Equality Advocates,
Professor Carpenter provided oversight of statewide litigation
strategy and coordination of direct representation and amicus
curiae participation. Professor Carpenter also oversaw
Equality Advocates’ statewide legal hotline, and acted as an
adjunct clinical instructor to Temple Law students in an LGBTrights clinical course that she designed. Professor Carpenter
began her employment at Equality Advocates Pennsylvania
BuckleySandler is a proud
sponsor of the Lavender Law
Conference and congratulates
the LGBT Bar Association on
its 25th anniversary
With nearly 150 lawyers in Washington, DC, New York, Los
Angeles, and Orange County, BuckleySandler provides
best-in-class legal counsel to meet the challenges of the
financial services industry. “The best at what they do in
the country.” (Chambers USA)
Washington, DC New York, NY Los Angeles, CA Orange County, CA
www.buckleysandler.com | www.infobytesblog.com
| 51
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
in 2001 as an Equal Justice Works Fellow, representing
LGBT victims of hate crime and domestic violence. Professor
Carpenter is a graduate of Temple Law, where she received
the Beth Cross Award for commitment to underserved
populations. Following graduation from law school, Professor
Carpenter completed a clerkship with the Honorable Harold
B. Wells, III of the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate
Division.
Helen J. Carroll – Helen Carroll is the Director of the
National Center for Lesbian Rights’ Sports Project, which
aims to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender
players, coaches, and administrators receive fair and equal
treatment—free of discrimination. She joined NCLR in 2001
after spending 30 years as an athlete, coach, and collegiate
athletic director. Carroll is well known in the sports world
as an acclaimed National Championship Basketball Coach
from the University of North Carolina-Asheville. She was a
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and National
Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Athletic
Director at Mills College for twelve years, and now devotes
all her efforts to helping the sports world recognize that
Carlton Fields is pleased
to sponsor the Lavender
Law® Conference &
Career Fair
Carlton Fields is dedicated to
promoting diversity and fostering
an environment of inclusion
and respect.
2014 Vault Diversity Rankings:
• 1st in Overall Diversity
• 1st in Diversity for LGBT
Scan the QR code to
www.carltonfields.com
Scanview
theAQR
code
to view
Legal
Handbook
LGBT Floridians
A Legalfor
Handbook
for LGBT
and Their Families.
Floridians and Their Families.
Atlanta • Miami • New York • Orlando • St. Petersburg
Tallahassee • Tampa • West Palm Beach
| 52
the inclusion of people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/
or transgender or intersex, diversifies and strengthens the
sport experience. Carroll works closely with major national
sport organizations including the Women’s Sports Foundation
and the NCAA. She has been a featured speaker on panels
with Nike, ESPN’s ‘Outside the Lines’, The New York Times,
and many others. She is featured in Dr. Pat Griffin’s book,
Strong Women, Deep Closets and The Outsports Revolution
by authors Jim Buzinski and Cyd Ziegler Jr. and is co-author
with Dr. Griffin for On the Team: Equal Opportunity for
Transgender Student Athletes and the NCAA Guide for
Transgender Athlete Inclusion. Carroll is currently assisting
state athletic associations in adopting policies for the
inclusion of their high school student-athletes.
Lawrence Chanen – Larry Chanen is a Senior Vice President
and Associate General Counsel in the JPMorgan Chase
Legal and Compliance Department, where he handles a
number of large bankruptcy/workout litigation matters for the
firm. For many years, he has been a Senior Sponsor of the
JPMorgan Chase Pride employee networking group. Larry
has long been active in the LGBT community organizations
in the New York area, most recently serving as co-Chair of
the Board of Directors of SAGE (Services and Advocacy for
GLBT Elders), the nation’s oldest and largest organization
dedicated to the LGBT older community. He is now the
founding co-chair of SAGE’s National Leadership Council and
last year received SAGE’s Community Service Award. Among
his other activities, Larry served as a member of the Board of
the Empire State Pride Agenda, was a member of the Legal
Advisory Committee and a Cooperating Attorney for Lambda
Legal, and co-founded the Lesbian and Gay Community
Mediation Service, which became the Center Mediation
Service. In November 2010, Larry was the recipient of the
“Out and Proud Corporate Counsel Award” from the National
LGBT Bar Association. Prior to JPMorgan Chase, Larry was at
Pan American Word Airways, Inc. and a partner at Whitman
and Ransom. He received his B.A. from the University of
Michigan and his J.D. from New York University School of
Law. He resides on Roosevelt Island, New York with his
partner of 19 years, Jack Burkhalter.
Kunoor Chopra – Kunoor is a founding member of Elevate.
Previously she was the Founder, President and CEO of
LawScribe, Inc., one of the pioneer legal process outsourcing
companies formed in 2004 providing litigation, corporate
and intellectual property support services to law firms and
corporations. LawScribe was acquired by UnitedLex in 2010,
where she continued as Senior Vice President of Global Legal
Services. Kunoor’s clients include AmLaw 100 law firms and
global 1000 companies. Kunoor is a recognized authority in
the area of legal process outsourcing where she has been
interviewed by the press. She speaks internationally on
the topic and has had a variety of articles published on the
topic. She is on the Board of Governors for the Organization
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
of Legal Professionals and on the Board of Directors for
the Library Foundation of Los Angeles. Prior to LawScribe,
Kunoor practiced as an attorney at Nossaman and Fulbright &
Jaworski in Los Angeles.
Judge Linda Colfax – A member of the San Francisco
Superior Court, Judge Colfax was elected in 2010. As a
judge, Linda presided over civil trials for the first 9 months,
juvenile dependency matters for 15 months, and for the last
8 months has been serving as a family law judge. Prior to
taking the bench, Linda was a San Francisco Public Defender
for over 13 years. In addition to being a public defender,
she served as the vice president of the Municipal Attorneys
Association, the collective bargaining unit for San Francisco’s
city employed attorneys. Linda also served on the board of
the ACLU of Northern California and is a past board member
of BALIF, the Bay Area LGBTQ legal organization and past
president of Women Defenders, a networking and education
group for Bay Area women defense attorneys. Judge Colfax
received her B.A. in 1990 from Harvard and her J.D. in
1996 from the University of Michigan. Linda resides in San
Francisco with her wife, Kristin, and their children Hannah
and Elias. Currey Cook – Currey Cook is a Senior Staff Attorney
with the Youth in Out-of-Home Care Project in the National
Headquarters Office of Lambda Legal. Before joining
Lambda, Cook was the Co-Director of the Bronx office of The
Children’s Law Center New York (CLCNY), a non-profit law
firm representing children in custody, visitation, guardianship,
domestic violence, and related abuse and neglect
proceedings. Cook has served as a consultant to The National
Juvenile Defender Center in Washington, D.C. and worked in
Burundi with an ABA Rule of Law Initiative assisting former
child soldiers. In 2009, he was a visiting professor for the
Child Advocacy Clinic at Rutgers Law School Newark. Before
relocating to NYC, Cook lived in Anchorage, Alaska and
worked in the child advocacy section of the Office of Public
Advocacy (OPA) for twelve years as a juvenile defender and
guardian ad litem and later as supervising attorney. Cook
was the recipient of the Alaska Bar Association Pro Bono
Service Award for a Public Sector Attorney and Light of
Hope Award for his advocacy on behalf of Alaskan children.
Cook graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.A.
in Journalism and received his law degree, cum laude, from
Mercer University in 1994.
officer of the SAG-Producers Pension and Health Plans and as
a member of the boards of royalty distribution organizations
SoundExchange, the AFM & SAG-AFTRA Intellectual
Property Rights Distribution Fund, and the SAG-AFTRA &
Industry Sound Recordings Digital Payments Distribution
Fund. Crabtree-Ireland is also a SAG-AFTRA delegate to the
International Federation of Actors (FIA), and the convenor
of FIA’s LGBT Equality Working Group, in addition to being
the staff leader for the SAG-AFTRA LGBT Committee. He is
also an adjunct professor of law at the University of Southern
California Law School, focusing on international law, and a
judge pro tem for the Los Angeles Superior Court. CrabtreeIreland received his Bachelor of Science in foreign service
from Georgetown University and his Juris Doctorate from the
University of California, Davis, School of Law, where he was
inducted into the Order of Barristers.
Patience Crozier – Patience Crozier is a principal of
Kauffman Crozier LLP, a family law firm in Cambridge,
Massachusetts. Polly’s practice focuses on all areas of
family law, particularly adoption, divorce, dissolution,
domestic
partnership agreements, assisted
reproductive
ClearyGottlieb_LGBTBar_BW_Ad_Layout
1 7/15/13
4:37 PM Page 1
proudly supports
N EW YORK
WASHI N GTON
PARIS
B RUSSELS
LON DON
MOSCOW
The National
LGBT Bar Association
and congratulates them
on their
25th Anniversary
FRA N KFURT
COLOGN E
ROME
MILA N
HON G KONG
B EIJI NG
BUEN IS A IRES
SÃO PAULO
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland – Duncan Crabtree-Ireland is chief
administrative officer and general counsel of SAG-AFTRA,
the world’s largest entertainment and media artists union,
representing actors and performers, news and entertainment
broadcasters, and recording artists. SAG-AFTRA was formed
in 2012 by the merger of the former Screen Actors Guild
and AFTRA. He is responsible for SAG-AFTRA’s legal affairs,
strategy and administration. Crabtree-Ireland serves as an
AB U DHA B I
SEOUL
clearygottlieb.com
| 53
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
technology, paternity and guardianship. In addition to her
practice, Polly has served as co-chair and board member of
the Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association, on the Steering
Committee of the Boston Bar Association’s Family Law
Section, and as an appointed member of the MBA/BBA
Joint Alimony Task Force. Polly also speaks and writes on
topics related to her work. Polly’s chapter entitled “Parental
Rights After Relationship Dissolution” was included in
GLAD’s book Transgender Family Law: A Guide to Effective
Advocacy. Polly is admitted to practice in Massachusetts
and New York. She earned her J.D. magna cum laude from
Boston College Law School and her B.A. with distinction
from Yale University. Polly has been honored with the
BC Law School Recent Graduate Award (2010) and the
Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Up and Coming Lawyer
Award (2010). She has been recognized by the National LGBT
Bar Association as a Top LGBT Lawyer Under 40 (2011) and
by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in 2009-2012.
Ez Cukor – Ez Cukor is an Irving R. Kaufman fellow at New
York Legal Assistance Group working in the LGBT and
Justice at Work Projects representing low wage workers in
Congratulations
We are pleased to support the
National LGBT Bar Association’s 2013
Congratulations on your 25th anniversary!
| 54
employment matters. Ez focuses on outreach and providing
culturally competent representation to transgender, gender
non-conforming, lesbian, gay, and bisexual workers. Ez is on
the New York City Bar Association LGBT Rights Committee
and is admitted to the bar in New York and the U.S. District
Court Eastern District of New York.
D
Lisa Damon – Ms. Damon is the National Chair of Seyfarth’s
Labor & Employment Department, where she represents
management in the area of labor and employment law.
Her practice has a particular emphasis on litigation of
discrimination and harassment claims, in the context of
single-plaintiff actions and multiple plaintiff claims. Ms.
Damon was one of the founding partners of Seyfarth’s
Boston office which opened in 1999 with seven lawyers. The
office is now over 80 lawyers. Ms. Damon has considerable
experience litigating and advising clients concerning
all aspects of employment law. Ms. Damon is also on
Seyfarth’s Executive Committee and leads the Seyfarth
Lean Six Sigma program throughout the Firm. Seyfarth
has trained GreenBelts to lead client teams to deliver high
value, predictably priced legal services to meet client needs.
Ms. Damon is a certified GreenBelt. Ms. Damon speaks
extensively, both on a local and national level. Within the past
year, Ms. Damon has been recognized with four prominent
national accolades: She was named one of the top 10
Agents of Change in the Financial Times U.S. Innovative
Lawyer Report 2012; she was featured among the 10 most
innovative attorneys in the country by the ABA Journal’s
“Legal Rebels: Big Change in Big Law”; she was honored by
Chambers USA as the 2012 Woman Employment Attorney
of the Year, in large part due to her efforts with SeyfarthLean;
and, she was recognized by the Association of Corporate
Counsel as a 2012 ACC Value Champion.
Jon W. Davidson – Jon Davidson is the Legal Director
of Lambda Legal, the largest and oldest national legal
organization committed to achieving full recognition of
the civil rights of LGBT people and those living with HIV.
Based in the organization’s Western Regional Office in Los
Angeles, Davidson is responsible for strategically guiding
Lambda Legal’s legal work nationally and supervising the
organization’s attorneys, Legal Help Desk specialists, and
legal assistants in all five of Lambda Legal’s offices. He
has worked on a broad range of LGBT and HIV-related
legal matters for more than 25 years, and was honored
with the National LGBT Bar Association’s Dan Bradley
lifetime achievement award in 2010. Over the last decade,
Davidson has been actively involved in fighting to win and
defend legal protections for same-sex couples and their
families and challenging the constitutionality of Section 3
of the federal “Defense of Marriage Act,” including co-
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
authoring amicus briefs to the Supreme Court in both the
Hollingsworth v. Perry and Windsor v. United States cases. A
Stanford University and Yale Law School graduate, 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.
Shelbi Day – Shelbi Day is a Staff Attorney in the Western
Regional Office of Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest
national legal organization committed to achieving full
transgender people and people with HIV. Day has devoted
her career to civil rights work, focusing exclusively on LGBTand HIV- related issues since 2007. During this time, she
has worked on a diverse range of issues affecting the LGBT
community. Last year, Day filed an amicus curiae brief in
the Ninth Circuit, arguing that a peremptory strike based on
juror’s sexual orientation is impermissible pursuant to Batson
v. Kentucky and its progeny. She also recently was a guest
lecturer for the National Criminal Victim Law Institute on
the unique hurdles LGBT people face in accessing criminal
and civil justice. Prior to joining Lambda Legal in 2012, Day
worked as a Staff Attorney at the ACLU of Florida, National
Center for Lesbian Rights, and Southern Legal Counsel. From
2002-2003, she was a law clerk for Hon. Charles R. Wilson of
the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Q. Todd Dickinson – Q. Todd Dickinson is the Executive
Director of the American Intellectual Property Law
Association, a bar association of over 15,000 members and
one of the world’s leading policy and advocacy organizations
in the field of intellectual property. He has over 30 years
of experience, including having served as Under Secretary
of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the
United States Patent and Trademark Office under President
Clinton. Mr. Dickinson has also been both Vice President and
Chief Intellectual Property Counsel for the General Electric
Company, and a partner in the Howrey law firm. Mr. Q.
Todd Dickinson has served as an officer of the Intellectual
Property Law Section of the American Bar Association and
on the Executive Committee of the Intellectual Property
Owners Association. He has been named as one of the “50
Most Influential People in Intellectual Property” by Managing
Intellectual Property Magazine and was recently inducted into
the IAM IP Hall of Fame. Mr. Dickinson earned his B.S. from
Allegheny College in 1974, and his J.D. from the University of
Pittsburgh in 1977. He is admitted to the bars of the District
of Columbia, Pennsylvania, Illinois, California, the US Patent
and Trademark Office, and the Court of Appeals for the
Federal Circuit.
Jon Dobson – Jon Dobson serves as the Assistant Secretary
of TC PipeLines GP, Inc., General Partner of TC PipeLines,
LP. He was appointed Assistant Secretary of the General
Partner in April 2012. Mr. Dobson’s principal occupation is
Associate General Counsel, Corporate and Securities Law
in the U.S. Corporate Secretarial group of TransCanada,
a position he has held since November 2011. He joined
TransCanada in January 2011 as Senior Legal Counsel, U.S.
Corporate and Securities Law and held that position until
November 2011. Prior to joining TransCanada, Mr. Dobson
spent 18 years in corporate legal and law firm positions, most
recently from May 2008 to January 2010 as Vice-President
and Assistant General Counsel of Nash Finch Company, a
Minneapolis, Minnesota based wholesale food distributor
and grocery retailer. Mr. Dobson is a member of the New
York and Minnesota bar. He serves on an in-house securities
law advisory panel and mentors young in-house attorneys
through the Association of Corporate Counsel. He earned his
Bachelor of Arts in History and Economics, with High Honor,
from South Dakota State University in 1989 and his Juris
Doctorate, with Sterling Honors, from the University of South
Dakota School of Law in 1992.
crowell & moring llp
National LGBT Bar Association,
Lavender Law Conference & Career Fair
and congratulates the association
on celebrating its
25th Anniversary
WASHINGTON, DC
ORANGE COUNTY
NEW YORK
ANCHORAGE
SAN FRANCISCO
LONDON
LOS ANGELES
BRUSSELS
CROWELL.COM
| 55
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Nicole Dogwill – Nicole Dogwill is a litigation partner that
advises and defends leading established and emerging
companies, as well as their directors and officers, on
matters involving fiduciary duty, corporate governance,
securities, fraud, antitrust/unfair business practices, trade
secret and related business litigation claims. She has
significant experience defending claims against directors
and officers. Ms. Dogwill received a B.A. in Political Science
and Economics from the University of Michigan in 1994 and
a J.D., magna cum laude, from Michigan State University
College of Law in 1998, where she was managing editor
of MSU College of Law Review. Ms. Dogwill was included
as a “future star” in both the 2012 and 2013 editions of
Benchmark Litigation. She is a member of the National LGBT
Bar Association’s Board of Directors, and is their current
Treasurer and President-Elect.
Chris Dolan – Chris is an associate in the Minneapolis office
of Faegre Baker Daniels LLP and specializes in environmental
and natural resources litigation, environmental review, and
administrative proceedings. His litigation practice is focused
on complex environmental litigation arising under the
Davis Polk proudly
supports the LGBT Bar.
Congratulations on
25 years of advancing
the LGBT legal
community and
best wishes for
continued success.
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation,
and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act (RCRA), and a variety of state statutes. Chris
has also developed a strong pro bono practice focusing on
civil rights issues affecting the LGBT community as well
as child custody and adoption matters. Chris also serves
as a trustee of The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth,
Minnesota. Prior to joining Faegre Baker Daniels, Chris
worked as a McCleary law fellow with the Human Rights
Campaign and as a legal and policy associate with Workplace
Flexibility 2010, a policy initiative of the Alfred P. Sloan
Foundation and Georgetown University. In 2010, Chris was
named as an inaugural recipient of the National Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Bar Association’s Best
LGBT Lawyers Under 40 Award. He is also a recipient of the
Equality and Justice Award from the Minnesota Lavender Bar
Association and was honored as a 2012 Attorney of the Year
by the Minnesota Lawyer magazine. Christian Dowell – Christian Dowell currently serves as
Legal Director, Global Brand & IP Litigation at Yahoo!.
As a member of Yahoo!’s Intellectual Property Asset
Management team, Christian’s role is a global one, in which
he is responsible for managing a heavy docket of trademark
and patent litigation matters, as well as Yahoo!’s global
trademark prosecution practice. Prior to joining Yahoo!,
Christian practiced law at the firm of Keats McFarland &
Wilson in Beverly Hills, California, which recently merged
with Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton. While at KMW,
Christian enjoyed the distinct opportunity to work with some
of the world’s most recognizable brands and intellectual
property content providers, including major motion picture
studios, multi-platinum Grammy award-winning artists, and
leading video game producers. Christian handled copyright,
trademark, class action, and general commercial litigation
matters, as well as providing a wide range of intellectual
property counseling. Christian’s pro-bono activities include
actively supporting The Trevor Project as Secretary of its
Board of Directors. He also serves as the Vice-President of
the Board of Directors of the Yahoo! Employee Foundation.
E
New York
Menlo Park
Washington DC
São Paulo
London
davispolk.com
| 56
Paris
Madrid
Tokyo
Beijing
Hong Kong
© 2013 Davis Polk & Wardwell llp
Erik Emro – Erik Emro serves as Employee Relations
Associate Counsel at Target Corporation. In this role, Erik is
responsible for creating and driving the defense strategy for
all charges of employment discrimination filed nationwide
against the company. Erik has worked to identify and engage
a talented and diverse team of outside attorneys to ensure
superior handling of Target’s administrative charge work.
Erik served as a leader on Target’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transgender and Ally (LGBTA) Business Council– an
employee resource group aimed at fostering an inclusive
culture for Target’s LGBTA team members, guests, and
communities, and remains an active member of the group.
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
A 2010 graduate of Hamline University School of Law in
St. Paul, Minnesota, Erik is also a proud member of the
National LGBT Bar Association and its affiliate member, the
Minnesota Lavender Bar Association.
Bill Eskridge – Bill Eskridge is the John A. Garver Professor
of Jurisprudence at the Yale Law School and the co-author of
a field-creating casebook, three monographs, and dozens of
law review articles on sexuality, gender, and the law.
Iván Espinoza-Madrigal – Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, Legal
Director of the Center for HIV Law and Policy, is a civil
rights attorney specializing in legal issues affecting the
LGBT community and those living with HIV, particularly in
immigration law. His cases have been featured in the New
York Times and New York Law Journal. He speaks nationally
on civil rights issues, and provides legal commentary to
CNN, Univision, Telemundo, and the Huffington Post. Most
recently, Espinoza-Madrigal worked at Lambda Legal, where
he focused on marriage equality, immigration, and issues
affecting LGBT and HIV-affected people of color. Previously,
he handled MALDEF’s immigrants’ rights docket, including
a challenge to Arizona’s immigration law, and a landmark
Supreme Court voting rights case. He also worked at Fried
Frank, where he defended the municipal identification card
of New Haven, Conn., against an attempt to dismantle the
program – a case that had a direct impact on cities across
the country. Espinoza-Madrigal clerked for Judge Clay in
the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and Judge
Ellis in the U.S. District Court, S.D.N.Y. He received a JD
from NYU School of Law, where he was a Root-Tilden-Kern
Scholar, and a BA, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa,
from the University of Pennsylvania. The National LGBT Bar
Association has recognized him as one of the Best LGBT
Lawyers Under 40.
James D. Esseks – James Esseks is Director of the ACLU
Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender & AIDS Project. James
oversees litigation, legislative lobbying, policy advocacy,
organizing, and public education around the country that
aims to ensure equal treatment of LGBT people by the
government; equal protections for LGBT couples and
families; protection from discrimination in jobs, schools,
housing, and public accommodations; and fair treatment
by the government of people living with HIV. James was
counsel in United States v. Windsor, which challenged
the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act; in In
re Marriage Cases before the California Supreme Court;
in Schroer v. Billington, where a federal court ruled that Title
VII’s ban on sex discrimination covers transgender people;
and in successful challenges to Florida, Arkansas, and
Missouri’s bans on adoption and foster parenting by lesbians
and gay men. He graduated from Yale College and Harvard
Law School, where he was editor-in-chief of the Harvard
Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review. He clerked for the
Honorable Robert L. Carter, United States District Judge
for the Southern District of New York, and the Honorable
James R. Browning, United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth
Circuit.
F
Praveen Fernandes – Praveen joined JAS in March of
2012. He comes from the American Constitution Society
for Law & Policy (ACS), where he worked for six years,
most recently as Director of Programs for National Security,
Technology, Labor, and the Environment. Before working at
ACS, Praveen counseled clients at Patton Boggs LLP and
Ropes & Gray LLP on regulatory, legislative, and public policy
matters, with a focus on health care and Food and Drug
Administration issues. Praveen also served as a lobbyist and
legislative lawyer for the Human Rights Campaign, where
he worked on judicial nominations, relationship recognition,
appropriations, HIV/AIDS, and other LGBT equality issues.
He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina (Chapel
Hill) School of Law, has a master’s degree in Public Health
from the University of North Carolina School of Public Health
and holds a B.A. in biomedical ethics from Brown University.
Debevoise is
proud to sponsor
the Lavender
Law Career Fair
and Conference
New York
Washington, D.C.
London
Paris
Frankfurt
Moscow
Hong Kong
Shanghai
| 57
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
The National LGBT Bar Association named Praveen to its
2010 “Top 40 under 40” list, which recognizes LGBT lawyers
under the age of 40 who have distinguished themselves
through their work for LGBT equality.
Kate Fitzgerald – Kate Fitzgerald oversees the business
development for Squire Sanders’ Global Litigation Practice,
which consists of more than 250 litigators throughout the US,
Europe and Asia Pacific. Kate brings over 15 years of legal
marketing, business development and executive coaching
experience to her work and has led numerous initiatives
focused on revenue generation, regional expansion, vertical
marketing, practice expansion, lateral integration, as well
as marketing department re-organizations. For several
years, Kate ran her own consulting firm, Deane Marketing
& Communications, where her clients included regional,
national and international law firms, such as DLA Piper,
Lindquist & Vennum, Littler Mendelson, McDonough Holland
& Allen, Nixon Peabody, Orrick, Preston Gates, Tomlinson
Zisko. Other clients included BuzzBack Market Research,
Clear Impact, LyonMartin Health Services and PacificTherX.
Kate has written and spoken extensively on marketing and
Advancing Diversity & Inclusion
Faegre Baker Daniels is proud to support
the National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender Bar Association’s efforts to
promote justice for the LGBT community
in and through the legal profession.
FaegreBD.com/Diversity
| 58
business development. She was a contributing columnist to
the Daily Journal’s EXTRA magazine for several years. She
is also an adjunct faculty member of Berkeley City College.
Prior to working with law firms, Kate worked in the book and
magazine publishing industry.
Judge Michael Fitzgerald – Judge Fitzgerald currently
serves as a United States District Judge for the United States
District Court for the Central District of California. Judge
Fitzgerald was born and grew-up in Southern California. He
graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1981
and from the School of Law of the University of California,
Berkeley (Boalt Hall) in 1985. He was elected to the Order
of the Coif, received the American Jurisprudence Award in
Criminal Law, and served as Managing Editor of the Industrial
Relations Law Journal. He clerked for the Honorable Irving
R. Kaufman of the United States Court of Appeals for the
Second Circuit. In Los Angeles, Judge Fitzgerald worked both
as a federal prosecutor and in private practice. He was trial
counsel in Buttino v. FBI, a pro bono case that caused the
FBI to change its policy of viewing a homosexual orientation
as a security risk. He served pro bono as Deputy General
Counsel of the Rampart Commission, which investigated the
Los Angeles Police Department. Before his appointment,
Judge Fitzgerald was a partner at Corbin, Fitzgerald & Athey
LLP, handling criminal and civil cases. Upon Senator Barbara
Boxer’s recommendation, President Obama nominated him
to the United States District Court on July 20, 2011. The
Senate confirmed the nomination on March 15, 2012, and
the President appointed him that same day.
Judge Phyllis Frye – Phyllis Randolph Frye is an Eagle
Scout, a former member of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets,
a US Army veteran (1LT-RA 1970-72), a licensed engineer,
a licensed attorney, a father, a grandmother and a lesbian
wife. She is the first out transgender judge in the nation.
Now having lived almost sixty percent of her life as the
woman she always felt herself to be, Phyllis remains on
the cutting edge of LGBTI and especially transgender legal
and political issues. When the “gay” community was still
ignoring or marginalizing the transgender community in the
early 1990’s, Phyllis began the national transgender legal
and political movement (thus she is known as being the
movement’s “Grandmother”) with the six annual transgender
law conferences (ICTLEP) and their grassroots training.
Attorney Frye is one of the Task Force’s 1995 “Creator of
Change” award winners. In 1999 she was given Int’l Fndn
Gender Education’s Virginia Prince Lifetime Achievement
award. In 2001 she was given Lavender Law’s highest
honor, the Dan Bradley Award. She was honored beginning
in 2009 by Texas A&M University with an annual Advocacy
Award given in her name. In 2013 the Houston Transgender
Unity Committee gave her its Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 2010 Phyllis was sworn-in as the first out transgender
judge in the nation, as a City of Houston Associate Municipal
Judge. She retains her senior partnership with Frye, Steidley,
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Oaks and Benavidez, PLLC, (liberatinglaw.com) which is an
out LGBTI-and-straight-allies law firm. While the members
of the firm practice law in a variety of areas, Phyllis devotes
her practice exclusively to taking transgender clients – both
adults and minors – through the Texas courts to change the
clients’ names and genders on their legal documents.
J.D. Fugate – J.D. Fugate is Assistant General Counsel for
Regulatory Affairs - Enterprise Privacy in Microsoft Legal
and Corporate Affairs, helping customers keep control of
their personal information. J.D. has provided general counsel
to several businesses in his Microsoft career, bringing
many versions of Windows to market since 1998, leading
and contributing to cross-company teams on healthcare
compliance, silicon partner strategy, contract simplification,
and attracting and retaining diverse employees. J.D. joined
Microsoft after counseling the company externally for several
years from the Seattle office of K&L Gates, LLP. He spent
his formative years raising cattle on his family’s farm in
Tennessee before earning degrees at Wake Forest University
and Yale Law School. He sings upper bass with Seattle
Men’s Chorus, relentlessly sharing show tunes with his
longsuffering partner and their howling dogs.
Theodore Furman – Ted Furman is a Vice President in
the GlaxoSmithKline(GSK) Legal Department managing
a global team handling GSK’s Consumer Healthcare,
Dermatology, and Ophthalmology patent matters, having
joined GSK in 2002. Ted has also been a member of the
patent departments at Bristol-Myers Squibb and the
RCA Corporation and has a total of 32 years in the patent
profession. Ted is co-chair of GSK Legal’s Diversity and
Inclusion Steering Team which includes members from
around the world. Under Ted’s leadership that Steering Team
has succeeded in implementing programs and practices
including the leveraging of GSK’s external legal spend to
promote diversity in the profession, providing summer
internships for diverse law students, providing a Young
Inventors Program for grade school children, and providing
Career Days for law students, to name a few. These and
related efforts have led to GSK being the first Pharma
company to sign on to the Law Society’s (UK) Diversity
and Inclusion Charter in 2010, GSK Legal being an MCCA
Mid-Atlantic Region Employer of Choice for 2010, and GSK
scoring a 100 on HRC’s ‘Best LGBT Places To Work’ list for
8 consecutive years. GSK Legal’s Diversity efforts under Ted
have also garnered the ACC’s 2011 award for Outstanding
Commitment to Diversity by a Law Department in the
Philadelphia area (DELVACCA) as well as the National LGBT
Bar Association’s 2012 Out and Proud Corporate Counsel
Award in 2012 in Philadelphia. Also, for the past 9 years Ted
has served as Executive Sponsor for GSK’s Philadelphia-area
LGBT Employee Resource Group, SPECTRUM, and is proud
to have led or sponsored successful efforts to obtain health
coverage for gender reassignment surgeries for transgender
employees, to provide grossing up for domestic partner
benefits, to provide Safe Zone training within GSK, and to
include LGBT into GSK’s Supplier Diversity efforts.
G
Jackie Gardina – Professor Jackie Gardina teaches at
Vermont Law School where she specializes in four main
areas: civil procedure; administrative law; bankruptcy,
with a special emphasis on environmental obligations in
bankruptcy; and sexual orientation and gender identity
issues. Professor Gardina graduated magna cum laude
from Boston College Law School. Upon graduation, she
clerked for Chief Judge William Young of the United States
District Court for the District of Massachusetts and then
for the Honorable Levin Campbell of the First Circuit Court
of Appeals. In addition, she was an associate at the Boston
firm of Choate, Hall, and Stewart, where she practiced in the
commercial litigation department. In addition to her teaching
duties, Professor Gardina has spoken and written on a
variety of topics including the Defense of Marriage Act, the
interstate recognition of same-sex relationships, the Solomon
Foley is proud to be a
sponsor of the National
LGBT Bar Association’s 25th
Anniversary Lavender Law
Conference and Career Fair.
Come and meet some of our attorneys at
the conference and career fair!
For more information, please contact our
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Allies (LGBTA)
Affinity Group leaders, Jack Lord Jr. at [email protected]
or Eileen Ridley at [email protected].
Foley.com
©2013 Foley & Lardner LLP
| 59
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Amendment and Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. She is currently the
co-president of Society of American Law Teachers (SALT)
and she has served on the AALS Government Relations
Committee and the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network
(SLDN) Board.
Shawn Gaylord – Shawn Gaylord is the Director of Public
Policy for GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education
Network and has been with the organization for eight
years. GLSEN’s policy work is focused on legislative and
policy change at the federal, state and local level to make
schools safer for all youth, regardless of sexual orientation
and gender identity. Shawn received his undergraduate
degree from the University of Buffalo and a law degree from
Georgetown University Law Center. He previously served as
the Deputy Director for the Sexual Minority Youth Assistance
League (SMYAL) and as an associate at Harmon, Curran,
Spielberg and Eisenberg, LLP. In addition, Shawn has worked
extensively on the intersection of LGBT rights and human
3.625” x 4.875”
rights through his work as a staff member and volunteer for
Amnesty International’s OUTFront Program.
Diversity of People.
Diversity of Thought.
At Freddie Mac, our inclusive
culture encourages and values
diversity of thought.
Different perspectives make us
stronger and drive our success in
making home possible for millions.
Learn more at
FreddieMac.com/Careers
| 60
Thomas E. Gaynor – Thomas Gaynor’s practice includes
structuring and negotiating complex international
corporate transactions. Thomas has handled public and
private international company mergers and acquisitions,
recapitalizations, venture and private equity financings, joint
ventures and domestic/offshore investment fund creation.
He represents companies from initial start-up stages
through various exits, as well as multinational entities and
has provided a broad range of legal services and business
strategy advice. His international practice focuses on Italy
and France. Thomas has guided several mediation and
litigation matters to successful conclusions for clients with
his team of specialty counsel. Thomas is co‐author of “The
Top Ten for Start‐up Entrepreneurs,” Points & Authorities,
Winter 2010/2011. Thomas is a member of the Association
of Corporate Growth in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Judge Linda Giles – A graduate of McGill University (B.A.,
Economics, 1974) and New England School of Law (J.D.,
cum laude, 1977), where she served as Case Comment
Editor of the Law Review, Judge Giles was engaged in the
private practice of law, specializing in trial practice, before
joining the bench. In 1991, she was appointed as the first
openly lesbian judge in Massachusetts to be an Associate
Justice of the Boston Municipal Court by Governor William F.
Weld; and, in 1998, she was elevated to the Superior Court
by Governor Argeo Paul Cellucci. Judge Giles has served
as chair of the Massachusetts Trial Court’s Gender Equality
Advisory Board and president of the International Association
of LGBT Judges. She has participated in many educational
programs on a variety of topics, such as gender equality,
substance abuse, the enhancement of the judicial system,
and access to justice, and has done much work in the area
of domestic violence, serving on a number of committees
and panels and authoring the Judicial Commentary in the
Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education book, Obtaining,
Enforcing and Defending 209A Restraining Orders. She
formerly was an Adjunct Professor of Law at New England
School of Law, teaching “Children and the Law,” and
presently teaches “Trial Practice” at Suffolk University Law
School. Judge Giles is a recipient of the Massachusetts
Judges Conference’s Judicial Excellence Award (President’s
Award), the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Public Service
Award, Boston College Law School’s Lambda Student
Association’s “Courage in Coming Out” Award, and the
North Shore Gay Alliance 15th Anniversary Award.
Alison Gill – Alison Gill is the Government Affairs Director
at The Trevor Project, where she coordinates advocacy for
LGBTQ youth mental health and well-being through policy
initiatives at the federal, state, and local level. Prior to joining
The Trevor Project, Alison worked at the Gay, Lesbian &
Straight Education Network, where she provided technical
assistance and resources to advocates seeking policy change
at the state and local level. Alison also engages in local
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
trans advocacy in Washington, DC, through organizations
such as the DC Trans Coalition and Trans Legal Advocates
of Washington. Alison received her J.D. from George
Washington University Law School.
David Godfrey – David Godfrey is a senior attorney at the
ABA Commission on Law and Aging in Washington DC. He is
responsible for the ABA’s role in the Administration on Aging
funded National Legal Resource Center. Prior to joining the
Commission he was responsible for elder law programming
at Access to Justice Foundation in Kentucky. Mr. Godfrey
earned his B.A. with honors at Rollins College in Winter
Park, Florida, and his J.D. cum laude from the University Of
Louisville School Of Law in Kentucky.
Virginia Goggin – Virginia Goggin spearheaded
NYLAG’s LGBT Law Project at NYLAG in 2008 after receiving
the Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe Community Responsibility
Fellowship. Virginia represents and advises LGBT (lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transgender) community members in
a variety of legal areas including child custody, domestic
violence, second parent adoption, succession rights in
housing, wills and advanced directives. She received NYC’s
Anti-Violence Project’s Courage Award for her work in
forming the Domestic Violence Legal Clinic at AVP. Prior
to NYLAG, Virginia worked at The Legal Aid Society in the
Disability Advocacy Unit. She was an AmeriCorps Service
Member for two years serving in a low-income housing
project in Columbus, Ohio. Virginia graduated from New York
Law School in 2008. She received the Hank Henry Judicial
Fellowship from the LGBT Law Association of Greater New
York (LeGaL) in 2005 and was awarded the Joseph Solomon
Public Service Fellowship in 2007.
the World Professional Association for Transgender Health
(WPATH). Jamison has appeared in over a dozen educational
documentary films, including the award-winning You Don’t
Know Dick and Trans. His work on anti-discrimination
legislation, policy work on healthcare access and insurance
reform has impacted governments, healthcare administration
and delivery systems, and businesses throughout the
world. He has been recognized with numerous awards,
including the Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists’
Distinguished Service Award for his contributions to LGBT
mental health, the Transgender Advocacy Award from the
National LGBT Bar Association, and the Vanguard Award
from the Transgender Law Center. He will serve as President
of WPATH from 2014-2016.
Julie Greenberg – Professor Greenberg is a professor at
Thomas Jefferson School of Law. Her path-breaking work
on gender identity and intersexuality has been cited by a
number of state and federal courts, as well as courts in other
countries. Her work has been quoted in hundreds of books
and articles and she has been invited to speak at dozens of
national and international conferences on the subject. She
Gavin Gray – Gavin Gray is the Chief Information
Officer at Perkins Coie, a national firm of 900 lawyers
headquartered in Seattle, Washington. He has more
than 15 years of organizational leadership and project
management experience in large international law firms.
Gavin’s background includes a variety of management roles
in and outside of technology which affords him a unique
perspective on law firm operations and organizational
dynamics. Gavin joined Perkins Coie in 2010 and is based in
New York.
Jamison Green – Jamison Green, PhD (Law), MFA (Writing),
is internationally known as a leader in transgender health,
policy, law, and education. He is the author of the prizewinning book Becoming a Visible Man (Vanderbilt University
Press, 2004), and led FTM International from March 1991
to August 1999, helping to inspire the contemporary global
transgender movement. He has served as a director of such
organizations as the International Foundation for Gender
Education, TransYouth Family Allies, Gender Education &
Advocacy, Inc., the Transgender Law & Policy Institute, and
| 61
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
joined the TJSL faculty in 1990 and was the Associate Dean
for Faculty Development from 2003-2005. She serves on
a number of nonprofit organizations’ boards of directors
and has also been involved in a variety of community
service projects relating to the rights of women and sexual
minorities. Professor Greenberg’s work on behalf of LGBTI
rights was recognized by the Tom Homann LGBT Bar
Association in 2006 when it presented her with the “Friend
of the Community” award. She also was voted by her peers
as one of San Diego’s Top Attorneys in Academics for 2006,
2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2013. Sharra E. Greer – Sharra Greer has been an adjunct faculty
member at American University – Washington College of
Law since 2011. Ms. Greer is also the Policy Director for
the Children’s Law Center. Children’s Law Center provides
legal services to at-risk children and their families focusing
on children who face instability as a result of abuse, neglect
or extreme parental conflict, as well as children with special
education or health needs. The Policy program takes
knowledge gained from representing individual clients to
advocate for changes in the law and its implementation.
Gibson Dunn is a proud supporter of the
and the
Lavender Law
Conference & Career Fair
www.gibsondunn.com
Brussels  Century City  Dallas  Denver  Dubai  Hong Kong  London  Los Angeles  Munich  New York
Orange County  Palo Alto  Paris  San Francisco  São Paulo  Singapore  Washington, D.C.
| 62
Previously Ms. Greer developed the policy department at
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN). In addition
to creating and supervising that policy department, she
supervised the group’s successful legal services and impact
litigation efforts. Ms. Greer began her legal services work
while at Rutgers Law School, when she worked at Camden
Regional Legal Services. After law school, she was an
associate with the firm of Weissman & Mintz, specializing
in plaintiffs’ side employment discrimination and labor law.
Ms. Greer left Weissman & Mintz to serve as a staff attorney
with the National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP).
There, Ms. Greer worked on cases before the Court of
Appeals for Veterans Claims and represented plaintiffs’ in
two class actions through NVLSP’s Agent Orange Resource
Center. Recently, Sharra helped design and create Lawyers
Serving Warriors, a program which provides pro bono legal
services for returning veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Sharra graduated with honors from Rutgers in 1994 and
received her BAs from the University of Washington.
Marty Grenhart – Marty Grenhart is the Recruitment
Programs Manager at UC Berkeley School of Law. She
manages both the Fall and Spring On-Campus Interviewing
Programs, and is the primary liaison between employers and
the law students they seek to recruit. She advises employers
on ways to convey their unique strengths to their target
population, and in doing so, helps them develop long-range
outreach strategies to maximize their recruiting potential.
Ms. Grenhart is an active member of both NALP (National
Association for Law Placement) and BALRA (Bay Area
Legal Recruiters Association), and has served in leadership
positions in both organizations.
Tamara E. Kolz Griffin – Tamara Kolz Griffin is a solo
practitioner in Wayland, Massachusetts. Her practice
primarily focuses on estate planning and probate with a
particular expertise in serving the needs of same-sex couples
and non-traditional families. Tamara is also a clinical instructor
at Harvard Law School where she teaches estate planning
and serves as the Associate Director of the Estate Planning
Clinic through which she collaborates with the LGBT Clinic
to serve the estate planning needs of LGBT clients. Tamara
is a member of the American College of Trust and Estate
Counsel (ACTEC), a nonprofit association of lawyers whose
members are elected to the College by demonstrating the
highest level of integrity, commitment to the profession,
competence and experience as trust and estate counselors.
Prior to establishing her own solo practice, Tamara was a
partner in the Boston office of Holland & Knight, LLP, where
she practiced for 15 years. Tamara received her B.S. from
Northeastern University summa cum laude in 1990, where
she graduated first in her class. She earned her J.D. degree
cum laude in 1993 from Harvard Law School and an L.L.M. in
taxation from Boston University School of Law in 2002. She
may be reached at [email protected].
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Debra E. Guston – Ms. Guston is a partner in the law firm
of Guston & Guston, L.L.P., Glen Rock, New Jersey. She
graduated cum laude from Mount Holyoke College, holds
a M.A. from Emerson College and received her J.D. from
Cardozo School of Law. Ms. Guston represents a broad
spectrum of clients in family matters; adoptions; estate
planning, litigation and administration; non-profit formation
and management and other practice areas designed to
meet the needs of the LGBT and general communities. Ms.
Guston is currently Vice President of the Board of Trustees
of ACLU-NJ. Ms. Guston has recently been honored by
her alma mater, Cardozo School of Law with its LGBT
organization’s E. Nathaniel Gates Award for achievement and
contribution to the LGBT legal community and with the New
Jersey State Bar Association’s LGBT Rights Section Lifetime
Achievement Award. She is a past Chair of the LGBT Rights
Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association and a
member of the NJSBA’s Family Law Section Executive
Committee and is a member of the Executive Committee
of the LGBT Family Law Institute, a joint project of the
National Center for Lesbian Rights and the National LGBT
Bar Association that brings together attorneys experienced
in LGBT family law and related fields. She is a member of
NCLR’s National Family Law Advisory Committee.
Jody Herman – Jody L. Herman holds a Ph.D. in Public
Policy and Public Administration from The George
Washington University, where she also earned her M.A. in
Public Policy. She is the Peter J. Cooper Public Policy Fellow
and Manager of Transgender Research at the Williams
Institute at the UCLA School of Law. She has worked on
issues of poverty, women’s rights, and anti-discrimination
policy development with non-profit research, advocacy, and
direct-service organizations in the United States and Mexico.
Before joining the Williams Institute, she worked as a
research consultant on issues of voting rights in low-income
minority communities and gender identity discrimination.
She also served as a co-author on the groundbreaking report
Injustice at Every Turn, based on the National Transgender
Discrimination Survey conducted by the National Gay and
Lesbian Task Force and the National Center for Transgender
Equality.
Megan Hey – Megan Hey is a Deputy Attorney General in
the Environment Section of the California Department of
Justice. Her duties include representing the state and state
agencies on matters concerning the California Environmental
H
Wendy Hartman – Wendy E. Hartmann was born in
Brooklyn, New York and received her B.S. in Business
Administration from the State University of New York at
Oswego. She received her Juris Doctor degree from the
University of LaVerne College of Law and her LL.M in
Taxation from Golden Gate University School of Law. Ms.
Hartmann is admitted to practice before the United States
Supreme Court, United States District Court for the Central
District of California, and the United States Tax Court. Ms.
Hartmann is certified by the State Bar of California Board of
Legal Specialization as a Certified Specialist Estate Planning,
Trust and Probate Law, and has been selected for 2011,
2012 and 2013 as one of the top attorneys in Southern
California. Prior to receiving her J.D. and LLM degrees, she
practiced for more than twenty years in the areas of taxation,
accounting, estate planning, business management and
development, and human resources, as well as serving for
several years as a Vice President at a nationwide human
resource consulting firm. Ms. Hartmann now specializes in
the areas of estate planning, trust administration, probate,
taxation, business formation and development, adoption and
family formation, with a large portion of her practice devoted
to advising the LGBT community. She is a frequent lecturer
in the areas of estate taxation as well as the evolving laws
affecting the LGBT community.
Goodwin Procter LLP is proud to sponsor the
NatioNal lGBt Bar associatioN
2013 laveNder law
coNfereNce & career fair
We applaud and support the efforts of the
LGBT Bar to promote justice in and through
the legal profession for the LGBT community
in all its diversity.
Boston | Hong Kong | London | Los Angeles | New York
San Francisco | Silicon Valley | Washington DC | www.goodwinprocter.com
| 63
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Quality Act, hazardous substances control and hazardous
waste laws, and state regulation of nuclear energy facilities,
among other things. Prior to government service, she
litigated and advised public and private clients on complex
issues about the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act,
CERCLA, RCRA, California’s Proposition 65, and the California
Environmental Quality Act. Meg has also represented public
and private entities on a variety of commercial litigation
matters regarding contracts, product liability/mass tort, land
use, eminent domain, real property and asbestos.
Sony’s LGBT employee resource group, organized Sony’s
participation in San Diego Pride for the past four years, and
spearheaded Sony’s participation in the HRC Corporate
Equality Index (with annual scores in the nineties). Last year,
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. On a personal note, Tristan has two young
children. She loves writing, traveling, kayaking, musicals,
bow ties, lattes and craft beer.
Tristan Higgins – Tristan has a BA in Theater and went to
law school to become an entertainment lawyer. She began
her career as a prosecutor in San Diego, and went on to
do entertainment law for the Screen Actors Guild in Los
Angeles. After advising SAG in its 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.
Tristan now advises the component sales division in Silicon
Valley and works frequently with Sony’s headquarters in
Tokyo on high tech licensing and sales. Tristan co-founded
Elizabeth L. Hillman – Elizabeth Hillman is Provost,
Academic Dean, and Professor of Law at University of
California Hastings College of the Law. Born and raised in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Provost Hillman attended Duke
University on an Air Force ROTC scholarship, earned a
degree in electrical engineering, and served as a space
operations officer and orbital analyst in the U.S. Air Force.
She taught history at the Air Force Academy and Yale
University and law at Rutgers University School of Law
at Camden before joining the UC Hastings faculty. Her
scholarship focuses on military law, history, and culture,
topics about which she has published two books, Military
Justice Cases and Materials (2d ed. 2012, LexisNexis, with
Eugene R. Fidell and Dwight H. Sullivan) and Defending
America: Military Culture and the Cold War Court-Martial
(Princeton University Press, 2005), and many articles. She
has testified before Congress, served as an expert at trial,
and commented in the media about military justice, sexual
orientation, and gender in the U.S. armed forces. She is
president of the National Institute of Military Justice, a
non-profit dedicated to promoting fairness in and public
understanding of military justice worldwide, co-legal director
of the Palm Center, a public policy research institute that
played a key role in ending the “don’t ask/don’t tell,” and a
member of an independent panel chartered by Congress in
2013 to review and assess the military’s response to sexual
assault.
1 7 5 0 At to r n e y s | 3 6 Lo c At i o n s W o r L d W i d e ˚
Greenberg traurig is proud to sponsor the
Lavender Law conference & career Fair.
We congratulate The National LGBT Bar Association
on its 25th Anniversary and support its commitment
to inclusion and diversity in the legal profession.
MARC B. KOENIGSBERG
1201 K street, suite 1100
sAcrAmento, cALiForniA 95814
GreenberG TrauriG, LLP | aTTorneys aT Law | www.GTLaw.com
Greenberg traurig is a service mark and trade name of Greenberg traurig, LLP and Greenberg traurig,
P.A. ©2013 Greenberg traurig, LLP. Attorneys at Law. All rights reserved. °these numbers are subject
to fluctuation.
21607
| 64
Currey Hitchens – Currey works to ensure access to justice
and opportunities out of poverty for low income individuals
in rural Georgia through direct client representation as an
attorney with the Georgia Legal Services Program. She and
a dedicated group of LGBTQ advocates are attempting to
queer up GLSP and make sure GLSP is inclusive of lowincome LGBTQ Georgians in the 154 mostly rural counties
served by GLSP. Currey was born in Georgia and has worked
as a teacher and as an attorney with GLSP for the past 3 ½
years. She enjoys being a parent and running with her dog
when she finds time.
Valerie L. Hletko – Valerie Hletko is a partner in the
Washington, DC, office of BuckleySandler LLP. Ms.
Hletko represents financial institutions in examinations,
investigations, and administrative enforcement actions
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
initiated by the DOJ, the FDIC, the Federal Reserve Board,
the CFPB, HUD, and state bank regulatory agencies and
state attorneys general. Her enforcement practice is focused
on a broad range of consumer finance issues, including fair
and responsible lending, financial products trade practices,
mortgage fraud, and mortgage loan servicing. Ms. Hletko
has represented financial institutions in individual and private
class action litigation alleging violations of federal and state
fair lending laws, mortgage fraud, and unfair, deceptive,
or abusive acts or practices. Ms. Hletko also counsels
financial institutions on risk management, loss mitigation,
and residential mortgage loan modification programs, and
compliance with consumer protection laws. She lectures
and publishes on subjects of interest to financial institutions,
including fair and responsible banking practices, regulatory
enforcement trends, and short-term, small-dollar loan
products. Ms. Hletko received her B.A. from Kenyon College
(magna cum laude), her M.T.S. from Harvard University, and
her J.D. from the University of Chicago.
Lousene Hoppe – Lousene Hoppe practices in the White
Collar & Regulatory Defense, Commercial Litigation, and
Health Care Fraud & Compliance Groups at Fredrikson &
Byron, P.A. She has worked on a variety of white collar
cases, including tax evasion, healthcare fraud, foreign
corrupt practices (FCPA), financial crimes, environmental
crimes, False Claim Act defense, and other serious criminal
misdemeanor & felony cases. She also has handled cases
involving assault and sexual violence and has represented
several LGBT clients in criminal and civil matters. Lousene
currently serves as the Co-Chair of the ABA Criminal Justice
Section’s LGBT Committee. She sits on Leadership Advisory
Board for the ABA Young Lawyers Division and the National
LGBT Bar Association’s ABA Committee.
John Hughes III – John is a member of Sullivan &
Cromwell’s Litigation Group. His practice focuses on
commercial litigation, creditors’ rights, and white collar
criminal defense matters. He has been involved in Article
78 and fraudulent conveyance actions in New York State
court brought against MBIA, Inc. to challenge the insurance
company’s 2009 multi-billion dollar restructuring. John’s
work on the case included drafting major merits briefs and
similar filings and consulting frequently with leading outside
experts in the field of administrative and insurance law
during the briefing of several legal issues of first impression.
John was also involved in the representation of a large
international bank in a sanctions investigation brought by
the U.S. Department of Justice, the Manhattan District
Attorney’s Office, and federal and state banking regulators.
He regularly attended and presented at meetings with senior
bank management and the bank’s general counsel, and
prepared advocacy presentations that involved coordination
with outside consultants to create “trial-quality” interactive
graphics addressing complex legal and factual issues. He has
also advised on appellate strategy, settlement negotiations,
and securities fraud. John is a member of the LGBT Network,
and performs pro bono work, including for a program that
assists transgender individuals.
John C. Hummel – As an attorney John C. Hummel has
focused on civil rights, equal employment opportunity, and
employment law, with a specialty in LGBT rights, including
significant work in transgender law and policy. His career
has included government service for three states (Idaho,
Colorado, and now Minnesota), work with LGBT nonprofit
organizations in three states (Idaho, Colorado, and Oregon),
and private legal practice in Idaho. Hummel is licensed in
the state and federal courts of Idaho and Colorado, and
admitted to practice before the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.
He was the first openly gay attorney in Idaho, where he
co-founded Your Family Friends & Neighbors (YFFN) in
1990, which produced the state’s first public LGBT Pride
Celebration. He was also a leader in the successful campaign
against the Idaho statewide anti-gay ballot measure known
as Proposition One in 1994. From 2004 to 2007, Hummel
A rainbow
of career
opportunities
HP is a proud sponsor of the LGBT Bar
Association and congratulates them
on their 25th anniversary.
Choosing a brilliant career, it matters.
Visit hp.com/jobs
©2013 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
HEHCORP11707_LGBT_Ad_LLCG.indd
| 65
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
served as the Legal Director of the Gay Lesbian Bisexual &
Transgender Community Center of Colorado. Hummel is the
principal author of the interpretative regulations promulgated
by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission in 2009 to interpret
the state’s antidiscrimination protection based upon sexual
orientation, inclusive of transgender status. He is currently
serving a one-year appointment as an Investigator and Equal
Opportunity Consultant with the Minnesota Department of
Human Services in St. Paul.
Nan D. Hunter – Nan D. Hunter is Associate Dean for
Graduate Programs and Professor of Law at Georgetown
University Law Center. In addition, she is Legal Scholarship
Director at the Williams Institute at UCLA. Dean Hunter
writes primarily in two fields: state regulation of sexuality and
health law. She co-authored the casebook Sexuality, Gender
and the Law, now in its third edition with a new Fall 2013
Supplement. Her articles in both fields have appeared in the
Michigan Law Review, the University of Pennsylvania Law
Review, the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review,
the Georgetown Law Journal, the Minnesota Law Review,
the Virginia Law Review, and the NYU Law Review, among
Bold. Brilliant. Diverse.
others. From 1993 to 1996 she served as Deputy General
Counsel at the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services; after leaving HHS, she was a member of the
President’s Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection
and Quality in the Health Care Industry. Dean Hunter
received the Pioneer of Courage award from the American
Foundation for AIDS Research and the first Dan Bradley
award from the National LGBT Bar Association. She blogs at
www.hunterofjustice.com.
I
Alesdair Ittelson – Alesdair Ittelson is a Skadden Fellow and
Staff Attorney at the Southern Poverty Law Center. Alesdair’s
work addresses anti-LGBTQ bias as experienced by
individuals or groups facing intersectional axes of oppression.
Alesdair combines education and legal advocacy in an
effort to promote equity in schools, correctional facilities,
and health care settings. In his current capacity, Alesdair
travels throughout the Deep South where he has trained
school officials, counselors, court staff, parole officers,
youth detention officers, and prison guards, among others.
He is also the lead SPLC attorney on M.C. v. Aaronson, the
first-of-its kind lawsuit challenging a genital “normalizing”
surgery performed on an infant with an intersex condition
while the child was in foster care. Alesdair received his B.A.
from Brandeis University and his J.D from the University of
California, Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law, where he was
a member of the California Law Review and the chair of the
Boalt Hall Queer Caucus.
J
We celebrate the mission of the National LGBT
Bar Association to promote justice in and through
the legal profession for the LGBT community
in all its diversity. We are proud to sponsor the
K&L Gates LLP. Global legal counsel in 48 fully
integrated offices across five continents. Learn more
at klgates.com.
Brad Jacklin – Brad Jacklin works for Representative Sean
Patrick Maloney and is a representative for the Congressional
LGBT Equality Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Prior to joining Mr. Maloney and the Equality Caucus in 2013
Brad was with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force for
three years working on federal administrative agency policy
to impact how LGBT people and families are treated by
and interact with federal government programs. Previously
Brad worked with the Human Rights Campaign, AIDS Legal
Services at the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, and on both
state and local candidate and issue campaigns. Brad earned
his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and his JD from
Santa Clara University.
David Jaquette – David Jaquette is an Attorney in the
Trademark Group at Microsoft, where he supports the
Corporate Sales Division and Interactive Entertainment
Business. In this role, he provides clearance, prosecution,
licensing, and enforcement advice for some of Microsoft’s
most prominent brands, including its house brand and
| 66
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
products such as the Xbox. David has also been actively
involved in shaping Microsoft’s trademark strategy for
ICANN’s new top-level domain expansion. Before joining
Microsoft in August 2012, David was an Associate at Jones
Day in Washington, DC, where he focused on trademark
and advertising litigation. Before that, he was an Associate
at Howrey LLP. David graduated from American University’s
Washington College of Law and received his undergraduate
degree from Amherst College. Michael R. Jarecki – Michael R. Jarecki is the principal
of the Law Office of Michael R. Jarecki in Chicago, a firm
concentrating in U.S. Immigration and Nationality Law. He
represents businesses, employees, families, and individuals
before government agencies within the country and at U.S.
consular posts worldwide. Mr. Jarecki is Secretary of the
Chicago Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers
Association (AILA). He has served as Chair of the National
LGBT Working Group of AILA and as a member of various
AILA liaison committees with the U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services (USCIS) and Customs and Border
Protection (CBP) in Chicago. Mr. Jarecki has the honor to
serve on the Advisory Committee to Congressman Mike
Quigley of Illinois’ 5thCongressional District, advising on
issues related to immigration and LGBT rights. Mr. Jarecki
has been recognized by SuperLawyers as a Rising Star in
Illinois for Immigration and was named one of the Best
LGBT Attorneys Under the Age of 40, Class of 2012, by the
National LGBT Bar Association, an affiliate of the American
Bar Association. Mr. Jarecki is a graduate of Loyola University
Chicago, Phi Beta Kappa. He received his J.D. from the
University of Illinois College of Law, where he was a member
of the law review. Contact information may be found
at www.jareckilaw.com.
Courtney Joslin – Courtney Joslin is a Professor at UC Davis
School of Law. Professor Joslin received her undergraduate
degree from Brown University and her law degree from
Harvard Law School, where she was an executive editor of
the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review. Prior to
joining the faculty at UC Davis, Professor Joslin served as an
attorney at the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR),
where she litigated cases on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual,
and transgender people and their families. Professor Joslin’s
areas of interest include family and relationship recognition,
particularly focusing on same-sex and nonmarital couples.
Professor Joslin’s publications have appeared in the Boston
University Law Review, the Harvard Civil Rights - Civil
Liberties Law Review, the Harvard Law & Policy Review,
the Iowa Law Review, the Ohio State Law Journal, and
the Southern California Law Review. Her article, Modernizing
Divorce Jurisdiction: Same-Sex Couples and Minimum
Contacts was selected as a winner of the 2011 AALS New
Voices in Gender Studies Paper Competition.
K
Danny Kirchoff – Danny Kirchoff is currently the Helpline
Manager at the Transgender Law Center. He graduated
from Antioch College in 2000, after which he moved to San
Francisco, CA, where he worked at Horizons Foundation
& Equality California & served on the LGBT Advisory
Committee of the SF Human Rights Commission & board
of directors of Transgender Law Center. Danny attended
the City University of New York School of Law where he
was both a Haywood Burns Fellow in Civil & Human Rights
& Point Foundation Scholar. During law school, he interned
at Sylvia Rivera Law Project, the Economic Justice Project,
Transgender Law Center, & Disability Rights Project of NY
Lawyers for the Public Interest. After graduating in 2009,
Danny was an Equal Justice Works Fellow at Transgender
Law Center, focusing on increasing access to social services,
homeless shelters & public benefits for trans* Californians.
Ben Klein – Ben Klein is a Senior Attorney and has been
the AIDS Law Project Director at Gay & Lesbian Advocates
& Defenders (GLAD) since 1994. He has litigated cases
We take stock in
diversity to maximize
our returns.
We actively seek candidates with a wide variety
of backgrounds, interests and life experiences.
Please join us as we continue to build a more
diverse legal community.
kayescholer.com
Copyright © 2013 by Kaye Scholer LLP. (07092013)
| 67
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
in state and federal trial and appellate courts establishing
legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
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 all people with HIV. He
argued the Connecticut marriage litigation, Kerrigan & Mock
v. Department of Public Health, 289 Conn. 135 (2008). He
has also been co-counsel in numerous cases involving the
rights of transgender persons, including O’Donnabhain v.
Commisioner of Internal Revenue (134 T.C. 34 2010), a U.S.
Tax court decision ruling that gender reassignment surgery is
“medical care” for the purpose of tax deductions, and Doe
v. Clenchy, a case involving a transgender fifth grade girl’s
access to the girls’ restroom at school, currently pending
before the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. He is a 1982
graduate of Oberlin College and a 1987 graduate of Boston
University School of Law.
Nancy Knauer – Professor Knauer is the I. Herman Stern
Professor of Law and Director of Law & Public Policy
Programs at Temple Law School where she teaches Political
Our best wishes
for continued success.
McDermott Will & Emery is committed to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
(LGBT) equality within our Firm and the broader legal profession. We warmly
congratulate The National LGBT Bar Association as it celebrates 25 years of
promoting justice for the LGBT Community in and through the legal profession.
www.mwe.com
Boston Brussels Chicago Düsseldorf Frankfurt Houston London Los Angeles Miami Milan
Munich New York Orange County Paris Rome Seoul Silicon Valley Washington, D.C.
Strategic alliance with MWE China Law Offices (Shanghai)
McDermott Will & Emery conducts its practice through separate legal entities in each of the countries
where it has offices. This communication may be considered attorney advertising. Previous results are not
a guarantee of future outcome.
| 68
& Civil Rights, Property, and Taxation. Her scholarship
examines the role of the law in the regulation and production
of identity. Professor Knauer has written and lectured
widely on the legal recognition of same-sex relationships
and the unique challenges facing LGBT elders. Drawing
on materials from law, history, and social theory, her
book, Gay and Lesbian Elders: History, Law, and Identity
Politics in the U.S., outlines reforms that are necessary
to ensure equity and dignity in aging regardless of sexual
orientation. Professor Knauer received a Dukeminier Award
and the Stu Walter Prize from the Williams Institute at UCLA
Law School for LGBT Elder Law: Toward Equity in Aging,
32 Harvard Journal of Law & Gender 1 (2009). Professor
Knauer was one of only 25 law professors selected for a
nation-wide study, What the Best Law Teachers Do, which
will be published by Harvard University Press in 2013.
Selections were made from more than 250 nominees
teaching at over 100 law schools. Professor Knauer has
received numerous awards for her teaching, scholarship, and
service.
Judge Victoria Kolakowski – Judge Victoria Kolakowski is
the first openly transgender trial judge in the United States;
she was elected to the Alameda County Superior Court in
November 2010. Judge Kolakowski was an attorney for
twenty one years in Louisiana and California, serving as a
sole practitioner, attorney in a small firm, as general counsel
for a publicly traded company, as a senior government
utility regulatory attorney, and as an administrative law
judge for two different California agencies. Since coming
out publicly in 1989, Judge Kolakowski has been a leader in
numerous local, state and national LGBT legal, political and
spiritual organizations. Her many accomplishments include
co-authoring Berkeley, California’s domestic partner public
registration ordinance in 1991 and co-chairing the board of
directors of the Transgender Law Center, an organization
focused on the well-being and protection of transgender
individuals. She was also honored as an “Outstanding
Woman of Berkeley” (1995) by the Berkeley Commission
on the Status of Women. In 2011, Judge Kolakowski served
as a Community Grand Marshal for San Francisco Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride and was named by the
Equality Forum as one of 31 international Icons for LGBT
History Month.
Kevin Kraham – Kevin is a shareholder in Littler Mendelson’s
DC office. He provides day-to-day advice, counseling, and
training to employers and represents clients in employment
and labor matters in federal and state courts and before
administrative agencies and arbitrators. Kevin partners
with clients to help ensure that human resources and labor
relations practices and programs support and drive business
plans. Earlier in his career, he was an administrative judge,
law clerk, and investigator for the EEOC. Kevin lives on the
Hill and is the proud father of two sons. Kevin serves on
the board of directors of The National LGBT Bar Association
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
and is a member of Littler Pride, Littler’s LGBTA affinity
group. Littler has long been recognized for its commitment
to diversity and community outreach, including receiving a
100% rating in the HRC Corporate Equality Index in 2013,
2012, 2011, 2010, and 2009. Littler is proud to be among
the 278 employers and associations of employers that filed
a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of Edith
Windsor’s successful challenge to the Defense of Marriage
Act.
Noah Kressler – Noah Kressler is a senior associate in the
firm’s Capital Markets practice group. Mr. Kressler advises
issuers, underwriters and selling stockholders in connection
with public and private offerings of securities, including
initial public offerings, follow-on and secondary equity
offerings, PIPEs and debt offerings. He also advises clients
regarding corporate governance issues and securities law
compliance. He has practiced in the firm’s New York and
London offices. He represented STR Holdings, Inc. and
GlobeOp Financial Services in their initial public offerings,
as well as issuers or underwriters for proposed initial public
offerings for companies in the internet, restaurant, health
care and pharmaceutical industries. He has also represented
Univision Communications, Lantheus Medical Imaging,
Inc. and Universal Hospital Services, Inc. in high yield debt
offerings and the underwriters in offerings by Hertz Global
Holdings, Inc., Lear Corporation, Frontier Communications
and USIS, Inc. Mr. Kressler has experience in private equity
and acquisition finance, representing Berkshire Partners
and OMERS Private Equity in their acquisition of Husky
International (IFLR 2011 Private Equity Deal of the Year),
Thomas H. Lee Partners in their acquisitions of Ceridian
Corporation, MoneyGram International and Party City, NBC
Universal in their acquisition of The Weather Channel and
HM Rivergroup PLC in their acquisition of Houghton Mifflin.
He also has a range of experience in corporate matters,
including representing Trump Entertainment Resorts in
their restructuring, AutoTrader Group in their acquisition
of an interest in Bitauto and Ceridian Corporation in their
acquisition of Dayforce.
Elizabeth Kristen – Elizabeth Kristen is the Director of
the Gender Equity & LGBT Rights Program and a Senior
Staff Attorney at the LAS–ELC. She represents workers
in employment discrimination cases including cases
involving discrimination on the basis of gender, pregnancy,
disability, sexual orientation, national origin, and race as
well as cases in which employers have violated family
and medical leave laws. She also engages in community
education, negotiations, litigation and policy work on behalf
of female students who have not been afforded equal
athletic opportunities under Title IX. Prior to beginning her
work at LAS–ELC in 2002 as a Skadden Fellow, she clerked
for the Honorable James R. Browning on the Ninth Circuit
Court of Appeals in San Francisco. She graduated from
Berkeley Law in 2001 where she was selected for the Order
of the Coif. She also served as an Editor for the California
Law Review. Ms. Kristen is a member of the American
Association of University Women, the National Employment
Lawyers Association and the California Employment Lawyers
Association and a past Board member of the Pride Law
Fund. In 2012-13, she served as a Harvard law School
Wasserstein Public Interest Fellow. She was a lecturer at
Berkeley Law School from 2008-2013. She is currently a
member of CELA Voice. L
Karen Langsley – Karen Langsley is a solo practitioner
and a Certified Child Welfare Law Specialist. Her practice
consists primarily of Child Welfare Law, Collaborative Law,
traditional family litigation, and emphasizes the importance
of alternative dispute resolution for non-traditional families
(i.e. LGBT families, unmarried families, married parents in
non-recognition states). She serves on the Texas State Bar
Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect, and is a past chair of
Diversity drives business.
Diversity brings fresh ideas, new perspectives
and well-rounded experience to any company.
And when it’s part of a core business plan, as it is
at MetLife, it helps create success. The MetLife
Legal Affairs Diversity Committee is proud
of our commitment to diversity in the workplace
and the community. It’s an important part of how
we deliver exceptional professional services.
For more information visit metlife.com.
©2013 Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MLIC), New York, NY 10166. © 2013 PNTS 1307-1903
| 69
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
the State Bar’s LGBT Law Section. A San Francisco native now
living in Central Texas (thanks to the best wife on the planet),
she truly appreciates the opportunity to come back and savor
Pacific Cafe.
James G. Leipold – James Leipold 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 speaks and writes
frequently on trends in legal employment for recent law school
graduates.
Arthur S. Leonard – Arthur Leonard, a professor at New York
Law School since 1982, graduated from Cornell University
(1974) and Harvard Law School (1977). He teaches Contracts,
Employment Law, Employment Discrimination Law, and
Sexuality & the Law. Prof. Leonard started New York’s LGBT
Law Association in 1978 and served as its first elected
Lavender Law
Conference &
Career Fair
in creating community
and inclusion for LGBT
candidates
www.morganlewis.com
| 70
president (1984-1988). He edits the Association’s monthly
newsletter, Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, which is archived on NY
Law School’s Justice Action Center website. His free monthly
podcast discussing leading cases from Law Notes can be
found at http://legal.podbeam.com or on itunes. Prof. Leonard
writes for Gay City News, a NYC community newspaper, and
is co-author of the first law school casebook on AIDS Law and
of the casebook Sexuality Law (Carolina Academic Press, 2nd
edition, 2009). He provides commentary on LGBT and HIVrelated issues on his blog, http://www.artleonardobservations.
com. He was a founding member of the National LGBT Law
Association, has spoken at many Lavender Law Conferences,
and in 2005 received the Dan Bradley Award from the
Association for his contributions to LGBT law.
Eric Lesh – Eric Lesh is the Fair Courts Project Manager
for 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. Lesh
focuses his work on judicial independence and access
to justice issues. In his capacity, he engages the LGBT
community on the importance of state and federal courts.
Lesh works on initiatives to promote diversity on the bench,
combat bias in the legal system, and defend the judiciary
from attacks that threaten LGBT and HIV-related civil rights.
Lesh received a B.F.A. in Musical Theater from the Boston
Conservatory and his J.D. from Hofstra Law School, where he
was an LGBT Rights Fellow. Prior to his work at Lambda Legal,
Lesh worked for the Wall Street firm of Beigelman, Feiner &
Feldman, where he focused on appellate practice. Lesh served
as the director of a nonprofit organization, which implemented
bullying prevention strategies in New Orleans public schools.
He appeared in plays across the country, including the original
workshop of the Broadway musical Spring Awakening. Lesh is
licensed to practice law in New York and his articles have been
published in the Family Court Review and Artificial Intelligence
and Law.
M. Dru Levasseur – M. Dru Levasseur is the Transgender
Rights Project Director for Lambda Legal, the oldest and
largest national legal organization committed to achieving full
transgender people and people with HIV. Levasseur focuses
his work on impact litigation, advocacy and community
education to advance the civil rights of transgender people
nationwide. Before joining Lambda Legal, Levasseur was staff
attorney for Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund,
where he advocated for transgender equal rights through
test-case litigation, public policy efforts, community organizing
and public education. Prior to that, Levasseur served for
two years as law clerk to 12 Justices of the Massachusetts
Superior Court. In 2007, Levasseur co-founded the Jim
Collins Foundation, a nonprofit that raises money to fund
gender-confirming surgeries. He serves as Chair of the Legal
Issues Committee of the World Professional Association
for Transgender Health (WPATH). In 2011, Levasseur was
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
a recipient of the National LGBT Bar Association’s Best
LGBT Lawyer Under 40 Award. He received his bachelor’s
degree magna cum laude in Women, Sexuality and Gender
Studies from the University of Massachusetts, and his law
degree from Western New England College School of Law.
Larry Levine – Professor Larry Levine teaches Torts and
Sexual Orientation and the Law at the University of the Pacific,
McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, California. He was
a founding member of the California State Bar’s Committee
on Sexual Orientation Discrimination, co-founded Sacramento
Lawyers for the Equality of Gays and Lesbians, served on
the board of the LGBTBAR, and was the chairperson of the
Law School Admission Council’s Subcommittee on Sexual
Orientation Issues. A frequent speaker and author on LGBT
legal issues, Professor Levine recently published an article
about Justice Kennedy and marriage equality as part of a
McGeorge Law Review-sponsored symposium on the Justice.
Sen. Ted W. Lieu – Sen. Ted Lieu has served more than 11
years as an elected public servant: Torrance City Council, state
Assembly and, for the past two years, in the state Senate.
Sen. Lieu represents nearly 1.3 million residents of Senate
District 28, which includes the cities of Carson, El Segundo,
Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach
and Torrance, as well as portions of Long Beach, Los Angeles
and San Pedro. Before public service, Sen. Lieu served four
years on active duty as an officer in the Air Force. He remains
in the Air Force Reserves. He is a graduate of Stanford
University and Georgetown Law School. Among his legislative
accomplishments are a first-in-the-nation law ban on sexual
orientation conversion therapy for children and a halt on the
use by teens of cancer-causing tanning salons. On Jan. 1,
2013 a whopping 13 new laws took effect that he authored
last year. These include laws on protecting bears and bobcats
from being hunted by packs of hounds, a job training bill
labeled a job creator by the California Chamber of Commerce,
and putting an end to disruptive protests at military and
private funerals. Governing Magazine in 2012 named Ted
Lieu, for the second consecutive year, one of 12 lawmakers
nationwide – and the only lawmaker from California – as ‘worth
watching’. Sen. Lieu and his wife and two sons call Torrance
home.
Lisa Linsky – Lisa Linsky is a partner in the Trial Group of
McDermott Will and Emery and is resident in the Firm’s NY
office. Lisa is an experienced trial attorney whose practice
includes product liability, toxic torts, environmental litigation,
all aspects of commercial litigation, internal investigations,
business counseling, civil rights and asylum work. Lisa
came to McDermott in 2000. Previously, Lisa ran the Special
Prosecutions Division of the Westchester County District
Attorney’s Office. In addition to her litigation practice at
McDermott, Lisa is the partner in charge of firm-wide LGBT
Diversity and Inclusion. In 2006, Lisa founded the Firm’s LGBT
Diversity and Inclusion Committee which has been recognized
across the country for its innovation and commitment to
workplace equality and inclusion. Lisa is an officer on the
national Board of Directors for Lambda Legal. She writes a
blog for the Huffington Post, “Out and About LGBT Legal”,
and was voted one of NY City’s Top Power Gays by the New
York Observer. Lisa was recently honored by the New York
City Bar Association with its prestigious Art Leonard Award
for her contributions to the broader LGBT community. Lisa’s
pro bono work on behalf of LGBT asylum-seekers who have
fled their home countries due to persecution has twice won
her and McDermott the Safe Haven Award from Immigration
Equality.
Kassem L. Lucas – Kassem Lucas is a partner in the
Commercial Litigation Practice Group in the Philadelphia office
of Pepper Hamilton LLP. Mr. Lucas concentrates his practice in
complex commercial litigation, reinsurance law and arbitration,
insurance counseling and insurance insolvency. Mr. Lucas is
Pepper’s Partner in Charge of Diversity and co-chair of the
Diversity Committee. He is responsible for Pepper’s firmwide diversity initiatives, which include developing strategic
Munger, Tolles & Olson is ranked #6
nationally on The American Lawyer's
Diversity Scorecard 2013
and is dedicated to LGBT equality in the
workplace. We consistently champion the rights
of the LGBT community. See, e.g., Hollingsworth
v. Perry, 2013 WL 769311 (U.S. 2013); Pickup
v. Brown, 2012 WL 6021465 (E.D. Cal. 2012);
Strauss v. Horton, 46 Cal.4th 364 (2009); In re
Marriage Cases, 43 Cal.4th 757 (2008); Evans v.
City of Berkeley, 38 Cal.4th 1 (2006).
LOS ANGELES | SAN FRANCISCO | WWW.MTO.COM
| 71
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
initiatives to recruit, support, retain and promote attorneys
from diverse backgrounds, maintaining diversity and inclusion
as core values of the firm, and seeking opportunities to
partner with the community and clients on diversity initiatives
and business development. Mr. Lucas recently became a
Fellow of the Leadership Counsel for Legal Diversity’s (LCLD)
Fellows Program. He also has been recognized by The Legal
Intelligencer as a “Diverse Attorney of the Year” featured in its
2011 Diversity Supplement. Before joining Pepper, Mr. Lucas
worked full time as a teacher, coach, administrator, advisor
and dorm resident at his alma mater, George School, a college
preparatory boarding school, while attending law school in the
evenings. Mr. Lucas is a member of the executive committee
of the boards of directors of George School and the Boys
and Girls Clubs of Philadelphia. Mr. Lucas is a 2000 graduate
of Temple University School of Law. He received his B.A. in
psychology from Yale University in 1994.
Michael A. Lundberg – Mike Lundberg is a fifth-year litigation
associate at Latham & Watkins LLP. His practice focuses
on white collar investigations, the Foreign Corrupt Practices
Act and securities and professional liability. Mike is an active
The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber
of Commerce has the programs, resources,
and networks you need to grow your business
and impact your firm.
Learn more about the National Legal Partnership.
Find out more at www.nglcc.org/nlp
| 72
member of Latham’s Pro Bono Committee and also serves
on the Associate Leadership Board for Public Counsel, the
nation’s largest pro bono law firm. Mike has taken part
in Latham’s on-campus recruiting efforts for many years,
including as part of previous Lavender Law conferences.
Prior to attending law school, Mike worked as an investigator
and campaigner for a non-governmental organization
based in London, England, for which he conducted on-site
investigations into arms trafficking, natural resource extraction
and human rights abuses in West Africa, Europe and Asia. A
native of Southern California, Mike earned his undergraduate
degree in Political Science from Yale University, his MSc in
International Relations from the London School of Economics,
and his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.
He currently resides in Los Angeles, California.
Beverly Luther – Ms. Luther is Associate Counsel at
Ameriprise Financial, where she provides international
corporate tax planning expertise within the Corporate
Tax Department. In her role as in-house tax counsel, she
advises internal clients within the firm on international tax
consequences of business decisions and monitors changes
in relevant tax laws. One primary area of focus for Ms. Luther
has been to implement compliance with important new
legislation such as the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act
(“FATCA”). In addition to her international tax practice, Ms.
Luther provides expertise and tax guidance to Ameriprise
financial advisors with non-traditional family clients. She is a
frequent presenter in Minnesota regarding tax planning for
same-sex couples, and she has co-authored a state deskbook
tax chapter for Estate Planning for Non-Traditional Families.
Prior to her current role at Ameriprise, Ms. Luther was a
senior international tax consultant for a “Big 4” Accounting
Firm. She holds a B.A. from Wellesley College, and earned her
J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law
School in 2008. Ms. Luther currently serves as co-chair of the
Minnesota Lavender Bar Association.
M
Laura J. Maechtlen – Laura Maechtlen is a partner in the
San Francisco office of Seyfarth Shaw LLP and serves as a
Co-Chair of the Firm’s Diversity Action Team. Ms. Maechtlen’s
practice is focused on employment litigation and includes
the defense of class, collective and multi-plaintiff actions
under federal and California state law. Ms. Maechtlen also
has experience litigating against the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC), both at the early charge
stage and in large-scale EEOC pattern-and-practice litigation.
Ms. Maechtlen also has trial experience, and was a member
of multiple trial teams that have secured defense verdicts in
the California Superior Courts in the counties of San Francisco,
Alameda and Santa Clara. Ms. Maechtlen is a past President
of the National LGBT Bar Association, was honored with the
James C. Hormel Philanthropist Award from the San Francisco
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
AIDS Legal Referral Panel in 2013, named Seyfarth Shaw’s
Pro Bono Partner of the Year in 2012, honored in 2011-2012
as a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers Magazine in Employment
Litigation, and named one of the country’s “Best LGBT
Lawyers Under 40” by the National LGBT Bar Association in
2011.
Joseph M. Manicki – Joseph Manicki is a partner in Sidley
Austin LLP’s Chicago Office and counsels clients in a wide
variety of industries with respect to the design, implementation
and administration of employee benefit plans and executive
compensation arrangements, including in connection with
mergers and acquisitions. He has been designated a Certified
Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) by the Wharton School of
the University of Pennsylvania and the International Foundation
of Employee Benefit Plans. Mr. Manicki regularly speaks on
LGBT matters and was recognized in 2012 as one of the “40
Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40” by the National LGBT Bar
Association. Mr. Manicki received his LLM in Taxation from
Georgetown University Law Center in 2006, with distinction,
his JD from Tulane Law School in 2003, cum laude, and his
BBA from Loyola University Chicago in 2000, summa cum
laude. While at Tulane, he served as the Senior Managing Editor
of Volume 12 of the Journal of Law & Sexuality, and his case
note, Myers v. San Francisco: Satisfactory C’s on the Domestic
Partnership Benefits Report Card – The Constitutionality of
Contingent City Contracts Under the Commerce Clause, was
published in Volume 11.
Robin Maril – Robin Maril serves as legislative counsel for
administrative advocacy at the Human Rights Campaign.
Her work focuses on federal programs and administrative
policies that impact the LGBT community. Prior to joining
HRC, Maril served as a Presidential Management Fellow at
the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in
Washington, D.C. While at HUD, Maril worked on Section
8 voucher policy development, specifically focused on
deconcentrating poverty and increasing mobility for voucher
holders. Also at HUD, Maril worked as a regulatory attorney
in the Legislation and Regulation Division of the Office of the
General Counsel, where she assisted in drafting the 2010
HUD implementing rule for the Violence Against Women Act
conforming amendments. Maril graduated with her bachelor’s
degree in women’s studies summa cum laude from the
University of Oklahoma, where she was also selected for
Phi Beta Kappa. Maril received her law degree from Temple
University’s Beasley School of Law, where she was named a
Rubin Public Interest Law Fellow.
Seth was an associate at Outten & Golden LLP. Mr. Marnin
was a member of the firm’s Practice Groups for Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Workplace Rights, Whistleblower
Retaliation, Disability Discrimination, and Family Responsibilities
Discrimination. Before joining Outten & Golden LLP, he was
the Director of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender
Resources for the University of Connecticut, where he provided
leadership to the University of Connecticut’s ten campuses on
all issues related to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender,
Queer, Questioning, and Allied Community (LGBTQQA). Prior
to UConn, Mr. Marnin worked at the University at Albany in
Student Affairs for nearly ten years. Mr. Marnin earned his J.D.
from the University of Connecticut School of Law. He received
his B.A. from the University at Albany, SUNY in Women’s
Studies and Sociology, and his M.A. in Liberal Studies. During
law school, Mr. Marnin clerked for the Honorable Lois Tanzer,
Connecticut Superior Court Judge.
Diane Mazur – Diane H. Mazur, University of Florida Professor
of Law Emeritus, is the author of a book explaining why the
military needs to embrace civilian constitutional values: A
More Perfect Military: How the Constitution Can Make Our
Embrace it.
“Diversity is not about how we differ.
It is about embracing one another’s uniqueness.”
– Ola Joseph
Proud sponsor of the
Lavender Law Conference.
Seth Marnin – Seth M. Marnin is the Assistant Director
of Legal Affairs at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). His
substantive areas of responsibility include discrimination,
campus concerns, LGBT issues, and bullying (including
cyberbullying). He also serves as civil rights regional counsel to
the ADL’s New York Regional Office. Prior to joining the ADL,
| 73
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Military Stronger (Oxford University Press). Her research
and teaching interests include constitutional law, evidence,
and professional responsibility. She is Legal Co-Director
of the Palm Center, a University of California research
institute devoted to study of military policies affecting sexual
minorities. Professor Mazur is also an advisor to the National
Institute of Military Justice, a senior editor for the Journal of
National Security Law and Policy, and a former aircraft and
munitions maintenance officer in the United States Air Force.
She lives in Davis, California.
Greg McCurdy – Greg McCurdy is the Senior Policy
Counsel advising Microsoft’s US government affairs team
on legislation and policy including international IP issues
based in Washington, DC. Greg joined Microsoft in 2000
in Paris and then Seattle from 2002 to 2009 managing US
and international antitrust and commercial litigation. Before
joining Microsoft, Greg practiced commercial litigation
in New York City at Milbank Tweed from 1991-94 and at
Proskauer Rose from 1996-99. In between, Greg also clerked
for Judge Harold Baer, Jr. in the S.D.N.Y. and Chief Judge
Harry T. Edwards at the D.C. Circuit. Throughout his career,
Taking diversity and inclusion
to the next level
Ogletree Deakins
is proud to celebrate
the 25th Anniversary
of the National LGBT
Bar Association
At Ogletree Deakins,
we believe that our
philosophy and
practice of
inclusion—soliciting,
valuing, and
incorporating the
myriad viewpoints of
our lawyers—makes
the firm more
creative, stronger,
and better able to
address the evolving
issues in the
workplace.
| Gerald A. McIntyre – Gerald McIntyre is Directing Attorney
at the National Senior Citizens Law Center in Los Angeles
where he has worked on Social Security and SSI litigation
and policy advocacy for the last twenty years. His legal
career includes work at Bronx Legal Services, Southern
Tier Legal Services in Bath, NY and the Cornell Law School
Clinical Program. Following law school he was a Peace
Corps Volunteer in Guatemala. He was also a member of the
first board of directors of the National Lesbian & Gay Law
Association.
David McKean – David McKean joined SLDN in 2009 and
served as the organization’s Legal Director. Prior to joining
SLDN, David served as a law clerk for the Honorable Steven
G. Salant of the Circuit Court for Montgomery County,
Maryland. David earned his B.S. in English Literature from
the University of California, Berkeley and his J.D. from the
American University, Washington College of Law. During
law school he served as Executive Editor of the American
University International Law Review, interned at Human
Rights First, and served as a research assistant to Professors
Herman Schwartz and Teemu Ruskola. While at Berkeley
he interned for Senator Dianne Feinstein and worked as an
editor for the Rotary World Peace Scholarship Fund. Prior to
law school, David spent a year teaching English in southern
China.
Allison Mendel – Allison Mendel practices in a boutique law
firm in Anchorage Alaska, Mendel & Associates, Inc. The
firm emphasizes family law, alternative family law, adoptions
and ART, and appeals. Allison was formerly co-chair of the
National LGBT Bar (when it was the NLGLA) and currently
sits on the National Center for Lesbian Rights National
Family Law Advisory Council. She has received numerous
awards for pro bono and civil rights work, including for her
involvement in many landmark cases involving LGBT rights
in the State of Alaska. She is also active in her state Bar,
including two terms on the Bar Board of Governors. She
raised four children in Alaska, and now has four grandchildren
with another on the way. She married in California two days
before California ended same-sex marriages - and hopes that
by the time this is published it will again be legal.
FOR QUESTIONS ABOUT OGLETREE DEAKINS’
INCLUSION EFFORTS, PLEASE CONTACT:
Michelle P. Wimes, Director of Professional
Development and Inclusion
[email protected]
Phone: (816) 471-1301 | www.ogletreedeakins.com
74
Greg has been active in a number of bar associations having
served as co-chair of the International Bar Association’s
Antitrust Committee and on the National Leadership Council
of Lambda Legal. He graduated from Harvard College and
NYU Law School.
Aaron Merki – Aaron is responsible for providing strategic
leadership for Maryland’s only legal service and advocacy
organization dedicated to the low-income LGBT
community, and for overseeing the operational,
development and strategic growth of the organization.
Aaron’s involvement with FreeState Legal Project can be
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
traced to FreeState’s inception. In 2007, Aaron helped
found FreeState with a small group of law students and
legal practitioners. He went on to build FreeState’s Board
of Directors, assist with its incorporation, oversee the
first needs assessment of Baltimore’s low-income LGBT
community, and lead FreeState as President of the Board of
Directors. Aaron left his corporate litigation practice in 2012
to become FreeState’s Executive Director. He received his
J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law in 2008,
and clerked on the United States District Court for Maryland
from 2008-2009.
Hilary Meyer – Hilary Meyer is the Director of the National
Resource Center on LGBT Aging, the country’s only resource
center focused on improving the quality of services and
supports offered to LGBT older adults nationwide. Funded
by a historic grant from the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS) and the Administration on Aging
(AoA), the Resource Center on LGBT Aging was created by
Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) in partnership
with 14 national organizations. Meyer provides leadership for
the Center and the activities of its staff, advisory council and
national partner organizations, guides content development
and tools to ensure ongoing audience engagement with
the Center, and lectures frequently on a number of issues
related to LGBT aging. Meyer earned her J.D. from Rutgers
School of Law – Newark and graduated magna cum laude
and With Honors in Psychology from Colgate University. She
has provided pro bono legal assistance through the Volunteer
Lawyers Project, Civil Court Resource Center to selfrepresented litigants with pending cases in Civil and Small
Claims Courts, and serves on the board of directors of Big
Apple Performing Arts, the umbrella group to the NYC Gay
Men’s Chorus and Youth Pride Chorus.
Shannon Minter – Shannon Price Minter is the Legal
Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights
(NCLR). Minter was lead counsel for some plaintiffs in
the 2008 California marriage equality case, resulting in
the first state supreme court decision holding that sexual
orientation discrimination must receive heightened scrutiny
under the state’s equal protection clause. In 2012, Minter
argued Chatterjee v. King before the New Mexico Supreme
Court, securing a landmark decision holding that couples who
raise children together are both legal parents regardless of
their gender, sexual orientation or marital status. Currently,
he represents the Tennessee Equality Project and the
Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition in Howe v.
Haslam, a lawsuit challenging a discriminatory Tennessee
law that stripped transgender people of protection under the
Tennessee Human Rights Act and also prevents localities
from enacting laws prohibiting gender identity or sexual
orientation discrimination. Minter is also counsel in Griego
v. Oliver, which seeks the freedom to marry for same-sex
couples in New Mexico. 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 LGBT Bar Association.
Minter serves on the boards of CenterLink, Gender
Spectrum, Faith in America, and the Transgender Law &
Policy Institute. He 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 and currently splits his time
between San Francisco and Washington D.C.
Janice Mock – Janice Mock is a partner in the San
Francisco office of Nossaman LLP with 20 years of
practice in complex commercial litigation matters, including
products liability, banking, employment, real estate and
constitutional law. Her clients range from small businesses
to internationally recognized corporations and partnerships,
and span both the private and public sectors. Ms. Mock
was appointed to serve on the Bar Association of San
Francisco’s Judiciary Committee, and is a member of
PATTON BOGGS
PROUDLY SPONSORS
LAVENDER LAW 2013
Diversity of thinking and a collaborative environment lead
to a great place to work for our attorneys and staff.
We commend the LGBT Bar Association on 25 years serving the
community and advocating for fairness and equality.
2550 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
T: 202-457-6000
F: 202-457-6315
PattonBoggs.com
| 75
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Lambda Legal Defense Fund’s San Francisco Leadership
Council. She serves on Nossaman’s Diversity Committee
and is a frequent speaker and author on current issues
and developments in litigation and employment law. Ms.
Mock has been consistently recognized as a Northern
California “Super Lawyer” for business litigation.
becoming an attorney, Jim was an admissions counselor at
the University of Rhode Island and Manhattan College. Jim
received his JD 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.
James Moore – James Moore is part of the O’Melveny and
Myers Talent Development team serving as the firm’s Career
Development Advisor. 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
Aaron Morris – Aaron is the senior staff attorney at
Immigration Equality. He provides direct representation to
indigent LGBT and HIV-positive foreign nationals in asylum
proceedings, at adjustment-of-status and naturalization
interviews, and in the federal courts. He also represents
transgender individuals in marriage-based green card
applications and in obtaining gender-appropriate identity
documents from U.S. immigration authorities. Aaron mentors
pro bono attorneys as a part of Immigration Equality’s asylum
program, and he is Of Counsel to the Columbia Law School
Sexuality and Gender Law Clinic. 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. Currently, Aaron serves as a member of the New York
City Bar Association’s Committee on LGBT Rights.
Karen Moulding – Karen Moulding is an attorney in private
practice in Brooklyn, New York focusing on family law,
alternative family law, and real estate. She is also the Author
of Sexual Orientation and the Law, a comprehensive national
treatise and practitioner’s guide on lgbt legal issues. She
has a J.D. from Columbia Law School and an MFA in creative
writing from Columbia, and also writes fiction.
is proud to support
The National LGBT
Bar Association
2013 Lavender Law
Conference and Career Fair
Paul weiss, rifkind, wharton & Garrison LLP
www.paulweiss.com
Brian Moulton – Brian Moulton is Legal Director for Human
Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender civil rights organization. He leads HRC’s
team of lawyers and fellows working on federal policy and
personally focuses on the issues of employment, health,
marriage and relationship recognition and federal tax and
benefits. He also coordinates HRC’s advocacy efforts
as amicus curiae in litigation affecting the lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender community. Moulton speaks
frequently to legal and non-legal audiences on LGBT issues
and is regularly featured in national news media speaking
on legal and policy matters. Prior to joining the HRC staff
in 2004, Moulton served as a legal intern to the State
Legislative Lawyering and Transgender Civil Rights Projects
at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force; a judicial intern
to the Hon. Deborah A. Batts of the U.S. District Court for the
Southern District of New York; and as an HRC McCleary Law
Fellow. He received his bachelor’s degree in classics from
the University of Texas at Austin and his law degree from
The George Washington University Law School.
New York | BeijiNG | hoNG koNG | LoNdoN | TokYo | ToroNTo | wAshiNGToN, dC | wiLmiNGToN
| 76
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Tom Murray – Tom Murray is Counsel at Monster, Inc., one of
the world’s preeminent consumer electronics brands, where
he partners with all company functions on a wide range of
business, legal, and compliance issues. His responsibilities
include celebrity endorsement deals, manufacturing and
distribution agreements, IP protection in marketing and social
media, negotiating and managing sales relationships, and
corporate operations. Previously, Tom was Corporate Counsel
and Secretary at H5, a leading information retrieval company,
where he created the legal function and managed the day-today legal affairs of the company. Tom holds a JD from Tulane
Law School and a BA in Government and Russian & Soviet
Studies (yes, he’s THAT old) from Cornell University. Tom
lives in San Francisco with his partner Erik and their two dogs,
Whiskey and Nemo (photos available upon request).
Lynda Murray-Blair – Lynda Murray-Blair is Manager,
Diversity & Inclusion for Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP.
She has responsibility for creating and implementing long
term diversity strategies and goals; advising firm leaders
on current diversity issues, including Diversity Council and
Women’s Initiative leaders. Lynda serves as an external liaison
for the firm in the diversity community and collaborates with
clients regarding diversity initiatives. Prior to joining Kilpatrick
Townsend, Lynda was Manager of Talent Sustainability &
Inclusion for PepsiCo - Quaker/Tropicana/Gatorade division.
At PepsiCo, Lynda collaborated with members of Equal
– PepsiCo’s LGBT employee resource group - to create
PepsiCo’s first LGBT Inclusion training program. She was
awarded the PepsiCo Harvey Russell Inclusion Award in 2006
and 2008 for her role in helping to establish the PepsiCo
Women of Color Alliance, and planning PepsiCo’s 1st Global
Multicultural Inclusion Summit. Lynda has also held various
HR roles at Motorola, GE, and Baxter Healthcare. Lynda
earned her JD from Florida A&M University, received her BS
from Tuskegee University, holds an MBA, and is a Certified
Compensation Professional (CCP). In addition she has earned
a Certificate in African American Leadership from UCLA’s
Anderson School of Management. Lynda is a member of the
State Bar of Georgia Diversity Programs Steering Committee,
National Association of Women Lawyers, and the Association
of Law Firm Diversity Professionals. Lynda is married to
Marlow Blair. Lynda and Marlow have two sons, Johnathan
and Reed.
Nationwide Advantage Mortgage, Privacy, Information
Technology, Contract Services, SMS and Employee Benefits.
She is also responsible for Operations & Strategy for OCLO.
Sandy joined Nationwide’s Office of General Counsel in 1985
and has worked in a variety of positions since that time.
Before joining Nationwide, she was an Assistant Attorney
General for the State of Ohio, where she was responsible
for insurance and securities related litigation and regulatory
matters. Sandy is a member of the Association of Corporate
Counsel and was elected a fellow in the American College
of Mortgage Attorneys. She is also a former chair of the
American Land Title Association Life Counsel Group.
Sandy currently serves on various committees at the New
Albany United Methodist Church and volunteers for various
community organizations. She also serves on the Board
of Trustees of Alvis House. Sandy’s undergraduate degree
is from the University of Akron and she received her law
degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law. Douglas NeJaime – Douglas NeJaime is Professor of Law
at UC Irvine School of Law, where he teaches in the areas of
family law, law and sexuality, and constitutional law. Before
joining the UC Irvine faculty, he was Associate Professor
Pepper Hamilton takes very
seriously our commitment, and
that of our clients, to diversity
and inclusion. We are proud
to support the Lavender Law
Conference & Career Fair.
Attorneys at Law
N
Sandra L. Neely – Sandy Neely is a Senior Vice President
– Deputy General Counsel for Nationwide. She leads the
Corporate Legal team within Office of the Chief Legal &
Governance Officer. Sandy’s team is responsible for delivery
of legal services related to the following areas: Corporate
Tax, Corporate Real Estate, Nationwide Realty Investors,
Corporate Transactions (Office of Finance, M&A, Office of
Treasury), Corporate Governance, Office of Investments,
www.pepperlaw.com
Berwyn | Boston | Detroit | Harrisburg
Los Angeles | New York | Orange County
Philadelphia | Pittsburgh | Princeton
Washington | Wilmington
| 77
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
of Law at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and the Sears
Law Teaching Fellow at the Williams Institute at UCLA
School of Law. He is a two-time recipient of the Dukeminier
Award, which recognizes the best sexual orientation legal
scholarship published in the previous year, and the 2011
recipient of Loyola’s Excellence in Teaching Award. NeJaime
has provided commentary on issues relating to sexual
orientation and same-sex marriage to numerous press
outlets, including the New York Times, L.A. Times, NPR, and
NBC News. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School and
Brown University.
Julie Nice – Julie Nice is the Herbst Foundation Professor
of Law and Dean’s Circle Scholar at the University of San
Francisco where she has taught since 2008, after serving
as the Delaney Professor at the University of Denver
Sturm College of Law. Her scholarly expertise focuses on
analyzing constitutional law in the contexts of sexuality
and poverty. Professor Nice’s recent publications regarding
sexuality include articles on religion and sexual orientation
in the law school context (available at http://ssrn.com/
abstract=1769863) and on the “responsible procreation”
Pillsbury congratulates the
National LGBT Bar
Association
on 25 years of promoting justice for
the LGBT community in and through
the legal profession.
Four Embarcadero Center, 22nd Floor | San Francisco, CA 94111
+1.415.983.1000 | www.pillsburylaw.com
| 78
defense of same-sex marriage bans (available at http://ssrn.
com/abstract=1990554.) Professor Nice has won twelve
awards for law teaching excellence and was selected as one
of the nation’s top-25 law teachers in the evidence-based
study What the Best Law Teachers Do (edited by Schwartz,
Sparrow & Hess, forthcoming 2013 Harvard University
Press). She taught an international course on Comparative
Relationship Recognition at the 2012 Barcelona Sexual
Orientation Law immersion program sponsored by UCLA’s
Williams Institute and Whittier Law School. Professor Nice
recently received the University of San Francisco’s coveted
Gender Justice Award in honor of over thirty years of work
addressing gender and sexual justice. She is a frequent
media commentator and public speaker on issues related to
sexuality and constitutional law. O
Jen Olmsted – Jen Olmsted is a highly accomplished
technology sales executive. She is currently managing a
team of five within the Legal Technology Solutions practice
at Navigant Consulting, while also maintaining her own
book of business. She has had documented success in
building and managing high performance teams with some
of the top technology companies in the Legal space. Prior
to her success with Navigant, Jen was one of the top sales
executives at a major technology company. She maintains
experience in exceeding budgeted top and bottom line
goals, fostering long-term growth, strategic planning &
implementation, and maximizing contribution to the overall
organization. She has expertise in information management
technologies, SaaS and “behind the firewall,” Electronic
Discovery solutions, Cyber Security, Data Breach, and
Structured Data Analytics.
Asaf Orr – Asaf Orr joined NCLR in February 2012 as a Staff
Attorney and works on issues related to families, youth,
and schools. He recently co-authored a chapter on the
legal and ethical obligations of school personnel to create
a safe and inclusive environment for LGBTQ students and
families, which was published in an edited volume entitled
Creating Safe and Supportive Learning Environments: A
Guide for Working with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender,
and Questioning Youth and Families. Prior to joining NCLR,
Asaf was a solo practitioner in Los Angeles where he
represented students in education-related matters including
special education, discrimination, constitutional rights and
discipline. Asaf began his legal career as a Staff Attorney and
Tom Steel Fellow at a non-profit legal services organization,
where he directed the Rainbow Rights Project, a project
that represents youth in education-related matters who are
denied their right to an education on the basis of their sexual
orientation or gender identity. In addition to representing
youth, Asaf also provided trainings to students, parents,
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
educators, health care providers, and lawyers on special
education issues and the rights of LGBTQ youth in schools.
He has provided those trainings in California and around the
country.
P
Zack Paakkonen – Zack Paakkonen is a co-owner of West
End Legal, LLC, a two-attorney general practice law firm in
Maine that concentrates on representation for the Maine
transgender, lesbian, gay, bisexual, intersex, queer, and allied
community. His practice includes family law, bankruptcy,
criminal defense, discrimination law, education law, and civil
litigation and occasional community advocacy. He also serves
as a Guardian ad Litem in the Maine courts. Zack graduated
from the University of Southern Maine and received his law
degree from Cornell Law School. He was raised on the coast of
Maine and now resides in Portland, Maine. Zack is a member
of the National LGBT Bar Association and serves on the
Executive Committee of the LGBT Bar’s Family Law Institute.
individually tailored guidance to navigate the fluid, fastevolving restructuring field. He has represented companies,
investment funds, and lenders in high-profile chapter 11
proceedings. He has also helped clients through prepackaged
bankruptcies and out-of-court restructurings, devising and
implementing value-maximizing strategies that spare them
the disruption, expense, and publicity that may accompany
an in-court proceeding. For his ability to craft complex and
innovative solutions that win broad support even in the
most contentious circumstances, Law360 named Andrew
a 2013 “Rising Star”—one of just five bankruptcy attorneys
under 40 nationwide to be recognized. Within O’Melveny,
he is the recipient of a Warren Christopher Values Award, an
honor bestowed on those who exemplify the Firm’s legacy
of excellence, leadership, and citizenship. Andrew also is
co-chair of the Legal Council of UCLA’s Williams Institute,
a national think tank dedicated to independent research on
LGBT law and policy.
Barry Parsons – Barry M. Parsons is Associate General
Counsel with Freddie Mac’s General Litigation and
Investigations group. Barry litigates cases, advises clients,
Tiffany Palmer – Tiffany L. Palmer, Esq. is a shareholder
with Jerner & Palmer, P.C. who focuses her practice on
LGBT family law in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Tiffany
graduated from Rutgers University School of Law. Tiffany is
an adjunct professor at Drexel University, Earle Mack School
of Law teaching Sexual Orientation and the Law. Tiffany is a
fellow of the American Academy of Assisted Reproductive
Technology Attorneys, a professional organization dedicated
to the advancement of best legal practices in the area of
assisted reproduction. She is also a member of the National
Center for Lesbian Rights Family Law Advisory Council,
a group of experienced family law and estate planning
attorneys from around the country that meet annually
to discuss LGBT family formation and protection issues,
evaluating national trends and state-by-state cases. Tiffany
authored of the chapter Assisted Reproductive Technology
in Pennsylvania in a book entitled Representing Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Clients in Pennsylvania,
published by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. Tiffany has been
named as a “Pennsylvania Rising Star: Top Young Lawyers
in Pennsylvania” by the publishers of Super Lawyers,
Philadelphia Magazine and was named one of the nation’s
“Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40” in 2011 by the National
LGBT Bar Association.
Andrew Parlen – Andrew Parlen is a partner in O’Melveny’s
Los Angeles office and a member of the Restructuring
practice. He specializes in creative, responsive,
multidisciplinary solutions to his clients’ financial challenges
and strategic priorities. Whether representing businesses
fighting to remain solvent, equity holders defending stakes,
creditors protecting interests, or acquirers buying distressed
assets, Andrew understands that clients require flexible,
| 79
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
and manages outside counsel on a wide variety of litigation
matters including employment, contract, insurance,
intellectual property, fraud, and antitrust issues. He also
conducts internal investigations, advises the company on
document retention issues, and is a member of the Legal
Division’s Diversity and Inclusion Council and the Pro Bono
Working Group. In 2011, he received the General Counsel’s
Impact Award. Before joining Freddie Mac, Barry was a
litigator with Crowell & Moring LLP in Washington, DC for
nearly fourteen years. 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 has served on the Board
of Directors for the National LGBT Bar Association since
2010. He also recruited at Lavender Law for five years. Barry
frequently speaks about LGBT diversity issues at Lavender
Law and at the Minority Corporate Counsel Association’s
annual national conference. Barry received his J.D., with
distinction from the George Mason University School of Law
Ropes & Gray is proud to support the
2013 Lavender Law Conference and Career Fair.
www.ropesgray.com
| 80
©2013, Ropes & Gray LLP
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.
Pratik Patel – Pratik leads Elevate’s consulting practice
focused on design, development and delivery of practical
solutions to help corporate law departments and government
agencies reduce legal spend, and help law firms improve
profitability through use of value-based pricing (AFAs). Pratik
joined Elevate as part of the acquisition of RFx LEGAL
Analytics in 2012, prior to which he served as a founding
member and partner at RFx LEGAL, a leading provider of
legal spend management, analytics and sourcing intelligence
solutions, which he led from inception to becoming a
recognized legal spend management provider. Prior to RFx
LEGAL, Pratik served as a senior managing consultant at
Huron Legal, where he played a key role in the rapid growth
of Huron’s Legal consulting practice. During his time at
Huron Legal, Pratik worked closely with Fortune 500 General
Counsel, Law Department Managers and Legal Finance
Managers to develop strategic roadmaps for enhancing
various areas of their legal operations, including outside
counsel management, law firm sourcing and selection,
legal matter management, e-billing, contract lifecycle
management, legal holds, e-discovery and document
management.
Jennifer C. Pizer – Jenny Pizer is Senior Counsel and
Director of Lambda Legal’s Law & Policy Project. She has
been dedicated to freedom and equality for LGBT people
since November 4, 1980, when Ronald Reagan was elected
President and she came out as a lesbian. Since joining
Lambda Legal in 1996, Pizer has litigated many cases seeking
fair conditions for LGBT people in health care, employment
and education, challenging the use of religion to discriminate,
and protecting family relationships including with the
freedom to marry. Pizer previously directed Lambda Legal’s
National Marriage Project and often is quoted in the national
media on LGBT family equality issues. In her current role,
she also drafts legislation, advises policymakers, and works
with community advocates to advance nondiscrimination and
family law protections. Pizer has received many professional
and community service awards, including being named one
of the top women litigators in California seven times. From
2011 to 2012, she served as Legal Director of the Williams
Institute at UCLA School of Law. Before joining Lambda
Legal, Pizer practiced intellectual property litigation with a
large San Francisco firm. She is a graduate of NYU School of
Law and Harvard/Radcliffe College.
Marc R. Poirier – Marc R. Poirier is Professor of Law and
Martha Traylor Research Scholar at Seton Hall University
School of Law in Newark, New Jersey. He teaches in the
areas of law and sexuality, property, administrative law, and
environmental law, and has also taught First Amendment. He
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
has twice been awarded the prestigious Dukeminier Award for
the best legal scholarship in the field of law, sexuality and, and
gender identity. Seton Hall University is a diocesan Catholic
university. Professor Poirier has advised Lambda Law Alliance,
the LGBTQ group at Seton Hall, since its formation in 2002.
He also served for three years on the Law School’s Diversity
Council. Professor Poirier has been an active member of
the Society of American Law Teachers (SALT) for more than
twenty years, in the areas of environmental justice, LGBTQ
issues, and legal education. He has practiced Zen Buddhism
for more than thirty years, and is an authorized Zen teacher
in the Ordinary Mind School founded by Charlotte Joko
Beck. He is involved in efforts to bring meditation and other
contemplative practices to the legal profession. Professor
Poirier holds a B.A. magna cum laude from Yale, a J.D. cum
laude from Harvard, and an LL.M. from Yale.
Nancy Polikoff – Nancy Polikoff is Professor of Law at
American University Washington College of Law where she
teaches Family Law and Sexuality and the Law. From Fall
2011 through Fall 2012, she was the Visiting McDonald/
Wright Chair of Law at UCLA School of Law and Faculty
Chair of the Williams Institute. In 1976, Prof. Polikoff coauthored one of the first law review articles on custody
rights of lesbian mothers. For the past 35 years, she has
been writing about, teaching about, and working on litigation
and legislation about LGBT families. She is a member of
the National Family Law Advisory Council of the National
Center for Lesbian Rights, the author of Beyond (Straight and
Gay) Marriage: Valuing All Families under the Law (Beacon
Press 2008), and the 2011 recipient of the National LGBT
Bar Association’s highest honor, the Dan Bradley Award.
Prof. Polikoff blogs at www.beyondstraightandgaymarriage.
blogspot.com.
Ken Priore – Ken is a technology, securities, and corporate
attorney for entrepreneurs, start-ups, small businesses, and
emerging brands with over 17 years experience: current
focus on mobile application development, privacy, social
networking and brand IP protection. Currently, Ken is General
Counsel to Grindr and is in private practice in San Francisco.
Ken’s past experience includes Paypal, MVC Capital and
Charles Schwab. Ken is a graduate of Tulane Law School and
Tufts University.
in House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde’s (R-IL)
endorsement of his appointment to the Justice Department
as Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs. After
graduating from the Wharton School of the University of
Pennsylvania and New York University School of Law, Robert
was an associate with the law firm of Arnold & Porter. Soon
after, he joined the faculty of Georgetown University Law
School as an adjunct professor - a position he held until his
confirmation as Assistant Attorney General. Robert is the
President of the Hispanic Bar Association of DC Foundation
and currently chairs the Hispanic National Bar Association’s
Endorsement Committee. He serves on the boards of the
Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project, the Joint Center for Political
and Economic Studies and the Mid-Atlantic Innocence
Project.
Nancy Ramirez – Nancy Ramirez is the Western Regional
Counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and
Educational Fund (“MALDEF”), the nation’s leading Latino
civil rights law firm. As Regional Counsel, she oversees
the litigation and public policy priorities for the western
states. The regional office represents Latinos in education,
proudly supports the
as the legal voice of the
LGBT community
and congratulates it on
25 great years of Lavender Law
Conferences & Career Fairs
R
Robert Raben – Robert Raben is the founder and president
of The Raben Group, a diverse collection of professionals
with deep roots in law and progressive public policy who
identify opportunities and solve problems for clients in the
corporate, nonprofit, foundation and government sectors.
Robert’s aggressively bipartisan approach was honed
during a highly respected leg islative career that began on
Congressman Barney Frank’s (D-MA) staff and culminated
New York | Washington DC | London
www.srz.com
| 81
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
employment, voting, and immigrants’ rights cases. Ms.
Ramirez is co-lead counsel in Fisher, Mendoza et al. v.
Tucson Unified School District, a desegregation lawsuit
filed by MALDEF in 1974 on behalf of Latino students. Ms.
Ramirez successfully represented Latino plaintiffs in a racial
profiling class action lawsuit against Maricopa County Sheriff
Arpaio and served as lead counsel in C.A. v. Bear Valley
Unified School District, et al. Under her leadership, MALDEF
successfully represented the largest number of victims
of police misconduct during the immigrants’ rights rally
at MacArthur Park. Prior to joining MALDEF, Ms. Ramirez
served as the Executive Director and Managing Attorney
of the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice (“LACLJ”),
a nonprofit community law office that provides free legal
services to indigent residents and has taught legal writing
at University of Southern California Gould School of Law.
Ms. Ramirez is a graduate of Harvard Law School and U.C.
Berkeley.
Elana Redfield – Elana Redfield is a Staff Attorney with the
Sylvia Rivera Law Project, and the Director of SRLP’s Survival
and Self Determination Project. Elana received her Bachelor’s
We live our
commitment to
diversity and
inclusion every day.
degree from New York University in 2003, and her J.D. from
the City University School of Law in 2009 with a clinical focus
on immigration law. A longtime advocate for grassroots
organizing strategies and community leadership in legal work,
Elana co-authored “The Role of Lawyers In Trans Liberation:
Building a Transformative Movement For Social Change”
with Pooja Gehi and Gabriel Arkles. In her role as staff
attorney, Elana assists hundreds of community members
each year in name change proceedings, government
identification issues, health care challenges and immigration
proceedings. Elana is also one of SRLP’s primary trainers,
having trained over 500 service providers in transgender
awareness, criminal justice, disability justice, and immigration
issues. In her free time, Elana is an avid surfer and performs
in a country & western band.
Peter Renn – Peter Renn is a Staff Attorney 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 people with HIV. His
work at Lambda Legal covers a wide range of issues,
including marriage, relationship recognition, discrimination in
employment and public accommodation, youth and schools,
and government misconduct. Peter is counsel in Cervelli v.
Aloha Bed & Breakfast, a case on behalf of a lesbian couple
turned away from a Hawai‘i business due to the owner’s
religious beliefs; Harris v. Millennium Hotel, a case seeking
survivor’s benefits in Alaska on behalf of the same-sex
partner of a shooting victim; and Sevcik v. Sandoval, a federal
case seeking marriage equality in Nevada. He is a graduate
of Harvard Law School and the University of Texas at Austin.
Following law school, he clerked for the Honorable Lawrence
K. Karlton in the Eastern District of California. Before joining
Lambda Legal, Peter was a litigation associate at the law firm
of Munger, Tolles & Olson in Los Angeles.
Lori Rifkin – Lori Rifkin is a civil rights attorney based
in Oakland, California where she recently opened a solo
practice, Rifkin Law Office. She has worked on LGBT,
juvenile justice and school-to-prison pipeline, and education
issues as a staff attorney at the ACLU and a senior trial
attorney in the Special Litigation Section of the Civil Rights
Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Lori has also
litigated civil rights cases as an attorney at the San Franciscobased public interest law firm Rosen, Bien, Galvan &
Grunfeld, and at the Legal Aid Society-Employment Law
Center. In 2012, she was named one of the 40 top LGBT
lawyers under 40 by the National LGBT Bar Association.
Kori S. Carew, Esq.
Director, Strategic Diversity Initiatives
[email protected]
G E N E VA | H O U S T O N | K A N S A S C I T Y | L O N D O N | M I A M I | O R A N G E C O U N T Y
P H I L A D E L P H I A | S A N F R A N C I S C O | TA M P A | W A S H I N G T O N , D . C .
| 82
Melissa A. Romig – Melissa is a Senior Attorney practicing
labor/employment law for American Airlines, one of the
largest airlines in the world. Melissa provides legal counsel
on all aspects of employment law, across the nation. Her
work includes extensive preventative counseling; defense of
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
employment discrimination/harassment matters (including
those based on Title VII, the ADEA, the ADA, and state/
local equivalents); reductions in force and restructuring
(including issues surrounding WARN and severance options);
statutory leaves (such as FMLA and similar state obligations);
employment contracts; wage/hour compliance; and the
intersection of traditional employment law with collective
bargaining rights and responsibilities. Most recently, her
practice also has included labor/employment obligations to
emerge from a successful bankruptcy restructuring, and
an anticipated merger with another air carrier. Melissa also
shares American’s deep commitment to diversity, and in
2013 was proud to accept on behalf of American’s Legal
Department the National LGBT Bar Association’s “Out
and Proud Corporate Counsel” Award, recognizing the
Legal Department’s contributions to the LGBT community.
Melissa’s position at American Airlines has allowed her to
indulge her love of travel, seeing exotic (and not-so-exotic)
locales ranging from Milwaukee to Bangkok, Indianapolis
to Shanghai, and Tulsa to Buenos Aires. Melissa received
her undergraduate and law degrees from The Ohio State
University, and has been practicing law since 1996.
Marya M. Rose – Marya M. Rose is Vice-President – Chief
Administrative Officer of Cummins Inc. She joined Cummins
in 1997 as a lawyer and served as General Counsel and
Corporate Secretary for Cummins from 2001 until August
2011, when she was named CAO. A graduate of Williams
College, she received her J.D. from the Indiana University
School of Law – Indianapolis. Prior to joining Cummins,
Ms. Rose was an attorney with the firm of Bose McKinney
& Evans in Indianapolis, assistant general counsel with
the State’s largest agency (FSSA), and a senior aide to
two Indiana Governors -- Evan Bayh and Frank O’Bannon.
At Cummins, Ms. Rose is responsible for seven global
functions including legal, government relations, global
security, corporate facilities and real estate, communications,
information technology and Cummins shared service
business. Ms. Rose is also on the Company’s senior
leadership team. Cummins Inc., a global power leader, is a
corporation of complementary business units that design,
manufacture, distribute and service engines and related
technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling,
filtration, emission solutions and electrical power generation
systems. Headquartered in Columbus, Indiana, (USA)
Cummins serves customers in more than 160 countries
through its network of 550 distributor facilities and more than
5,000 dealer locations.
David M. Rosenblum – David M. Rosenblum is the Legal
Director at Mazzoni Center, overseeing direct legal services
to members of the Pennsylvania LGBT community. He
serves as an Adjunct Professor at Temple University’s
Beasley School of Law, teaching a clinical course on sexual
orientation and gender identity law, and co-instructs an
advanced legal writing practicum at Rutgers School of
Law- Camden. Prior to Mazzoni Center, he practiced in the
field of employment law for over twenty years, serving as a
Trial Attorney at the EEOC, a New Jersey Deputy Attorney
General, and the EEO Officer for the NJ Department of
Labor & Workforce Development. He has served as the
Chair of Gay And Lesbian Lawyers Of Philadelphia, co-chair
of the Philadelphia Bar’s LGBT Committee, on the board of
the National LGBT Bar and chaired the 2002 Lavender Law
conference in Philadelphia. He was a founding member of
the Center for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights, the New Jersey
Bar’s LGBT Committee, and Proud2WorkNJ. He is a 1988
graduate of Brandeis University (B.A. in philosophy with a
legal studies minor), and a received his J.D. from Villanova
University School of Law in 1991.
Abby R. Rubenfeld – Abby Rubenfeld is an attorney in
Nashville, Tennessee. Her general practice includes an
emphasis on family law, sexual orientation issues, and AIDSrelated issues. From 2007 to 2009, she was appointed by
the President of the ABA to serve on the newly created ABA
Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. In
Sidley is proud to support the
Lavender Law Conference
and Career Fair and to be
a progressive proponent of
law firm diversity
and inclusion.
Joseph Manicki
One South Dearborn
Chicago, IL 60603
+1.312.853.2172
www.sidley.com
BEIJING · BOSTON · BRUSSELS · CHICAGO · DALLAS · FRANKFURT · GENEVA
HONG KONG · HOUSTON · LONDON · LOS ANGELES · NEW YORK · PALO ALTO
SAN FRANCISCO · SHANGHAI · SINGAPORE · SYDNEY · TOKYO · WASHINGTON, D.C.
Attorney
Advertising
For
purposes
of
compliance
with
New
York
State
Bar
rules,
our
headquarters are Sidley Austin LLP, 787 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019, 212.839.5300;
One South Dearborn, Chicago, IL 60603, 312.853.7000; and 1501 K Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005, 202.736.8000.
| 83
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
1996, Ms. Rubenfeld was successful in a four-year effort
to overturn the Tennessee statute that criminalized private
same sex consensual adult sexual behavior. In October 1997,
the National Lesbian and Gay Law Association (NLGLA)
awarded her its highest honor, the Dan Bradley Award. Ms.
Rubenfeld formerly served from 1983-1988 as Legal Director
of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc. and
helped build the Lambda legal program from a small local
docket to a nationally respected legal entity. She was the
Co-Chair of both Lavender Law I (San Francisco 1988) and
Lavender Law II (Atlanta 1990). From 1990 through 1992, she
was the Co-Chair of NLGLA, which she also helped create in
1988. Ms. Rubenfeld received a J.D. from Boston University
School of Law in 1979. She received an A.B. with honors
from Princeton University, and while there she was the first
woman elected as a class president in more than 225 years
of Princeton history. She has two daughters, ages 22 and 18,
as well as a partner, Helia Rethmann, and step-daughter, age
17. She and Helia were legally married in San Francisco in
September 2008.
The National LGBT
Bar Association
and their
BEIJING
HONG KONG
HOUSTON
LONDON
2013 Lavender Law Conference
LOS ANGELES
PALO ALTO
SÃO PAULO
SEOUL
WWW.SIMPSONTHACHER.COM
TOKYO
WASHINGTON, D.C.
| 84
LGBT_Bar_Asso_3.625x4.875_2013_v04.indd 1
S
Richard Saenz – Richard Saenz is the staff attorney for
the HIV/LGBT Advocacy Project at Queens Legal Services,
Legal Services-NYC, the nation’s largest civil legal services
provider and a proud member of Legal Services Staff
Association (LSSA) Local 2320, where he serves as Delegate
at Large on the Executive Committee. Richard identifies as
a queer, Latino, poverty and HIV/LGBT attorney. His practice
areas include poverty law, discrimination, government
benefits, family and matrimonial law. Richard is a member
of the Family Law Institute (FLI) of the National LGBT Bar
Association. Richard has over a decade of experience
in community organizing and education on HIV issues,
LGBT issues and anti-violence. Richard is a graduate of
Georgetown University and Fordham Law School, where he
was a Stein Scholar for Public Interest and a recipient of the
Archibald Public Service Award, for performance of over 1000
hours of public service. Richard was awarded the Fordham
University School of Law, OutLaws Alumni Award (2012).
We Proudly Support
NEW YORK
Maya Rupert – Maya joined NCLR in 2010 to advance
the National Center for Lesbian Rights’ federal policy and
legislative priorities. Maya’s work includes advocacy in many
areas including federal legislation and regulations on housing,
family policy, health, and employment. Maya has also been
a regular contributing writer to a number of media outlets—
including the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the
San Francisco Chronicle, and The Huffington Post—where
she frequently addresses the intersection of race, sexual
orientation, and gender identity. She has been recognized by
national outlets like Ebony Magazine and The Root for being
one of the most influential African-American leaders in the
country. Maya received her B.A. from U.C. Santa Barbara in
2003, and her J.D. from U.C. Berkeley (Boalt Hall) in 2006.
In 2007, Maya clerked for the Honorable Eric L. Clay of the
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Prior to joining NCLR, she was
an associate with Sidley Austin LLP’s Los Angeles office.
7/1/13 3:16 PM
Cathy Sakimura – Cathy Sakimura is the Family Law
Director and Supervising Attorney at the National Center for
Lesbian Rights. Cathy also runs NCLR’s Family Protection
Project, which improves access to family law services for
low-income LGBT parents and their children, with a focus on
increasing services to families of color. This project provides
free legal information to low-income LGBT parents and their
children; trains and supports attorneys providing free and
low-cost services to these families; and works in coalition
with organizations serving communities of color to provide
culturally competent services to families of color. Cathy
joined NCLR in 2006 as an Equal Justice Works Fellow. She
received her J.D. from UC Hastings College of the Law in
2006 and her B.A. from Stanford University in 2001. Prior to
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
law school, she worked at Gay-Straight Alliance Network,
where she empowered young people to combat harassment
in their schools. Cathy was also previously a member of
the Board of Directors of COLAGE, a national movement of
children, youth, and adults with an LGBTQ parent. In 2012,
she was named one of the Best LGBT Lawyers under 40 by
the National LGBT Bar Association.
Robert Salem – Rob Salem is a Clinical Professor of Law at
the University of Toledo College of Law. He has published
articles on bullying, discrimination and education issues in
the Cleveland State Law Review, Louisiana Law Review
and Albany Law Review. Professor Salem was recently
appointed by the United States Commission on Civil Rights
to serve on its Ohio Advisory Committee. He also recently
served as an expert panel member for a United States
Department of Education study on state bullying laws and
school policies. He was one of seven experts from around
the country chosen by the Department of Education to work
on the study. He created an anti-bullying training curriculum
for teachers and school administrators and a model antibullying policy that has been used by schools around the
state. He has trained thousands of students, teachers and
administrators in bullying prevention and has presented his
work nationwide. Professor Salem serves on several nonprofit boards and advisory panels, including the National Gay
and Lesbian Task Force, the Ohio American Civil Liberties
Union, the Toledo Bar Association, Planned Parenthood of
Northwest Ohio, and The Toledo Public Defenders Office.
Ken Sanchez – Ken Sanchez is a Director of Business
Development and Strategic Relationship Management
at Bloomberg Law, a division of Bloomberg LP offering
subscription based online legal information services to law
firms. In his position at Bloomberg Law, Ken is responsible
for working with senior partners and other law firm personnel
to determine the best practices for business development
and client retention. Ken is an active member of the Board
of Directors of LeGaL – The LGBT Bar Association of Greater
New York. Prior to joining the Board, Ken was responsible
for chairing LeGaL’s Social & Networking Committee, where
he helped assemble a large committee of members that
created a robust calendar of networking and social events
for the Bar Association. He is also involved with the Financial
Service Industry Exchange, Lambda Legal, The Hispanic
Steering Committee for the New York State Republican Party
and served as President of the Log Cabin Republicans of
Massachusetts from 2003-2005. A native of New York City,
Ken earned his Undergraduate degree in Political Science and
Spanish Language & Literature at Fordham University in New
York and his Law Degree at Boston College Law School. He
currently resides in New York City.
Scott Schoettes – Scott A. Schoettes, who is openly
HIV-positive, has successfully litigated cases involving the
discriminatory denial of medical care to an incarcerated
woman living with HIV in Wisconsin; the eviction of a
75-year-old man from an assisted living facility in Arkansas;
and recently prevailed in an appeal before the Eleventh
Circuit on behalf of an HIV-positive man denied the
opportunity to serve on the Atlanta police force. He was a
member of the legal team that represented Lorenzo Taylor
in his successful effort to lift the State Department’s blanket
ban on hiring people with HIV for the Foreign Service and
recently co-authored an amicus brief filed on behalf of people
living with HIV in the U.S. Supreme Court’s review of the
constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. Schoettes was
also the point-person for Lambda Legal’s work on the repeal
of the HIV travel ban and is currently working on the reform
of laws criminalizing conduct based on HIV status. Before
joining Lambda Legal as the HIV Project Staff Attorney in
2007, Schoettes spent four years at Latham & Watkins
(Chicago). He graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown
University Law Center and clerked in the U.S. District Court
for the District of Maryland.
Diversity and Inclusion:
Mission Critical at the SEC
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
invites you to explore our career and
contracting opportunities.
Join us in fulfilling our mission to protect investors,
maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets,
and facilitate capital formation.
For information about SEC career opportunities,
visit www.sec.gov/jobs.shtml
For information about SEC’s Office of Minority and
Women Inclusion (OMWI) contracting opportunities,
visit www.sec.gov/about/offices/omwi.htm
202.551.6046 ✦ 855.SEC.OMWI ✦ [email protected]
ThE SEC IS an Equal OppOrTunITy EMplOyEr
| 85
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Rick Schroder – Rick Schroder, Manager Inclusion &
Diversity, GSK has worked in the field of Inclusion &
Diversity (I&D) for 15 years. He is responsible for driving
alignment of the Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) with
business strategies, expanding I&D communications,
providing oversight for the Outreach strategy, and facilitating
benchmarking and research opportunities. Prior to joining
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), he was with Campbell Soup
Company, Shell Oil, and provided consulting services to BP,
and Lockheed-Martin. He began his career in I&D in 1998
with Shell Oil Company. Prior to joining GSK, Rick drove
strategy within the Office of Diversity at Campbell Soup
Company. Rick came out at Shell in 1994. Over the years he
has been active in LGBT workplace issues and creating more
inclusive workplaces. Rick is author of “Finding The Energy –
Coming Out In Corporate America,” which captures the key
learnings and observations leading up to his decision to come
out in the workplace in 1994 and the journey that followed.
Rick has degrees from Idaho State University (ISU) and
Eastern Kentucky University (EKU). He is a member of the
Dean’s Advisory Board for the College of Arts & Letters at
proudly supports the
and the
2013 Lavender Law
Conference and Career Fair
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
51 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019
212-403-1000
ISU, and a member of the Disability Equality Index Advisory
Committee - a joint venture between the US Business
Leadership Network (USBLN) and the American Association
of People with Disabilities (AAPD).
Ryan Scott – Ryan Scott is an Associate Professor of Law at
Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law in Bloomington,
where he teaches Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, and
Federal Jurisdiction. His scholarship focuses on criminal
sentencing, judicial discretion, and constitutional law. He is
also co-chair of the LGBT Committee of the ABA Criminal
Justice Section. Before joining the faculty, Mr. Scott served
as a Bristow Fellow in the Office of the Solicitor General, an
associate at O’Melveny & Myers LLP in Washington, DC, and
a law clerk to Judge Michael McConnell of the United States
Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. He earned his J.D. in
2005 from the University of Minnesota.
Brad Sears – Brad Sears is the Roberta A. Conroy Scholar
of Law and Policy and Executive Director of the Williams
Institute at UCLA School of Law. He is also an Assistant
Dean and Adjunct Professor at UCLA School of Law,
where he teaches courses on sexual orientation law,
disability law, and U.S. legal and judicial systems. Sears has
published a number of research studies and articles, primarily
on discrimination against LGBT people in the workplace and
HIV discrimination in health care. Sears has given hundreds
of academic and community presentations on HIV/AIDS and
LGBT legal issues. He has testified before Congress and
state legislatures, authored amicus briefs in key court cases,
helped to draft state and federal legislation, and been cited
by a number of media, including the New York Times, the Los
Angeles Times, National Public Radio, and CNN. He has been
recognized on Advocate’s Magazine’s “40 Under 40” list and
on OUT Magazine’s 2012 most influential LGBT leaders in
the country. In 2012, he was the Shikes Fellow in Civil Rights
and Civil Liberties at Harvard Law School.
Liz Seaton – Liz started at Justice at Stake in March
2012. Liz comes from the National Center for Lesbian
Rights, where she served as State Policy Director, as well
as Managing Attorney and Director of Projects. She is
the former Deputy Director of Programs at the American
Constitution Society for Law and Policy and the former
General Counsel and Legal Director of the Human Rights
Campaign. She earlier practiced law at Silber & Perlman
in Takoma Park, Maryland, and with the Whitman-Walker
Clinic in Washington D.C. She also served as Board Chair
and first Executive Director of Equality Maryland. She sits on
the board of the Transgender Law and Policy Institute. She
is a graduate of American University’s Washington College
of Law, and holds a master’s degree in Public Policy and
Women’s Studies from The George Washington University.
www.wlrk.com
| 86
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Richard Segal – Mr. Segal is the managing partner of
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman’s San Diego and San Diego
North County offices. He has litigated in state, federal and
bankruptcy courts on a variety of issues at both the trial
and appellate levels. His practice emphasizes commercial
and business litigation with particular concentrations in
consumer finance, employee benefits, unfair competition,
false advertising, securities, antitrust and banking matters.
He represents benefit plans and trustees in ERISA cases
in courts throughout California. He also has substantial
litigation experience representing vehicle finance and leasing
companies in class actions and private attorney general
actions challenging their practices, and advises vehicle sales
companies regarding state statutory, common law and
regulatory compliance. Other significant matters include his
representation of public corporations and/or inside or outside
directors in various class action securities cases in state
and federal courts. Additionally, Mr. Segal is the leader of
Pillsbury’s firmwide LGBT attorney network and is a member
of Lambda Legal’s National Leadership Council.
Giovanna Shay – Giovanna Shay is a Professor of Law
at Western New England University School of Law. She
writes and teaches about criminal law, with her current work
focusing on issues of gender and sexuality in the criminal
legal system. Prior to joining the WNE Law faculty in 2007,
Professor Shay was a Robert M. Cover Clinical Teaching
Fellow at Yale Law School. She also served as a Staff
Attorney at the Public Defender Service for D.C., and
was a Soros Justice Fellow at the ACLU National Prison
Project. From 1997-98, she served as a law clerk at the
Connecticut Supreme Court. From 2011-2013, Professor
Shay was a Co-Chair of the Corrections Committee of the
American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section. In 2013,
Professor Shay is the Secretary of the Criminal Justice
Section of the Association of American Law Schools.
Judge Debra Silber – Debra Silber was elected to the
NYC Civil Court in 1997 and was re-elected in 2007. She is
currently an Acting Justice by designation presiding in the
Supreme Court, Kings County, where she hears both jury and
non-jury trials and divorce trials. In her 16 years on the bench,
she has presided over the Integrated Domestic Violence
Court, which handles Criminal Court, Family Court and
divorce cases, spent a year trying felony trials in Supreme
Court, Criminal Term, and for several years sat in a custody
and visitation part in the Kings County Family Court. From
1999 - 2004 she sat in Kings County Civil Court, handling
all types of trials, including personal injury and landlord and
tenant. Before her election, Judge Silber was in private law
practice, and served on many boards and commissions. From
1992 to 1996 she was a (part-time) Commissioner on the
NYC Civilian Complaint Review Board, which is the agency
that hears complaints of Police misconduct. She served on
her local community planning board, on the board of her
synagogue, and has been active in community affairs her
entire life. She is a graduate of Hastings College of the Law
(1982) and New York University. A native of Brooklyn, New
York, she lives in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn with her partner and
two kids.
Judge George Silver – George J. Silver was recently elected
as a New York State Supreme Court Justice. Justice Silver
was elected to Civil Court bench in November 2004. He
was initially assigned to Civil Court, Kings County until he
was re-assigned in April 2009 to Family Court, Bronx County
where he presided over juvenile delinquency matters. In
January 2010, Judge Silver was appointed a Supreme Court
Judge by designation and assigned to Supreme Court, New
York County where he presides over the approximately two
thousand motor vehicle cases pending in New York County.
In April 2011, Justice Silver was asked to preside over the
Trial Assignment Part in Supreme Court, New York County
in addition to his current assignment. In 2012, Justice
Silver was also asked to handle potential early settlement
of Medical Malpractice Cases as part of a specialized
grant program. His current assignments include the Trial
Assignment Part, the Medical Malpractice Early Settlement
Part and an IAS Part handling general matters including
National LGBT
Bar Association’s
25th Anniversary
Lavender Law
Conference &
Career Fair
weil.com
| 87
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Asbestos litigation. Justice Silver is also involved in many
community-based and Bar Associations including the NAACP,
the International Association of Gay and Lesbian Judges
where he currently serves as Vice -President and the Jewish
Lawyers Guild.
Michelle Seldin Silverman – Michelle Seldin Silverman
is a labor and employment attorney with Morgan Lewis
and Bockius. Ms. Silverman’s practice is focused on
employment litigation, including the defense of class,
collective, and multi-plaintiff actions. Ms. Silverman also
has significant experience handling matters involving the
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and various
state agencies, including claims of systemic discrimination.
In addition, a large part of Ms. Silverman’s practice involves
counseling clients regarding best practices for managing
leaves of absence, disability accommodations, gender
stereotyping, and LGBT issues. Ms. Silverman has been an
adjunct professor of gender and the law at the University of
Pennsylvania Law School, where she received her J.D. cum
laude and Order of the Coif, and where, as a student, she
was a founding member of the Clinic for LGBT Civil Rights.
She earned her M.A., with distinction, in women’s and legal
history from the University of Michigan in 1998 and her B.A.,
cum laude, from Dartmouth College in 1995. From 1996-
1997, Ms. Silverman was the LGBT Coordinator at Princeton
University, leading the University’s diversity and inclusion
efforts in support of its LGBT students and employees.
Brian P. Simons – Brian Simons is a litigator in the
Philadelphia office of Saul Ewing LLP, where he is a member
of the White Collar Defense group, and the Insurance group.
Prior to joining Saul Ewing, Brian served as the Managing
Director of Garden State Equality, New Jersey’s statewide
LGBT civil rights organization, and before that was a sexual
health educator with Planned Parenthood of Central New
Jersey. Brian was also a Point Scholar with Point Foundation,
a national merit- and need-based scholarship organization for
LGBTQ students. Brian can be reached at BSimons@Saul.
com.
William S. Singer – William S. Singer, a partner of Singer &
Fedun, LLC, has been in the private practice of law in New
Jersey for over 41 years. His practice concentrates on the
creation and protection of non-traditional families and as
counselor to non-profit organizations. He has served as the
General Counsel for the National LGBT Bar Association since
its founding in the 1980’s and serves as General Counsel
to the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys, the
ACLU-NJ, the New Jersey Sierra Club and the New Jersey
Cozen O’Connor is proud to support the
National LGBT Bar Association and its 2013
Lavender Law Conference and Career Fair.
Kimya S.P. Johnson
Co-Chair, Diversity Committee
Lynnette D. Espy-Williams
Co-Chair, Diversity Committee
575 Lawyers | 23 Ofﬁces Worldwide | cozen.com
© 2013 Cozen O’Connor
| 88
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Association for Justice. Bill is the founder and Director of
the LGBT Family Law Institute, an organization for attorneys
who specialize in LGBT family law. He is the legal advisor to
Family By Design, the community of parenting partnerships.
(http://www.familybydesign.com/) He is a fellow of the
American Academy of Assisted Reproductive Technology
Attorneys and a member of the National Family Law Advisory
Council of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. In 2012,
Bill was awarded the Bill of Rights Award from the American
Civil Liberties Union – New Jersey, the first ever Lifetime
Achievement Award from the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and
Transgender Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association
and the Presidential Award from the New Jersey Association
for Justice, Inc.
Scott Skinner-Thompson – Scott Skinner-Thompson is a
litigation associate at Dorsey & Whitney in Seattle and serves
on the Board of Directors of the Ingersoll Gender Center.
Scott has extensive experience advancing the rights of LGBT
individuals and those living with HIV. Scott represented
a transgender woman in an employment discrimination suit
against the federal government and another transgender
woman who was denied insurance coverage for a
mammogram in violation of ERISA. He also successfully
represented an HIV-positive boy in an ADA discrimination
suit. Recently, Scott drafted an amicus brief to the Supreme
Court in Hollingsworth v. Perry and United States v.
Windsor on behalf of the American Sociological Association
explaining that children fare just as well when raised by
same-sex parents. Scott has authored multiple articles
on constitutional law, LGBT rights, and HIV rights. Scott
served as a law clerk to the Honorable Dolores Sloviter of
the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and the Honorable Robert
Chatigny of the District of Connecticut. Previously, he was
an associate at Cleary Gottlieb in New York. Scott received
a J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, from Duke Law
School in 2008. In 2005, he received a B.A., magna cum
laude, from Whitman College.
Terra Slavin – Terra Slavin is the Lead Staff Attorney for
the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center’s Legal Services Department
and Project Manager of their Domestic Violence Legal
Advocacy Project. Slavin has been responsible for overseeing
the delivery of comprehensive and holistic legal services
to LGBTQ survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault,
and stalking, and has provided trainings on these issues to
hundreds of attorneys, judges and advocates across the
country. Attorney Slavin is on a Governance Committee of
the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP),
a coalition of more than 40 programs across the country
addressing LGBTQ crime victimization. Slavin has been
representing NCAVP on the Steering Committee of the
National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence,
the main coalition of service providers that worked to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, which included
LGBTQ-explicit protections for the first time, an effort
which Slavin Co-Chaired. Attorney Slavin has co-authored
several pieces on LGBT anti-violence, and is regular faculty
for ABA Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence and
recently served as an advisory member in their curriculum
development to address issues of sexual violence in intimate
partner relationships. Slavin graduated from Northeastern
University School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts.
Amy Slusser – Amy E. Slusser is a trial lawyer in the
Minneapolis office of Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P.
Ms. Slusser concentrates her practice on representing both
individuals and corporate clients in complex commercial
litigation and arbitration, internal investigations, and whitecollar criminal defense. She serves on the Firm’s Diversity
Committee. Ms. Slusser has played a substantial role in a
wide range of complex financial, constitutional, criminal, and
regulatory matters, as well as patent-infringement litigation
and class-action litigation. Ms. Slusser has been recognized
as a leader in the LGBT community, named as one of the
Best LGBT Attorneys Under 40—Class of 2012 by the
National LGBT Bar Association. From 2011-2013, she served
as Co-Chair of the Minnesota Lavender Bar Association.
She has been recognized as an Up and Coming Attorney
by Minnesota Lawyerand named a Minnesota Rising Star in
2012 by Super Lawyers.
Paul Smith – Paul Smith heads the Appellate & Supreme
Court practice at Jenner & Block LLP. He is a veteran
Supreme Court advocate who is perhaps best known for
arguing Lawrence v. Texas as co-counsel with Lambda
Legal. He has also argued several important Supreme Court
cases involving voting rights and the First Amendment.
Recently, he has worked with GLAD on two challenges
to the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act in
Massachusetts and Connecticut. He is a former member
and Co-Chair of the Lambda Legal Board. He is a current
member and former chair of the Board of the American
Constitution Society, as well as a member of the ABA House
of Delegates. In 2010, Mr. Smith received the Thurgood
Marshall Award from the ABA Section of Individual Rights &
Responsibilities for his work promoting civil rights and civil
liberties. He graduated from Amherst College and Yale Law
School, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Law
Journal. He clerked for Judge James Oakes of the Second
Circuit as well as Justice Lewis Powell Jr. Todd Solomon – Todd A. Solomon is a partner in the law
firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP based in the Firm’s
Chicago office. As a member of the Employee Benefits
Practice Group, Todd’s practice is concentrated primarily
on designing, amending, and administering pension plans,
profit sharing plans, 401(k) plans, employee stock ownership
plans, 403(b) plans, and nonqualified deferred compensation
arrangements. He also counsels privately and publicly-held
| 89
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
corporations and tax-exempt entities regarding fiduciary
and plan investment issues under ERISA, employee
benefits issues involved in corporate transactions, executive
compensation matters, and the implementation of benefit
programs for domestic partners of employees. Todd is the
author of the First-Seventh Editions of Domestic Partner
Benefits - An Employer’s Guide, which were published by
Thompson Publishing Group, and is a frequent speaker
on employee benefits issues resulting from domestic
partnerships and same-sex marriages.
Michael Sosso – Michael currently serves as managing
counsel – Antitrust for BP America. He joined BP in June
2011 after spending seven years in the Washington, DC
office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. While
at Skadden, Michael represented clients before the
United States Department of Justice and Federal Trade
Commission on antitrust matters. He has implemented
global antitrust compliance programs for companies, advised
on multinational transactions, counseled on criminal and
civil antitrust enforcement, and spoken on a broad range of
antitrust and economic topics. As BP’s Managing Counsel
for Antitrust, Michael is tasked with leading the legal team
advising businesses on antitrust and competition law issues
in the Americas as well as Asia. Michael received a BS in
Economics and a BA in Political Science from Arizona State
University and his law degree from Georgetown University
Law Center.
Scott Squillace – Scott Squillace is an estate planning
attorney with over 25 years of experience. He is admitted to
practice law in Massachusetts, New York and Washington
D.C. and has been admitted to the Bar in Paris, France
as an Avocat. Scott began his career as a corporate and
transactional attorney with Skadden, Arps and also spent a
number of years as an in-house corporate attorney. Scott
is now the principal of Squillace & Associates, P.C. – a
boutique law firm in Boston’s historic Back Bay specializing
in life & estate planning matters for individuals and families.
He specializes in planning needs for international clientele,
corporate executives and small business owners. He is a
member of WealthCounsel and works in collaboration with
other attorneys nationally on life & estate planning matters.
His practice includes a focus on planning needs for same
sex couples and their families and his firm provides a full
range of probated and trust settlement services. Scott holds
his bachelor’s degree from Fordham University in New York;
has studied at the Sorbonne University in Paris and earned
his J.D. from the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic
University of America in Washington, D.C. He is married and
resides in Charlestown, MA.
Therese M. Stewart – Since 2002, Ms. Stewart has
served as Chief Deputy City Attorney under San Francisco
City Attorney, Dennis J. Herrera, overseeing the City and
| 90
County’s civil litigation and representing San Francisco and
its officials in key cases. From 2004 through the present,
Ms. Stewart has led San Francisco’s team in litigation in the
state and federal courts seeking marriage equality under
the state and federal constitutions. In 2008, she and other
advocates obtained a California Supreme Court ruling holding
California’s exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage
unjustifiably discriminates against lesbians and gay men and
denies them of fundamental liberty and autonomy privacy
interests guaranteed by the California Constitution. Since
Proposition 8 was enacted to overturn that decision, Ms.
Stewart has led a team of deputy city attorneys representing
the City as a Plaintiff-Intervenor in Hollingsworth v. Perry. She
and her team participated fully in the pre-trial, trial and appeal
phases of the case and were instrumental in obtaining rulings
from the district court and the Ninth Circuit holding that
Proposition 8 violates the federal Constitution. Prior to 2002,
Ms. Stewart was a partner at the San Francisco law firm of
Howard, Rice, which recently merged with Arnold & Porter.
She was the first openly gay president of the Bar Association
of San Francisco in 1999. She has received numerous
awards, including the American Bar Association Commission
on Women’s Magaret Brent Award in 2013 and the California
Bar Journal’s California Lawyer of the Year Award for Civil
Rights in 2009. She and her team have been profiled in
publications from the American Lawyer to the New York
Times, and she was recognized by the Daily Journal as one of
“10 Lawyers Who Helped to Shape a Decade” in 2010.
Kelly Strader – Kelly Strader is Professor of Law at
Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. He received a
B.A. from the College of William & Mary, a Master’s Degree
in International Affairs from Columbia University, and a
J.D. from the University of Virginia, where he served on
the editorial board of the Virginia Law Review. Professor
Strader has an extensive background in criminal litigation
and has also worked as a pro bono attorney on gay rights
litigation. He has written substantial scholarship relating to
both criminal law and LGBT rights including, most recently,
Queer (In)Justice: Mapping New Gay (Scholarly) Agendas
(Book Review), 102 J. Crim. L. & Criminology 171 (2012)
(with Giovanna Shay). He has also written and lectured about
legal issues relating to HIV/AIDS. At Southwestern, Professor
Strader serves as the faculty advisor to OUTLaw, and has
been named the Irving D. and Florence Rosenberg Professor
of Law and has received the Excellence in Teaching Award.
Professor Strader has chaired the Law School Admission
Council’s (LSAC) Subcommittee on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual,
and Transgender (GLBT) Issues and the AALS Section on
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Issues.
John Sullivan – John was a member of Imation’s executive
operations team, directed its worldwide legal staff and
supported the Imation Board of Directors. John previously
served as Vice President and General Counsel at Silicon
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Graphics Inc. and as General Counsel at Cray Research,
Inc. John currently serves on the Board of Directors for the
Regions Hospital Foundation and the Matthew Shepard
Foundation and on the Board of Trustees for the Minneapolis
Foundation. John is also a member of the Community
Advisory Boards for both Theatre Latte Da and Frank
Theater. John was a founding member of the Human Rights
Campaign (HRC) Business Council in 1997 and served as
its co-chair from 2001 to 2003, during which time HRC
published its first annual Corporate Equality Index. John
previously served on the HRC Board of Governors from 1999
to 2003 and served on the HRC national Board of Directors
from 2003 until 2007. He was recently invited to serve as an
original member of HRC’s newly formed Emeritus Council.
John holds a doctorate of jurisprudence degree from the
University of Notre Dame Law School and a bachelor of
arts degree in quantitative methods from the College of St.
Thomas in St. Paul, MN.
Kimberly Surratt – Kimberly Surratt owns Surratt Law
Practice, PC where she maintains an exclusive family law
practice. Her comprehensive family law practice involves all
areas of assisted reproductive law (egg donation law, embryo
donation law, sperm donor law, surrogacy law and gestational
carrier law), adoptions, guardianships, paternity actions,
divorce, child custody and support and family formation.
Kimberly is trained as a mediator, collaborative practitioner
and collaborative trainer. She often speaks to groups of
professionals and the general public about family formation
choices and LGBT family law issues. Kimberly published
the first article ever in the Nevada Lawyer titled Parenthood
Through Technology. She has been lobbying at the legislature
since 2005 on matters such as the passage of the Nevada
Domestic Partnership Act and an Assisted Reproductive
Technology bill that is all inclusive, gender and marital status
neutral. Her extracurricular pursuits are as a wife, a mother
of an awesome four year old, member of the Reno Rodeo
Association executive committee, a member of the Nevada
Justice Association Board of Governors, a member of the
State Bar of Nevada Family Law Section Executive Council, a
photographer and horseback rider. [email protected]
T
Phillip Tahmindjis – Dr Phillip Tahmindjis A.M. is the
Director of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights
Institute in London, UK. A long-time LGBTI rights activist,
he was instrumental in gay law reform in his home state
of Queensland, Australia, and is a former trustee of the
Queensland AIDS Council. Phillip has produced the HRI
resolution on decriminalisation of homosexuality and the IBA
resolution on non-discrimination in legal practice. He has also
undertaken human rights training of lawyers in Iraq, Libya,
Palestine, Pakistan, Nepal, Jordan, Dubai and the Former
Yugoslavia, and has compiled a Human Rights Training
Manual in conjunction with the UN High Commission for
Human Rights. He has conducted human rights fact finding
missions to Russia, Nepal, Pakistan, Swaziland and Syria,
and co-ordinated the project to establish global guidelines for
human rights fact finding. Admitted to the bar of New South
Wales in 1978, Phillip is the former Head of the School of
Law at Queensland University of Technology and a former
member of the Queensland Anti-Discrimination Tribunal. He
has been a consultant to private industry and government
with respect to the implementation of human rights and is
the editor of four books and the author of several articles in
this area, including Sexuality and Human Rights: A Global
Overview. In 2012 Phillip was made a Member of the Order
of Australia for services to the international community and
to the law.
Anne Tamar-Mattis – Anne Tamar-Mattis, J.D., is the
founder and Executive Director of Advocates for Informed
Choice (AIC), the first organization in the country focusing
on legal advocacy for the civil and human rights of children
born with intersex conditions or DSD. She is currently serving
as counsel in M.C. v. Aaronson, representing a child with
an intersex condition forced by the state to undergo sex
assignment surgery at age 16 months. She has served for
many years as an organizer in the LGBTQI communities, and
teaches as adjunct faculty at UC Berkeley School of Law. Ms.
Tamar-Mattis is in demand around the country as a speaker
on topics relating to legal and ethical issues affecting children
with intersex conditions, including UCSF Children’s Hospital,
Yale Law School, and the Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine
Society, to name a few. Her articles have been published
in such venues as the Journal of Pediatric Endocrine and
Metabolism, and the Berkeley Journal of Gender, Law &
Justice.
William R. Tamayo – Bill Tamayo was appointed in 1995
as the Regional Attorney for the United States Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission, San Francisco
District. He currently directs the Commission’s litigation
and legal program in Northern California, Northern Nevada,
Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Idaho and Montana. From
1995-2005 he directed the program in Northern and Central
California, Hawaii, American Samoa, Wake Island, Guam and
the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. During
his tenure the San Francisco District has obtained significant
resolutions including among others, Arnett & EEOC v.
California Public Employee Retirement System ($250 million
for disabled public safety officers); EEOC v. Walmart ($3.5
million for disabled workers denied accommodations or
jobs); EEOC v. 3M Company ($3.0 million for older workers
laid off); EEOC v. Lockheed-Martin ($2.5 million for black
avionics electrician harassed and retaliated against); EEOC
v. Fry’s Electronics ($2.3 million for an employee fired after
| 91
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
reporting harassment and for the harassed employee)
another employee who was harassed) EEOC v. Les Schwab
Tires ($2.0 million for women denied sales and service
jobs); EEOC v. Tanimura & Antle ($1.855 million for sexually
harassed and retaliated farm workers), EEOC v. Lowe’s
Home Improvement ($1.72 million for sexual harassment of
store workers), EEOC v. Kovacevich “5” Farms ($1.68 million
for female farm workers denied hire) and EEOC v. Herrick
Corporation ($1.11 million for 4 Pakistani Muslims harassed
at work), and a nearly $1 million verdict for a farm worker
who was sexually harassed and retaliated against, EEOC
v. Harris Farms. He earned his J.D. from the University of
California, Davis.
Suzanne Taylor – Suzanne Taylor is a Senior Civil Rights
Attorney in the San Francisco Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in
the United States Department of Education. OCR enforces
the federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination against
students in public schools on the basis of sex, race, color,
national origin and disability. Suzanne has served as lead
OCR attorney on a number of OCR cases presenting novel
questions regarding Title IX’s application to issues affecting
gay and transgender students. In 2011, Suzanne was part of
a team that negotiated a joint settlement between OCR, the
U.S. Department of Justice and the Tehachapi Unified School
District to resolve a complaint of harassment of a middle
school student who took his own life after enduring severe
and pervasive harassment at school based on his gender
nonconformity and sexual orientation.
Wayne Thomas – Wayne Thomas is the creator of the
GLBT Domestic Violence Attorney Program in Boston, MA,
where he practices as the Managing Attorney. He handles
civil protection order cases and family law matters, provides
advocacy to victims and witnesses in criminal matters and
represents clients in discrimination cases. Wayne served on
the advisory board of the American Bar Association’s Legal Assistance and Education for LGBT Victims of Domestic
Violence Project from 2007-2009. He has presented on
LGBT domestic and sexual violence legal issues at national
conferences and trainings on behalf of the ABA and the
National LGBT Bar Association. He is a co-chair of the GLBT
Domestic Violence Coalition in Boston and is a member of
the LGBT Subcommittee that successfully advocated for the
inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity protections
in the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. He
is also a co-author of a chapter on intimate partern violence
in GLAD’s book: Transgender Family Law. He is a graduate of
the Northeastern University School of Law.
Paul Thorndal – Paul W. Thorndal is a partner at Wald &
Thorndal, P.C., and he is certified as a Family Law Specialist
by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization.
Paul is a senior litigation attorney with broad experience in
both trial and appellate litigation. He works as a litigation
| 92
attorney and mediator in the resolution of marital and
domestic partnership disputes and disputed parentage cases,
and in civil litigation of non-marital property claims. Paul’s
practice also includes assisted reproductive technology
(ART) litigation and transactional work. He was admitted to
the California Bar in 1995. He is a member of the Family
Law Practice Section of both the State Bar of California and
the Bar Association of San Francisco. He also is a member
of the National LGBT Law Association and the Bay Area
Lawyers for Individual Freedom. Paul obtained his B.A. from
the University of California at Berkeley, and his J.D. from the
University of California, Hastings College of the Law. Paul
and his husband have lived together in San Francisco for
many years.
Scott Titshaw – Scott Titshaw is an Associate Professor at
Mercer University Law School. Prior to joining the faculty
at Mercer, Professor Titshaw practiced immigration and
transactional law,winning awards from both the Stonewall
Bar Association of Georgia and the ACLU of Georgia for
his pro bono work. He has led the Stonewall Bar Association
of Georgia and the American Immigration Lawyers
Associations (AILA) Georgia-Alabama Chapter. He currently
serves as chair of the AILA LGBT working group. Professor
Titshaw earned a B.A. from Georgetown University, a
J.D., cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of
Law, and an LL.M. magna cum laude, from the Universität
Hamburg in Hamburg, Germany. Professor Titshaw clerked
with U.S. District Court Judge Adrian Duplantier in New
Orleans, and worked as a legal translator with Germany’s
Federal Constitutional Court. He teaches a course on
Sexuality and the Law, and his scholarship focuses on
immigration, comparative law, and issues concerning sexual
minorities. His most recent publications include The Meaning
of Marriage: Immigration Rules and Their Implications for
Same-Sex Spouses in a World Without DOMA, 16 Wm.
& Mary J. Women & L. 537 (2010), A Modest Proposal to
Deport the Children of Gay Citizens & etc: Immigration Law,
DOMA and the Children of Same-Sex Couples, 25 Geo.
Immigr. L. J. 407 (2011), and The Reactionary Road to Free
Love: How Opponents of Same-Sex Marriage are Destroying
the Institution They Seek to Defend, 115 W. Va. L. Rev. 205
(2012) (all available at http://ssrn.com/author=1237700).
Harper Jean Tobin – As Director of Policy, Harper Jean
coordinates all aspects of advocacy on federal administrative
policies and regulations for NCTE. When she is not engaging
with federal agencies and the current administration, she
works to provide information for the public about laws
and policies that affect transgender people. Harper Jean
previously worked at the National Senior Citizens Law
Center’s Federal Rights Project, where she maintained
a large attorney listserv, provided training and technical
assistance to public interest lawyers, and wrote about
court access issues for legal, policy and general audiences.
Harper Jean’s academic and general writing on LGBT issues,
reproductive justice, and other issues has been widely
published. She received degrees in social work and law from
Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and is an
alumna of Oberlin College.
Gregory Todd – Greg Todd is a Director and Associate
General Counsel at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in New
York with responsibility for derivatives regulatory issues
in addition to his role supporting fixed income derivatives
sales and trading activity. Mr. Todd currently leads the Legal
Department‘s implementation efforts with respect to global
derivatives regulatory reform, including Dodd-Frank, EMIR
and MiFID II, as well as heads legal coverage of Bank of
America Merrill Lynch’s US, Canadian and Latin America
interest rate derivatives business. Prior to these roles, Mr.
Todd covered Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s US, Canadian
and Latin America credit derivatives business. After receiving
a B.Sc. from the University of Toronto and a J.D. from the
University of Pennsylvania Law School, Mr. Todd joined
Vinson & Elkins LLP as an associate in 2000 and King &
Spalding LLP as an associate in 2002 before joining Bank of
America Merrill Lynch in 2005.
the President of Penn Law Lambda, and is currently serving
on the Penn Law School Alumni Board of Managers.
Other activities including chairing the Bristol-Myers Squibb
Law Department’s Diversity Committee, and the ColgatePalmolive Global Legal Organization’s Pro Bono Committee.
Julius has participated in numerous panels focusing not only
on Intellectual Property law practice, but diversity & the bar,
specifically as it relates to GLBT & Multicultural concerns.
Daniel Torres – Daniel Torres is a Program Director at
California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) where he oversees
civil and human rights advocacy on behalf of rural LGBT
communities. He also manages Proyecto Poderoso—Project
Powerful— a CRLA partnership with the National Center
for Lesbian Rights aimed at improving legal services for
low-income LGBT residents of rural California. Previously,
Daniel worked at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center
organizing LGBT immigrants, conducting Know Your Rights
presentations and providing technical assistance to legal
services and pro bono attorneys. He represented clients
as a staff attorney at the California Rural Legal Assistance
Foundation in Sacramento, worked as a clinical instructor
at the UC Davis School of Law Immigration Law Clinic, and
served as a staff attorney for the United States Court of
Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
David Tsai – David is a Counsel in Perkins Coie LLP’s San
Francisco and Taipei offices and a member of Perkins’
Commercial Litigation Practice Group. David’s practice
focuses on trade secret and patent litigation involving
the Internet, software, semiconductors, set-top boxes,
smartphones, LEDs, pharmaceuticals, biotechnologies,
and medical devices. In 2011, David helped Perkins open
its Taipei office and has since represented numerous
Taiwanese companies on intellectual property matters.
David is the immediate Past President of the Silicon Valley
Intellectual Property Law Association and previously chaired
the ABA LGBT Litigator Committee and Bay Area Lawyers
for Individual Freedom (BALIF), San Francisco’s LGBT Bar
association. In 2013, David was selected as one of the
top “Five Associates To Watch” in California by the Daily
Journal, one of the “50 Lawyers on the Fast Track” in
California by The Recorder, and a Super Lawyer in intellectual
property litigation. David has also been recognized by the
Bar Association of San Francisco Barristers Club with the
“2012 Diversity Award,” the National LGBT Bar with the
40 Best Under 40 in 2011, and the Santa Clara County Bar
Association with the 2010 Barrister of the Year Award.
David is committed to serving pro bono clients. He has
worked on LGBT immigration pro bono matters with the
Asian Law Caucus and the Lawyers Committee for Civil
Rights, including successfully representing a number of
LGBT clients in immigration court. He has also led the
filing of five amicus briefs related to the California samesex marriage cases for which more than 100 organizations
signed. David is a graduate of Harvard, Stanford, and Santa
Clara University.
Julius Towers – Julius is the Chief Personal Care, Hill’s,
and Licensing/Transactions Trademarks Counsel for ColgatePalmolive Company. His practice focuses on all aspects
of non-Patent Intellectual Property law (Trademarks,
Copyrights, Unfair Competition, Internet Law). In addition,
Julius supports the Brand Protection Unit of ColgatePalmolive and is responsible for Social/Digital Media matters
for North America. Prior to Colgate-Palmolive, Julius was
Senior Trademark & Copyrights Counsel at Bristol-Myers
Squibb, and an Associate in the NYC office of Pillsbury
Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP. A graduate of the University
of Pennsylvania Law School (JD ’03) and Florida State
University (BA ’00), Julius is active in many community
service and affinity group activities. At Penn Law, he was
Michael J. Tucker – Michael Tucker, a State Bar of Arizona
Certified Specialist in Estate and Trust Law, attended the
University of Texas at Austin (B.A. cum laude, 1984) and the
University of Texas School of Law (J.D., 1988). Licensed
in Arizona and California, he is included in Best Lawyers
in America in the trusts and estates category. Michael is a
past president of Valley Estate Planners and the Planned
Giving Round Table of Arizona. He has chaired the State
Bar of Arizona Continuing Legal Education Committee, and
the Maricopa County Bar Association Estate Planning and
Probate Section. Michael has long participated in pro bono
projects of the Maricopa County Bar Association, particularly
those of the HIV/AIDS Law Project. Michael was honored
by the Maricopa County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers
| 93
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Program as its 1994 Attorney of the Year and its 2003 HIV/
AIDS Project Attorney of the Year, and by the Arizona Bar
Foundation as the recipient of its 1995 Pro Bono Service
Award. A longtime columnist on legal and financial matters
for ECHO Magazine, Arizona’s leading gay and lesbian
biweekly news magazine, Michael is experienced in estate
planning for gay and lesbian couples and other nontraditional
families.
Julius Turman – Julius is a partner in Reed Smith’s Labor
and Employment Group. His practice includes a broad
range of labor and employment matters including singleplaintiff, class-action, and collective-action litigation (both
discrimination claims and wage/hour); traditional labor;
and litigation and counseling. As a former Assistant U.S.
Attorney, Julius has considerable trial skills and focuses
those skills on representing employers before federal and
state courts and administrative agencies. Julius began
his practice nearly 20 years ago representing clients in all
stages of federal court litigation under the National Labor
Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act, in administrative
proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board and
in labor arbitration. He counsels, writes about, and conducts
training for employers on the Americans with Disabilities Act,
the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, the California Business and
Professions Code, and the Family and Medical Leave Act,
as well as employee terminations, workplace violence, preemployment screening, employment agreements, workplace
investigations and discipline, restrictive covenants, trade
secrets and unfair competition, and drug and alcohol testing.
Julius received his J.D. from Rutgers University School of
Law in 1992 and his B.G.S. from the University of Michigan
in 1987. Following law school, he clerked for Judge John J.
Hughes, U.S.M.J., in the District of New Jersey.
Ilona Turner – Ilona Turner is Legal Director of Transgender
Law Center, the leading national legal organization
dedicated to advancing the rights of transgender and gender
nonconforming people. The organization’s litigation and
policy advocacy focuses on employment and health care
access, and includes work on behalf of transgender students,
immigrants, and prisoners. Transgender Law Center’s legal
team represented the complainant in Macy v. Holder, which
led to the EEOC’s groundbreaking decision in April 2012
confirming that transgender people are protected by Title
VII’s prohibition of sex discrimination. Ilona previously worked
as a staff attorney at the National Center for Lesbian Rights,
and as the lobbyist for Equality California, where she helped
pass legislation that prohibited housing and employment
discrimination against transgender people and significantly
expanded the rights of domestic partners in California. She
has written numerous articles on transgender and LGBT
rights issues. She received her J.D. from the University of
California, Berkeley School of Law.
| 94
U
Bill Underwood – Bill Underwood is Senior Counsel for
Target Corporation. He leads a legal team responsible for
new and existing store real estate transactions. In addition,
Bill leads the Law Pyramid Diversity & Inclusion Team at
Target. Prior to joining Target in 2004, Bill was an Associate at
Faegre & Benson LLP in the Environmental Law department
from 1997-2001 and the Real Estate department from 20012004, specializing in environmental litigation, commercial real
estate, land use and zoning. Bill received his B.A. from the
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (summa cum laude) and
obtained his J.D. from the University of Oregon (Order of the
Coif). He was a member of the Board of Directors of Theater
Latte Da from 2001-2006 serving as President from 20022006, and rejoined the Board in 2009, serving as President
since 2012.
V
Tony Varona – Dean Tony Varona teaches Contracts,
Administrative Law, Media Law, and Introduction to Public
Law, in addition to serving as associate dean for faculty and
academic affairs at American University Washington College
of Law. Before becoming associate dean, he was the director
of the SJD Program. Prior to joining the WCL faculty in 2005,
he was an associate professor of law at Pace Law School
in New York. Before that, he served as general counsel and
legal director for the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s
largest gay civil rights organization. He built HRC’s legal
department, directed its legislative and regulatory lawyering
and appellate amicus work, launched national law fellow
and pro bono attorney programs, and served as counsel to
HRC’s board of directors and the organization’s corporate,
educational, and media initiatives. Dean Varona taught as
an adjunct law professor for three years at Georgetown
University, and served as a Wasserstein Fellow at Harvard
Law School. He serves on the board of directors of the Gay
and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), and is a
member of the Society of American Law Teachers and the
Hispanic Bar Association of Washington. He has served on
the boards of the Human Rights Campaign and the Alliance
for Justice, was on the New York Advisory Board for the
American Constitution Society, was founding chairperson of
the AIDS Action Council’s Legal Advisory Council, and served
as a member of the Judicial Selection Steering Committee of
the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.
Denise M. Visconti – Denise Visconti currently serves as
the San Diego Office Managing Shareholder. Prior to that,
she served as a representative to the Firm’s Associates
Committee.
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
In addition to her management role within the firm, Denise
continues to handle a broad variety of employment litigation
matters, most often stemming from claims arising under
the California Labor Code and the Fair Labor Standards Act
for overtime, misclassification, and other wage and hour
violations. She also has experience handling claims involving
wrongful termination, sexual harassment, employment
discrimination, and accommodation. Denise appears in state
and federal courts and has handled arbitrations in various
forums, including the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority,
the American Arbitration Association, and JAMS. Denise also
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. She also
has given a number of presentations to human resource
professionals, managers, and employees on valuing diversity
and creating and maintaining a diverse workplace.
of asset-backed securitization transactions. In addition, Mr.
Wallace has worked on behalf of a variety of underwriters
and collateral managers in the structuring, offering and
restructuring of a number of “cash flow,” “market value”
and “synthetic” collateralized bond, loan and debt obligation
securitizations. Mr. Wallace also has advised with respect
to a variety of insurance- and reinsurance-related matters,
particularly with regard to so-called side cars, protected cell
companies, and catastrophe bond and catastrophe swap
transactions. Mr. Wallace has been included repeatedly in
Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business;
has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2013; has
lectured or presented on panels for the Practising Law
Institute, the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) Tax
Section and the ABA Section of Taxation; and was for many
years a member of the Executive Committee of the NYSBA
Tax Section.
Witold (“Vic”) Walczak – Vic joined the ACLU of
Pennsylvania in 1991 and became its Legal Director
in 2004. His recent nationally significant cases include
victories in Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, the
first case challenging the teaching in public schools of
“intelligent design” creationism; Lozano v. Hazleton, the
first case challenging a municipality’s attempt to exclude
undocumented immigrants; and Miller v. Mitchell, the first
legal challenge to a prosecutor’s attempt to charge minors
with child pornography for sexting. In 2012, Vic led a team of
lawyers in Applewhite v. Commonwealth, which successfully
blocked implementation of Pennsylvania’s restrictive Voter
ID law for the 2012 Presidential election. Vic is a member of
the American College of Trial Lawyers and the Academy of
Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County. He was named Federal
Lawyer of the Year in the Western District of Pennsylvania
(2003) and is the Western Pennsylvania Representative to
the Third Circuit Court of Appeals Bar Association’s Board of
Governors. He is a graduate of Colgate University and Boston
College Law School.
Karin Wang – Karin Wang is the Vice-President of
Programs and Communications, overseeing APALC’s
direct services, litigation, policy, leadership development
and communications work. Wang is active in organizations
that seek to improve the legal system for immigrants and
low-income communities. She also is a past president
of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Los
Angeles County; past board member of the Southern
California Chinese Lawyers Association; and past co-chair
of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
(NAPABA) Pro Bono & Community Service Committee. In
addition, Wang has been involved since 2005 in the struggle
for marriage equality. She is a founding Steering Committee
member of API Equality-LA, leading the coalition’s media
efforts against Proposition 8 in 2008 and also helping to file
amicus briefs in the California Supreme Court in support of
marriage equality, including one brief on behalf of 63 Asian
American organizations. Wang has received the Lambda
Legal “Liberty Award”; the “Pioneer in Community Service”
award from the Taiwanese American Citizen League/
Taiwanese American Professionals; the “Local Hero” award
from KCET in Los Angeles; and the “Woman of the Year”
award from California Assembly member Mike Eng. She also
was named by NAPABA as one of its “Best Lawyers Under
40.”
W. Kirk Wallace – Kirk Wallace is a partner with Skadden,
Arps, Slate Meagher & Flom LLP. His practice covers a
broad range of federal income tax matters, including U.S.
and international financings, private and 1940 Act-registered
investment fund offerings, M&A transactions and financial
product development and structured finance transactions.
Mr. Wallace has represented a wide variety of investment
managers and financial institutions in the development of a
variety of publicly and privately offered RICs, BDCs, REITs,
debt and equity derivatives, and other financial products, as
well as underwriters and issuers in connection with a variety
Ashley Watson – Ashley Watson is senior vice president
and chief ethics and compliance officer for Hewlett-Packard
Company. She oversees the strategy and implementation
of HP’s ethics and compliance program, which includes
ethical decision making based on HP’s Standards of Business
Conduct and both internal and external investigations.
Her team is also responsible for social and environmental
sustainability and compliance, privacy, global records
management and the HP Foundation. Before joining HP
in December 2008, Watson was vice president, general
counsel and corporate secretary at Attenex. In this position,
W
| 95
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
she was responsible for all company legal matters, including
M&A, strategic alliances, IP policy, risk management and
compliance. She also managed the legal department staff
and outside counsel activities. She was previously senior
litigation counsel at BellSouth Corporation, responsible for
complex litigation. Watson holds a J.D. degree from the
University of Georgia and her undergraduate degree from the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Joshua D. Wayser – Joshua Wayser serves as Managing
Partner in the Los Angeles (Century City) office of Katten
Muchin Rosenman LLP. Mr. Wayser focuses his practice
on litigation, with a substantive concentration in the field of
real estate, banking and insolvency. Mr. Wayser’s real estate
litigation experience is significant, representing lenders,
financial institutions, developers, and property owners in all
types of litigation matters, including workouts, foreclosures,
bankruptcy and purchase and sale disputes. He also regularly
defends financial institutions against claims of lender
liability. Mr. Wayser has appeared before state, federal and
bankruptcy courts on real estate and banking matters around
the country and has argued several appeals on matters of
particular interest to the real estate and banking industry. He
also lectures frequently on issues of creditors’ rights, real
estate and lender liability litigation, and has been a presenter
at the annual meetings of the State Bar of California, as
well as various continuing education seminars. In 2009, Mr.
Wayser handled over $4 billion in foreclosure of real estate.
Mr. Wayser is co-chair of Katten’s GLBT Coalition and is a
nationally recognized speaker on diversity issues in the legal
profession and workforce.
Dr. Jillian T. Weiss – Jillian Weiss has a J.D. and a Ph.D.
in Law, Policy & Society. Currently Professor of Law and
Society at Ramapo College of New Jersey, her research
area is gender identity and law. She has authored over 50
academic publications, presentations and other scholarly
works, as well as approximately 40 articles and interviews
for media organizations including The New York Times and
Associated Press. She is a member of the Board of Directors
of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the nation’s
largest and oldest LGBT civil rights legal organization, and of
the Board of Directors of GetEqual, a direct action non-profit
organization dedicated to LGBT rights, as well as a member
of The Williams Institute Advisory Board, an LGBT rights
think-tank at UCLA Law School, and former member of the
Board of Advisors of the National Center for Transgender
Equality. She also provides consulting services for private
and public employers, including Harvard University, Boeing
and New York City, and pro bono legal representation in
cases involving gender identity and gender expression
discrimination. She is a member of the National LGBT Bar
Association, and co-Chair of the Planning Committee for the
2013 Transgender Law Institute. | 96
Keith Wetmore – Keith Wetmore is the Chair Emeritus of
Morrison & Foerster LLP. From 2000-2012, Mr. Wetmore was
Chair and chief executive partner of the firm, taking the lead
in setting policy and providing strategic direction to the firm.
During his twelve-year tenure, the firm’s gross revenue more
than doubled, its net income tripled, and the firm was ranked
on the American Lawyer A-List nine consecutive years.
Before becoming Chair, Mr. Wetmore was Managing Partner
of the firm’s San Francisco office. He also led the firm’s
50-lawyer Finance and Infrastructure practice, bringing to his
engagements 20 years’ experience in debt and lease finance,
both domestic and international. Mr. Wetmore has been
openly gay throughout his career and, as such, has found
himself engaged over time in a number of issues affecting
the LGBT community, including domestic partner benefits
in the legal profession. Most recently, Morrison & Foerster
was the first law firm to offer additional benefit payments to
assist with the tax obligations that employees pay when they
elect health benefits for their domestic partner. In addition,
through his own work and as part of the Morrison & Foerster
team, he has contributed for almost 20 years to the fight
against HIV and AIDS. In the mid-1980s, Mr. Wetmore helped
organize teams of lawyers at the firm who wrote wills and
durable powers of attorney for people with AIDS, handling
several dozen cases himself, as part of the important work of
the AIDS Legal Referral Panel. He personally organized and
incorporated a number of HIV-related nonprofit corporations
in San Francisco, including The Names Project (sponsors
of the AIDS Memorial Quilt). He served for six years on the
board the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, chairing its finance
committee. Mr. Wetmore has lived in San Francisco for over
25 years and for the past five years has divided his time
between Manhattan and San Francisco.
Shannan Wilber – Shannan Wilber joined NCLR in 2013
to direct NCLR’s Youth Project, bringing over 20 years of
experience advocating for vulnerable children and youth.
Early in her career, Shannan helped launch Legal Advocates
for Children and Youth, an agency in San Jose, California
that now serves hundreds of children a year in state court
proceedings. Her experience representing individual children
in juvenile court inspired her to join the Youth Law Center
in 1992, where she engaged in policy advocacy and impact
litigation to reform child welfare and juvenile justice systems
for nine years. Between 2001 and 2012, Shannan served
as the Executive Director of Legal Services for Children, a
nonprofit law office in San Francisco that represents children
in foster care, guardianship, education and immigration
proceedings. She served for many years as a member of
NCLR’s Board of Directors and as co-counsel on cases
protecting LGBT youth against forced institutionalization and
cases asserting the rights of children. She also worked with
NCLR and others to create professional standards governing
the care of LGBT youth in state custody, and to launch the
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Equity Project, dedicated to ensuring equal and respectful
treatment of LGBT youth in the juvenile justice system.
Bobbie Wilson – Bobbie Wilson is a partner at Perkins
Coie LLP’s San Francisco and Palo Alto offices. Bobbie is
a graduate of Columbia University School of Law. Bobbie
spent two months traveling in the South Pacific in Australia,
New Zealand, and Fiji. In 1991, Bobbie joined Howard Rice
Nemerovski Canady Falk & Rabkin. At Howard Rice, Bobbie
served as lead counsel in trials for diverse clients, including
Fortune 500 companies and individuals. It was also at
Howard Rice that Bobbie got the call to represent the City
and County of San Francisco, then-San Francisco Mayor
Gavin Newsom, and then-San Francisco Assessor Mabel
Tang as the lead pro bono counsel in the fight for marriage
equality in California. The litigation ended up before the
California Supreme Court and came out with a win. Since
joining Perkins Coie in 2010 after 19 years at Howard Rice,
Bobbie has served as lead trial counsel on a number of
complex civil litigations, primarily in the area of intellectual
property. Bobbie’s practice focuses on patent, trade secrets,
Internet privacy, Section 230 (Communications Decency
Act), copyright, unfair competition, and class action matters.
Bobbie has been recognized as one of the Top Women
Lawyers in California on several occasions, as well as being
recognized by California Super Lawyers. Bobbie also served
as a Lawyer Representative to the Northern District. Bridget Wilson – Bridget Wilson is an attorney in private
practice in San Diego, California where she practices military
law. She is a graduate of Creighton University and the
University Of San Diego School Of Law. A veteran of the
enlisted ranks of the U.S. Army Reserve, she served as a
judge advocate with the California State Military Reserve
for a decade. She has been a consulting counsel for the
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network since 1994. She
is the co-legal director of the Palm Center, a think tank on
sexual minorities in the military. She has taught Military
Justice as an adjunct faculty member at Thomas Jefferson
School of Law. Among her publications are: “Trench Fighting:
Representing Gay Men, Lesbians, and Bisexuals in the
Military,” 2 Journal of Law and Social Challenges 135 (1998); “Model State Code of Military Justice For the National Guard
Not in Federal Service,” Commentary, National Institute For
Military Justice (2007); “Military and Veterans”, a chapter
in Sexual Orientation and the Law ( 1993- 2012); Fighting
Back: Lesbian and Gay Draft, Military, and Veterans
Issues (With Kathleen Gilberd and Joseph Schuman,1985).
Donna Wilson – Donna Wison is a partner in the Litigation
Division of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips’ Los Angeles Office.
Recognized in 2013 as one of the top women litigators
in California by the Daily Journal and for her privacy and
data security practice in the Legal 500, she has extensive
experience in bringing and defending high-dollar, big stakes
cases, particularly on behalf of clients in highly regulated
industries and activities. She consults with and advises
clients on an ongoing basis regarding legal strategies and
their practical business impact. Her practice focuses on three
primary areas: Consumer class and individual actions and
counseling, with a focus on mortgage/financial services and
data security/privacy; government enforcement actions; and
other complex business litigation and related counseling.
Ms. Wilson has defended scores of class and individual
actions alleging violations of consumer protection laws,
including RESPA/YSP, ECOA/FHA, FCRA, FDCPA, HOEPA,
TILA, as well as alleged consumer privacy violations. She
has defended her clients in litigation across a wide range of
substantive practice areas, including antitrust, bankruptcy,
securities, environmental, insurance coverage, business
contracts, and torts. She also has conducted reviews
with respect to fair lending, UDAP, and other regulatory
compliance issues. Ms. Wilson received her JD from the
University of Virginia.
Richard Wilson – Richard Wilson is a partner with the law
firm of Grund & Leavitt in Chicago. Mr. Wilson has practiced
family and matrimonial law for over 20 years, with primary
emphasis in LGBT and same-sex Family Law, including
dissolution, custody and visitation, relationship recognition,
Transgender rights and interests; pre- and post-nuptial
agreements, and domestic violence. Mr. Wilson is an Adjunct
Professor at Chicago-Kent College of Law, is a Fellow of both
the International (IAML) and American (AAML) Academies of
Matrimonial Law. He was President of the National LGBT Bar
(2006-2008), is Vice-Chair of the ABA’s HIV/AIDS Coordinating
Committee (2008-present), past president of the Chicago Bar
Association’s LGBT Committee; and an appointed member of
the Illinois State Bar Association’s SOGI Committee since its
inception in 2002, as well as its Family Law Section Council.
In 2007, Mr. Wilson was appointed to the LGBT Policy and
Steering Committee, Obama for America 2008, and recently
was the invited Keynote Speaker for, and a panelist at, the
Harvard Law School 2012 LGBT Law Conference, “The
(Dis)United States: Diverse Experiences, Diverse Goals in
LGBT Law.” His keynote was “LGBT Legal Advocacy, Social
Change and Family Law: Why Lawyers Matter.”
Brian Winterfeldt – Brian J. Winterfeldt is a partner at
the Washington office of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP.
Brian’s practice involves most aspects of IP law, including
domestic and international trademark counseling, clearance,
prosecution, enforcement, and litigation, as well as trade
dress, Internet governance and domain name issues. Brian
assists clients create trademark and branding strategies, and
programs to enforce and protect IP rights. He represents
clients seeking to protect against infringement of their
copyrights, trademarks, and trade dress in the US and
| 97
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
internationally. Brian’s practice includes significant work
in Internet governance, domain name law and new media
counseling and enforcement, including assisting clients
with domain name portfolio management and securing
domain names that incorporate clients’ trademarks. Brian
has counseled clients on cutting edge issues such as the
new gTLD program and social media, including strategies for
brand promotion and protection in these spaces. Brian has
written numerous articles on trademark law and has been
selected as Special Advisor for INTA’s Internet Committee
and Co-Chair to several major INTA conferences. Brian is a
prominent and frequent speaker at industry events on topics
including trademark issues, Internet governance and social
media.
Daniel Winterfeldt – Daniel is Head of International Capital
Markets at CMS and a US securities lawyer with over
fourteen years of experience in London and New York.
His 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; Regulation
S, Category 3 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 also provides
ongoing US securities advice to The London Stock Exchange
on Regulation S, Rule 144A and Regulation D. Daniel is the
founder and co-chair of the Forum for US Securities Lawyers
in London a trade association representing over 1,500 USqualified lawyers and market participants from law firms and
financial institutions in the London capital markets. He is the
Diversity and Inclusion Partner for CMS and the founder and
co-chair of the InterLaw Diversity Forum. Daniel was named
the Legal Innovator of the Year at the FT Innovative Lawyers
Awards in 2012. In 2013 he was admitted to the Bar of the
Supreme Court of the United States.
Jaime Wojdowski – Jaime Wojdowski is an Equal
Opportunity Specialist and Investigator at the D.C. Office of
Human Rights, investigating claims of discrimination under
the D.C. Human Rights Act and inquiries into discriminatory
practices within the District. Jaime also oversees OHR’s
Gender Neutral Restroom Project, which enforces D.C.’s
regulation requiring public single-stall restrooms to be gender
neutral. Before joining the Office of Human Rights, Jaime
served as a law clerk for the Senior Judges Chambers at
the D.C. Superior Court and completed a post-graduate
fellowship at the Alliance for Justice, where she researched
and drafted reports on the civil rights records of judicial
nominees to the federal appellate bench. Jaime currently
serves as a member of Burgundy Crescent Volunteers,
volunteering for various GLBT organizations in D.C., and
is a volunteer attorney at Whitman Walker’s Name and
| 98
Gender Change Clinic. Before moving to D.C., she spent two
years serving as a Student Board Member for the Georgia
Stonewall Bar Association. Jaime graduated magna cum
laude from the Georgia State University College of Law in
2007, and received her B.A. as the valedictorian of the class
of 2003 at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Samuel Wolfe – Sam Wolfe is a civil rights lawyer with
the Southern Poverty Law Center where he launched
the LGBT Rights Project and continues to help lead the
nationwide project. He is a lead attorney who investigated
and is litigating the first-ever civil suit seeking to hold
practitioners of Sexual Orientation Change Efforts liable for
their practice. Sam’s work, often set in the Deep South,
focuses on achieving greater respect and equality for LGBT
people. He investigated and took a primary role in achieving
successful resolution of a landmark case on behalf of five
students who endured anti-LGBT harassment in Minnesota’s
Anoka-Hennepin School District. That case resulted in the
most far-reaching agreement of its kind to protect students
from such harassment. He also has helped resolve other
disputes ensuring LGBT and student rights. These disputes
frequently involve freedom of expression. Sam previously
was a litigation associate at a prominent international law
firm in New York City. He is a graduate of the Georgetown
University Law Center and is a member of the Alabama
and New York bar associations. The National LGBT Bar
Association recognized Sam as one of the best LGBT lawyers
under 40 in 2011.
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, 4th ed 2013) 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), andFederal 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, and he was
chair of the LGBT policy advisory committee to candidate
Barack Obama in the 2007-08 presidential campaign.
Kathleen Womack – Kathleen Womack graduated from
Emory Law School in 1986, and opened her own solo law
firm in 1990 in Atlanta, Georgia. Her law practice focuses on
Wills & Estate Planning, Probate, and Domestic Partnership
issues, including Second Parent Adoptions. Kathleen has
served as President of the Stonewall Bar Association of
Georgia, and as a former Chairperson of the Atlanta Bar
Association Sole Practitioner/Small Firm Section, she was
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
elected as the first openly gay member of the Board of
Directors of the Atlanta Bar Association. She currently serves
as an Out Lesbian on the Board of Governors of the State Bar
of Georgia, the governing body for all lawyers in Georgia.
Matt Wood – Matt Wood is a Staff Attorney at the
Transgender Law Center where his work focuses on health
and employment law. Prior to working at TLC, Matt was an
associate at a small civil litigation firm in San Francisco that
served the LGBT community, and worked in development
for the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights
Commission. He was the lead attorney on the 2012 EEOC
decision, Macy v. Holder, which confirmed that Title VII’s
prohibition on sex discrimination applied to transgender
employees.
Jeffrey A. Wortman – Mr. Wortman is a partner in the Los
Angeles office of Seyfarth Shaw LLP. He specializes in labor
and employment law and has represented employers in
discrimination and wage and hour class actions, as well as
cases regarding allegations of wrongful discharge, retaliation
and discrimination based on race, sex, religion, national
origin, disability, filing of workers’ compensation claims,
sexual harassment, whistle-blowing and related matters.
Mr. Wortman has also represented clients in traditional labor
matters under the National Labor Relations Act and the
Railway Labor Act, and has experience litigating claims of
retaliation for employees exercising their statutory right to
choose union, representation, advising clients with regard
to collective bargaining negotiations and union organizing
campaigns, drafting employment contracts, and defending
employers in arbitration of claims under collective bargaining
agreements. He has appeared in state and federal courts,
as well as before administrative agencies. Mr. Wortman
also has extensive experience advising employers with
regard to personnel policies and procedures, reductions in
force, employee privacy rights, wage and hour issues, drug
and alcohol testing, employment agreements, independent
contractor issues, and protection of employer trade secrets
and non-competition issues. He frequently conducts training
seminars on diverse employment law issues, including
sexual harassment, discrimination, workplace violence, and
supervision and discipline of employees.
Z
Michele Zavos – Michele is a partner in the Zavos Juncker
Law Group, PLLC, which practices in the District of
Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. She has been a pioneer
for over 30 years in creating legal protections for LGBT
headed families. Michele has given presentations on LGBT
family issues to all kinds of audiences, both national and
local. She has also written extensively on LGBT family
law, sexual orientation and the law, and AIDS and the law.
Her Firm recently won the case of Port v. Cowan, which
conclusively established that Maryland must recognize
marriages between same-sex couples that are validly
entered into in another jurisdiction. She also initiated new
divorce and adoption laws in the District of Columbia to
provide protections for LGBT families. She is a founder of
the National LGBT Bar Association, a selected member of
the National Family Law Advisory Council for the National
Center for Lesbian Rights, an elected Fellow of the American
Academy of Adoption Attorneys and the American Academy
of Assisted Reproductive Technology Attorneys. She was
named an “Angel in Adoption” in 2009, and has taught as an
adjunct professor for the Women’s Studies Program at the
George Washington University and the Washington College
of Law at American University. American University named
her Outstanding Adjunct Professor in 1999. She has won
many awards for her work in the LGBT community.
Judge Zeke Zeidler – Judge Zeidler was elected to the
bench of the Los Angeles County Superior Court in 2004.
Prior to that, he served as a Superior Court Referee for
over six years, presiding over cases that involve child abuse
and neglect. Judge Zeidler has chaired the committee
that creates anti-bias curriculum for judicial officers and
court staff throughout California, and teaches new judge
orientation and juvenile law overview courses for judicial
officers in California. He has also presented nationally
on diversity, child welfare, and LGBT domestic violence
issues. He is currently in his second term as President of
the International Association of LGBT Judges. Before taking
the bench, Judge Zeidler was as an attorney representing
abused and neglected children. He has served an officer in
NLGLA (now the National LGBT Bar Association) and was
the co-chair of NLGLA’s law student arm. In addition to his
legal involvements, Judge Zeidler has been very active on
education issues. He was first elected to the Redondo Beach
School Board in 1995, becoming only the tenth openly Gay
or Lesbian school board member in the country, and he was
overwhelmingly re-elected in 1999. Judge Zeidler resides in
Los Angeles with his husband, attorney Jay Kohorn.
Keren Zwick – Keren Zwick is the managing attorney for
the National Immigrant Justice Center’s LGBT Immigrant
Rights Initiative. Keren is Chair of the LGBT Committee
of the Chicago Chapter of the American Immigration
Lawyers Association and is a key contributor to the Chicago
LGBTQ Immigrant Rights Coalition. Keren represents LGBT
immigrants and asylum seekers in all stages of the legal
process including before Federal Courts. She also advocates
for changes to immigration policies that have a disparate
impact on LGBT immigrants. Keren joined NIJC following
two years of clerking for the United States Court of Appeals
for the Seventh Circuit and is a graduate of Columbia Law
School.
| 99
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Lavender Law Career Counselors
José Bahamonde-González – José Bahamonde-González is
the Associate Dean for Administrative Affairs & Compliance at
the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.
In this position, he performs the duties of Chief Administrative
and Compliance Officer providing strategic management
counsel to the executive and senior administration of the
law school. He also lectures on topics related to Professional
Development. Dean Bahamonde-González earned his B.S. in
Management from the University of Massachusetts and his
J.D. from the Syracuse University College of Law. Prior to
enrolling in law school, Dean Bahamonde-González held the
positions of Internal Auditor and Human Resources Executive
Compensation Officer for two financial corporations in Boston,
Massachusetts. He joined the University of Maryland Francis
King Carey School of Law as Assistant Dean for Career
Development in August 1997 and was appointed Associate
Dean for Administrative Affairs in September of 1998. Dean
Bahamonde-González serves as faculty advisor to the Latino/a
Law Students Association and the LGBT Law Students
Alliance. Dean Bahamonde-González has been an active
member of the National Association for Law Placement (NALP)
since 1992. He served as NALP Vice President, Chair of the
Leadership/Membership Diversity Task Force and the NALP
Board of Directors. He is an active member of the Law School
Admissions Council (LSAC) and currently serves on the LSAC
LGBT Subcommittee.
Andrew Chapin – Andrew Chapin is the Director of
Counseling and Public Interest Scholars at Fordham University
School of Law. He came to this position in September, 2004
with more than 12 years of experience advising NYC law
students and attorneys about their legal careers, and producing
and participating in legal career programs and job fairs. For
more than 3 years, Andrew was Associate Director of Career
Planning at City University of NY School of Law, and for more
than 9 years prior to that, he was a Placement Officer in
Career Services at Columbia University School of Law. Andrew
has additional experience working in the Department of Legal
Services at Gay Men’s Health Crisis, the Office of General
Counsel at COS Computer Systems, and providing support
services to attorneys and partners at several Manhattan
law firms. Andrew’s undergraduate degree was earned at
Columbia University, and his two graduate degrees, Master
of Art & Master of Education, in counseling, were earned at
Columbia University, Teachers College. An active openly gay
participant in increasing diversity and ensuring civil rights,
and equal opportunity and benefits in employment, Andrew
is a member of various committees of the Association of the
Bar of the City of NY, NY County Bar Association, American
Association of Law Schools, American Bar Association, and
National Association for Law Placement. Andrew is a member
100
| of and/or volunteers with several organizations including
Ali Forney Center, Human Rights Campaign, Lambda LEDF,
Habitat for Humanity, NAACP and ACLU. In his spare time,
Andrew enjoys travel, beaches, cooking, gyms, 12 steps, and
all things French or Brazilian.
Morgan Dain – Morgan Dain came to Santa Clara Law Career
Services in 2005 with a background in undergraduate advising,
and as an internships and career services coordinator. Prior
to her work in academia, Morgan worked for many years in
the corporate sector as the Media and Human Resources
Manager for a business in Upstate New York, where she did
extensive employer outreach, employee relations and media
and marketing management.
At Santa Clara, Morgan advises first, second and third year
law students with a focus on strategic career planning, selfassessment and developing short and long term career goals
for students and graduates. She develops and participates in
many legally relevant programs, events and public speaking
engagements. Morgan has presented at the 2012 NALP
Annual Education Conference in Austin Texas, at the Bay
Area Legal Recruiters Association’s (BALRA) 2012 Annual
Mini-Conference, and is MBTI® certified. Morgan is an active
member of NALP, the Bay Area Legal Recruiters Association
(BALRA), served as the 2013 Co-Chair for the BALRA Annual
Mini-Conference, and is an active member of the Northern
California Law School Consortium.
Jennifer Dekker – Jennifer Dekker is the Legal Recruiting
Manager for the Silicon Valley, Austin, and Houston offices
of DLA Piper LLP. In her role as recruiting manager, Jennifer
works closely with DLA Piper’s Diversity & Inclusion Group,
which is committed to creating a culture that is inclusive of
all people. Jennifer has been in the legal recruiting field for
10 years. She is currently a member of NALP’s Experienced
Professionals Section and LGBT Section. In addition, Jennifer
is a member of the Bay Area Legal Recruitment Association
(BALRA) and has served previously on both the Diversity and
Mini-Conference committees. Outside of DLA Piper, Jennifer
is an elected board member of the San Jose Women’s Softball
League (SJWSL), an organization formed in 2003 to provide a
safe, healthy and positive recreational softball environment for
all woman.
Mark Goldfarb – Mark Goldfarb counsels JD students, LLMs,
and alumni at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. He
is an active member of NALP and LeGaL – The LGBT Bar
Association of Greater New York. He is currently Chair of the
NALP LGBT Section, and he has written NALP Bulletin articles
regarding diversity and public service. Prior to Cardozo Law, he
advised students and alumni at The University of Iowa College
of Law, and practiced law at Dechert LLP, where he focused
on securities regulation and corporate governance matters
for mutual funds and insurance company separate accounts.
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Mark also enjoyed his pro bono practice where he litigated
wrongful eviction cases. He earned his B.A. in Economics from
The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and his J.D. from the
George Washington University Law School.
Mike Gotham – Mike Gotham is Director of Attorney
Recruiting and Retention for Perkins Coie LLP. Prior to joining
Perkins Coie in 2008, Mike was Director of Attorney Recruiting
for Heller Ehrman LLP for three years, Director of Lawyer
Recruiting and Professional Development for Stoel Rives
LLP for five years, and Director of Career Planning and Public
Service at the University of Washington School of Law for five
years. Mike served as NALP President in 2008-2009. Mike’s
other past NALP activities include serving on the Part V (timing
guidelines) Task Force (2007 - 2009), as an at-large member
of the Board of Directors (2002-2004), as a member of the
2000-2005 and 2005-2010 Long-Range Strategic Planning
Committees, as chair of the Timing Guidelines Taskforce
(2003-2004), and as chair of the 2006 Annual Education
Conference Planning Committee. Mike was awarded the
NALP President’s Award in 2005 for his work on behalf of the
association. Mike is a past president of the Seattle Area Legal
Recruiting Administrators group, a past chair of the Northwest
Minority Job Fair, and a past chair of the Puget Sound Area
Minority Clerkship Program. Mike earned his J.D. from the
University of Washington School of Law in 1993 and was
editor-in-chief of the Washington Law Review.
Lori L. Lorenzo – Lori is the Deputy Director of the Leadership
Council on Legal Diversity (www.lcldnet.org). She is
responsible for supporting LCLD’s efforts to promote diversity
and inclusion among member organizations, developing
and managing LCLD’s strategic programs, and promoting
understanding of legal diversity issues generally. Lori enjoys
writing and has published several articles on diversityrelated topics with organizations including the American Bar
Association, the National Association for Law Placement
(NALP) and the Association for Legal Administrators. Lori is
a Diversity Fellow with the American Bar Association, Law
Practice Management Section, and the Chair of the Diversity
and Inclusion Section of NALP. She is currently working with
the National LGBT Bar Association and the National Center
for Lesbian Rights to create the first Safe Space Training
program for law schools and legal employers. Lori received
her B.A. with honors from the University of Florida and her
J.D. from Duke University School of Law. Before joining LCLD,
Lori practiced in structured finance and securitization, owned
a martial arts company, and spent several years managing
diversity initiatives for law schools. Lori is the proud and very
busy single mom of four great kids, Amanda 11, Mark 8, Kyle
5 and Ethan 4. She enjoys working out and is currently training
to swim a triathlon relay.
Lee Anne Masetti-Martin – Lee Anne Masetti-Martin is the
Firm Wide Patent Prosecution and IP Litigation Recruiting
Manager for Morrison & Foerster LLP (MoFo), an international
law firm with more than 1000 attorneys and patent agents
across 16 offices. Lee Anne is responsible for developing,
implementing and managing strategic attorney and agent
recruitment programs and initiatives for the Patent Prosecution
and IP Litigation Groups. Previously at MoFo, Lee Anne
worked in the firm’s Professional Development Group and also
held the position of Palo Alto Attorney Recruiting Manager.
Outside of MoFo, Lee Anne is an active member of the Bay
Area Legal Recruitment Association (BALRA). Lee Anne has
served as BALRA President, and as Co-Chair for the Mentoring
Committee, Social Committee and Programming Committee.
Lee Anne has been in the legal recruiting field for 14 years.
Caroline K. Menes – Caroline Menes is currently the
Director of Legal Recruiting at Proskauer Rose LLP’s
New York office. Caroline is responsible for all aspects of
hiring summer associates and lateral associates as well as
overseeing the summer associate program. During her 1L
summer, she worked as a legal intern for the San Francisco
Airports Authority and, during her 2L summer, was a Summer
Associate at O’Melveny & Myers LLP, where she also worked
as a corporate associate upon graduation. Before joining
Proskauer, Caroline managed corporate paralegals at Paul
Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison and served as a career
services counselor at Columbia Law School for over three
years. Caroline received her J.D. from New York University
School of Law and her B.A. from the University of California,
Berkeley. She is a member of the New York Bar.
James Moore – Jim Moore is part of the O’Melveny and
Myers Talent Development team serving as the firm’s Career
Development Advisor. Jim provides confidential guidance to
O’Melveny attorneys regarding all aspects of career growth,
helping them develop strategies to make the most of their
careers. Jim received his JD from The George Washington
University Law School and was a litigator for ten years.
He was honored in 2009 and 2010 as a “Rising Star” in
intellectual property litigation and served as a legal intern with
the Human Rights Campaign. Before becoming an attorney,
Jim was a college admissions counselor.
Karl C. Riehl – Karl C. Riehl is head of Legal Recruitment
& Professional Development for the NYC office of Epstein
Becker & Green. In his capacity at Epstein Becker & Green,
Karl actively works with the Firm’s professional development
& diversity committee creating and promoting strategies and
programming that support underrepresented populations. Karl
is also the current President of LeGaL, the LGBT Bar
Association & Foundation of Greater New York, which was
one of the first bar associations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual,
and transgender (LGBT) legal community in the country, and
| 101
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
remains one of the largest and most active of its kind. Riehl
actively serves on the Essex County, NJ LGBTQ Advisory
Board, which promotes the well-being of the county’s
LBGTQ citizenry through advocacy, policy advisement, and
community outreach. Additionally, he currently serves on
the Board of Advisors for the New Jersey Law & Education
Empowerment Project (NJ LEEP), a community-based
diversity pipeline program in Newark, N.J. that empowers
urban youth from underserved neighborhoods to perform at
high academic levels by building skills through law-related
and other educational programs, developing habits necessary
for lasting success and community leadership, and offering
exposure to role models who have achieved academic and
professional success. A graduate of Susquehanna University
and Seton Hall University School of Law and former adjunct
professor at Seton Hall University, Riehl is certified as a
Senior Professional in Human Resources by SHRM. Riehl has
Nationwide is proud to support the 2013
Lavender Law Conference and Career Fair...
and we congratulate them on their 25th
Anniversary. It’s part of our commitment to
saving, rebuilding, and enriching lives in the
communities where our customers, associates,
agents and their families live and work.
Go ahead.
Learn more: nationwide.com
© 2013 Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and affiliated companies. Home Office: Columbus,
Ohio 43215-2220. Nationwide, the Nationwide framemark and On Your Side are federally registered
trademarks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. CPO-0281AO (07/13)
| 102
over 15 years of experience in legal recruitment, professional
development and diversity programming.
Melanie Rowen – Melanie Rowen is an Associate Director
for Public Interest Programs at Berkeley Law, where she
counsels law students pursuing public interest careers.
Previously, she practiced law as a staff attorney at the
National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), working on civil
rights issues including relationship recognition, race and
sexual orientation discrimination, prisoners’ rights, and the
rights of elders. Before joining NCLR, Melanie was a litigation
associate at Latham & Watkins LLP. Melanie received her
B.A. and J.D. from the University of Chicago.
Eric J. Stern – Before relocating to California, Eric was
a Senior Career Counselor at the George Washington
University School of Law. Eric arrived at GW after a career
in politics and advocacy—most recently serving as the
Executive Director of National Stonewall Democrats, the
national organization representing LGBT Democrats. Before
joining Stonewall, he was appointed as the director of GLBT
Outreach for the Democratic National Committee, where
he developed a national grass-roots infrastructure for the
Kerry-Edwards campaign and served as an Iowa Regional
Field Director during the general election. He received his
law degree from the Northeastern University School of Law
in Boston. While in law school, he interned for the U.S.
Department of Justice–Civil Rights Division; the WhitmanWalker Clinic; the Children’s Law Center; and the Human
Rights Campaign. After law school, he was awarded a Dorot
Law Fellowship at the Alliance for Justice. In the 2008
election cycle, Stern served as a Political Advisor to the John
Edwards for President Campaign and then as one of six
National LGBT Co-Chairs for the Obama-Biden Campaign.
Erin Wright – Erin Wright is the Associate Director of Career
Development at Roger Williams University School of Law in
Bristol, Rhode Island. She is the Immediate Past Chair of the
LGBT section of the National Association for Law Placement
(NALP), is on the membership committee for the National
LGBT Bar Association, and serves on the LGBT Task Force
at Roger Williams Law. Prior to joining Roger Williams, Erin
was a practicing attorney in Indiana, focusing on corporate
civil litigation. She graduated with a Juris Doctor from the
University of Notre Dame Law School, a Master in Human
Relations from the University of Oklahoma, and a Bachelor
of Arts in Humanities from Providence College. Erin is a
member of the Indiana Bar, the Northern and Southern
Districts of the United States District Court for Indiana, the RI
Women’s Bar, and the National LGBT Bar.
NOTES
| 103
LW.com
Latham & Watkins is proud to support the
2013 Lavender Law
Conference & Career Fair
Abu Dhabi
Düsseldorf
Milan
Rome
Barcelona
Frankfurt
Moscow
San Diego
Beijing
Hamburg
Munich
San Francisco
Boston
Hong Kong
New Jersey
Shanghai
Brussels
Houston
New York
Silicon Valley
Chicago
London
Orange County
Singapore
Doha
Los Angeles
Paris
Tokyo
Dubai
Madrid
Riyadh*
Washington, D.C.
* In association with the Law Office of Salman M. Al-Sudairi.

SPEAKER BlOGRAPHlES - National LGBT Bar Association

Transcription

Similar documents

Stoke Newington`s School LGBT History Month Presentation 2008

The Power of Us - National Black Justice Coalition

1 Bud Lizht LASER - HoustonLGBTHistory.org

Pride Houston

Power Point Presentation

snookie`s cookies

Mark R. Somerstein (MS 9721) Benjamin L. Schneider (BS 2004

Link to Article

Every Child, Inc. Implements Staunton Farm

conference at a glance