Founded 1989 Area served United States | Location Washington, D.C. | |
Formerly called National Lesbian and Gay Law Association | ||
The National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Bar Association, formerly the National Lesbian and Gay Law Association, is a national association of lawyers, judges and other legal professionals, law students, activists, and affiliated lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender legal organizations. It was formally founded in 1989 and became an official affiliate of the American Bar Association in 1992. The association is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and its current executive director is D’Arcy Kemnitz.
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History of the Association
The idea of creating a national lesbian and gay bar association was introduced at the 1987 march on Washington, D.C. for lesbian and gay rights. In 1989, at the American Bar Association (ABA) midyear meeting, bylaws for the association were presented and a nonprofit board of directors was formalized.
By the time the second board meeting was held in 1989 in Boston, the LGBT Bar had 293 paid members. At the meeting, the association initiated a campaign to ask the ABA to include protection based upon sexual orientation to its revision of the Model Code of Judicial Conduct for Judges, which has now been accepted by several states.
In 1992, the LGBT Bar became an official affiliate of the American Bar Association and now works closely with the ABA's Section on Individual Rights and Responsibilities and its Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.
In January 1995, the LGBT Bar became the first national organization to unanimously pass a board resolution calling for transgender inclusion in Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
Lavender Law Conference and Career Fair
Each year, the National LGBT Bar Association hosts the Lavender Law® Conference and Career Fair to bring together legal professionals in the LGBT community. The three-day conference draws over 1,600 attendees and features over 40 workshops and panel discussions as well as plenary sessions, receptions for women and people of color, and other opportunities for attendees to earn continuing legal education (CLE) credits. The career fair, held on the first day of the conference, draws over 500 students and features over 130 recruiters.
Awards Given Out by the Association
The Dan Bradley Award
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, like Attorney Dan Bradley's, has led the way in our struggle for equality under the law. Dan Bradley was the first chair of the American Bar Association Section of Individual Rights and Responsibility's Committee on the Rights of Gay People, now known as the Committee for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. 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.
Previous Award Winners
Allies for Justice Award
Each year, the National LGBT Bar Association honors a legal professional who, in their position of leadership, has allied with the LGBT community and has made a noteworthy contribution to the struggle for civil rights and equality before the law.
Past Allies for Justice Awardees
Out & Proud Corporate Counsel Award
The award is given to legal professionals who promote LGBT equality through words and actions to create more secure and welcoming workplaces. The award receptions give LGBT legal professionals and their straight allies the opportunity to honor distinguished colleagues who have worked hard to increase LGBT diversity awareness in the corporate office and in the community.
Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40
The LGBT Bar established this award in 2010 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.
Michael Greenberg Student Writing Competition
Each year, the National LGBT Bar Association hosts a writing competition challenging students enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school to submit papers on a cutting edge legal issue affecting the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and/or Intersex community.
Prizes
The National LGBT Bar Association's Student Leadership Awards
The National LGBT Bar Association's Student Leadership Awards are presented to graduating or recently graduated law students who have demonstrated a unique level of commitment to serving the LGBT community throughout their law school careers.
Awardees