# National LGBTQ+ Bar Association

The National LGBTQ+ Bar Association, formerly the National Lesbian and Gay Law Association and the National LGBT Bar 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.

## History

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 LGBTQ+ 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 LGBTQ+ 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 LGBTQ+ Bar became the first national organization to unanimously pass a board resolution calling for transgender inclusion in Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
In August 2021, the LGBTQ+ Bar rebranded from the National LGBT Bar Association to the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association. This name change reflects the LGBTQ+ Bar's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and was meant to be inclusive of those in the community who do not identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer.

## Awards presented by the association

The Dan Bradley Award
The Dan Bradley Award is the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association's highest honor. It recognizes the efforts of a member of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer 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 use their skills as advocates in the service of the least powerful in society.
Previous Award Winners
| 2020 | David Lat, Legal Recruiter – Managing Director, Lateral Link |
| 2019 | Chai Feldblum, Partner, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP |
| 2018 | Justice Rosalyn H. Richter, Associate Justice, New York State Appellate Division First Department |
| 2017 | Douglas Hallward-Dreimeir and the Pro Bono team at Ropes & Gray LLP |
| 2016 | Kevin Cathcart, former Executive Director of Lambda Legal |
| 2015 | Mary Bonauto, Director, Civil Rights Project, GLAD |
| 2014 | Evan Wofson, Founder and President, Freedom to Marry |
| 2013 | James Esseks, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & AIDS Project Director, American Civil Liberties Union |
| 2012 | Jennifer Levi, Transgender Rights Project Director, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders |
| 2011 | Nancy Polikoff, Professor of Law, American University Washington College of Law |
| 2010 | Jon Davidson, Legal Director, Lambda Legal |
| 2009 | Dr. Frank Kameny, one of the nation's first gay activists |
| 2008 | Shannon Minter, Legal Director, National Center for Lesbian Rights Therese Stewart, Chief Deputy City Attorney, City of San Francisco |
| 2007 | Patricia M. Logue, Associate Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County |
| 2006 | Urvashi Vaid, Executive Director, Arcus Foundation |
| 2005 | Arthur S. Leonard, Professor of Law at New York Law School and author of Law Notes |
| 2004 | Ruth E. Harlow, former Legal Director of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund; Lead Counsel in the landmark case Lawrence v. Texas |
| 2003 | Matthew Coles, Director, ACLU National Lesbian and Gay Rights Project Leslie Cooper, Staff Attorney, ACLU Lesbian and Gay Rights Project |
| 2002 | Kate Kendell, Executive Director, National Center for Lesbian Rights, San Francisco, CA |
| 2001 | Phyllis Randolph Frye, Transgender Activist and Civil Rights Leader, Houston, TX |
| 2000 | Mark D. Agrast, Legislative Director & Counsel to Rep. William H. Delahunt, Former NLGLA Co-Chair |
Allies for Justice Award
Each year, the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association honors a legal professional who, in their position of leadership, has allied with the LGBTQ+ community and has made a noteworthy contribution to the struggle for civil rights and equality before the law.
Past Allies for Justice Awardees
| 2014 | Alderman Fiona Woolf, partner at CMS Camerona McKenna Martha Coakley, Attorney General of Mass. James Silkenat, President, American Bar Association Judith Sperling-Newton, Director, AAARTA Laurence Tribe, Professor, Harvard Law School |
| 2013 | Todd Solomon, partner at McDermott Will & Emery Rosie Hidalgo, Director of Public Policy, Casa de Esperanza |
| 2012 | Laurie Hasencamp, Interim Executive Director, Equality California |
| 2011 | Frederick J. Krebs, former president of the Association of Corporate Counsel Robert J. Grey, Jr., partner at Hunton & Williams LLP in Richmond, Virginia, and the executive director at the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity |
| 2010 | Wayne Watts, Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel, AT&T Llewelyn G. Pritchard, Partner, Helsell Fetterman |
| 2009 | Gary Kennedy, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, American Airlines |
| 2008 | Veta T. Richardson, Executive Director, Minority Corporate Counsel Association Hon. Deval Patrick, Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
| 2007 | Gavin Newsom, Mayor of San Francisco William H. Neukom, President, American Bar Association |
| 2006 | Honorable Steven H. Levinson, Associate Justice, Hawai'i Supreme Court |
| 2005 | Harold Hongju Koh, Dean, Yale Law School |
| 2004 | Hon. John Lewis, Congress member, Georgia |
| 2003 | Chris Zawisza, ACLU Attorney |
| 2002 | Hon. Charles Robb, Senator, Virginia |
| 2001 | James Rogers, Boston College Law School |
| 2000 | Hon. Parris N. Glendening, Governor, Maryland |
Out & Proud Corporate Counsel Award
The award is given to legal professionals who promote LGBTQ+ equality through words and actions to create more secure and welcoming workplaces. The award receptions give LGBTQ+ legal professionals and their straight allies the opportunity to honor distinguished colleagues who have worked hard to increase LGBTQ+ diversity awareness in the corporate office and in the community.
Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40
The LGBTQ+ Bar established this award in 2010 to recognize lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer legal professionals under the age of 40 who have distinguished themselves in their field and demonstrated a profound commitment to LGBTQ+ equality.
Michael Greenberg Student Writing Competition
Each year, the National LGBTQ+ 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, Queer, and/or Intersex community.
Prizes
| First Place: | $1,000 scholarship, Publication in the Journal of Law and Sexuality at Tulane University Law School, Registration, airfare & lodging for Lavender Law Career Fair and Conference |
| First Runner-up: | Registration for Lavender Law Career Fair and Conference |
The National LGBTQ+ Bar Association's Student Leadership Awards
The National LGBTQ+ 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 LGBTQ+ community throughout their law school careers.
Awardees
| 2020 | Winner – Ian Falefuafua Tapu, University of Hawai‘i William S. Richardson School of Law First Runner Up – AK Shee, University of California, Los Angeles School of Law |
| 2019 | Winner – Chan Tov McNamarah, Cornell Law School Winner – Candelario Saldana, University of Miami School of Law |
| 2018 | Winners – Nicole Schladt and Faris Mohammed, Emory University School of Law First Runner Up – Ashley Fasano, University of San Diego School of Law |
| 2017 | Winner – Christopher “Tripp” Zanetis, Stanford Law School First Runner-up – Andy Blevins, Willamette University Second Runner-up – Beck Zucker, The George Washington University Law School |
| 2016 | Winner – Joshua Treybig, Seattle University School of Law Winner – Kathleen Cullum, Indiana University Maurer School of Law |
| 2015 | Winner – Adam Grogan, Albany Law School Winner –Paul Sautter-Walker, Albany Law School |
| 2014 | Winner - Deborah Lolai, Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center Runner-up – Brenna Ragghianti, Elon University School of Law |
| 2013 | Winner - Mieko Failey, Loyola Law School Runner-up – Elizabeth Dooley, Stanford University Law School |
| 2012 | Winner - Michelle Garcia, Loyola University New Orleans College of Law Runner-up – Adam Chang, University of Hawaii, Manoa |
| 2011 | Winner - Jason C. Beekman, Cornell Law School Runner-up – Ashland Johnson, University of Georgia School of Law |
| 2010 | Winner - C. Hays Burchfield, University of Mississippi Runner-up - Danielle Hawkes, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law |