California Marriage Decision Conference Call

With the State Supreme Court's decision on Californians' freedom to marry expected very soon, the Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (BALIF), the Family Equality Council, the Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association of Los Angeles (LGLA), the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), the National Lesbian and Gay Law Association (NLGLA), the Sacramento Lawyers for the Equality of Gays and Lesbians (SacLEGAL) and the Tom Homann Law Association are proud to co-host a conference call open to all NLGLA members, LGBT lawyers and lawyers with LGBT clients to discuss the ruling and its impact on the equality movement and our legal services to LGBT clients, particularly in the realm of family law.

The call will take place on Wednesday, June 4th at 6:30pm EDT and will be led by Shannon Minter, Legal Director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights and Deborah Wald, founder of the Wald Law Group in San Francisco, CA.  We encourage everyone to call in and listen to what is sure to be a lively and informative discussion.

California Marriage Decision Conference Call

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

6:30 pm (EDT) / 3:30 pm (PDT)

Click HERE register and receive call-in information.

Nominate Your Student Leaders for the NLGLA Student Leadership Awards

The NLGLA 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.  NLGLA will provide registration, lodging and airfare within the 48 contiguous United States for all Student Leadership Award recipients to attend Lavender Law 2008 - San Francisco.

Eligibility:
In order to be eligible for the 2008 Student Leadership Award, a candidate must have graduated or must be graduating from law school this year.

Nominations:
In order to nominate an eligible candidate for a Student Leadership Award, please submit:

1. A 250-500 word statement indicating why the nominee deserves recognition for his or her service to the LGBT community throughout law school;
2. The nominee's resume.

Self nominations are accepted.

DEADLINE:
The deadline for nominations is June 1, 2008. Nominations should be submitted to Alvin.Lee@nlgla.org.

International Day Against Homophobia: May 17th

May 17th marks several important anniversaries in the journey towards equality: the World Health organization removed homosexuality from the International Classification of Diases on May 17, 1990, the first state-sanctioned gay marriages in the United States were performed in Massachusetts on May 17, 2004 and Long Beach Pride will celebrate their 25th anniversary in 2008.  May 17th is also International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO), a worldwide campaign dedicated to combating discrimination against the GLBT community.

This year's theme is healthcare and NLGLA would like to salute all our members who are actively involved in ensuring that GLBT patients and workers and treated fairly within the healthcare system.

Same-Sex Marriage Ban Scuttled in PA

The Pennsylvania State Senate has decided to not move forward on a vote for an amendment to the state constitution banning same-sex marriages and civil unions.  To learn how State Senator Vincent Fumo and State Rep. Babette Josephs managed to keep a highly discriminatory piece of legislation from reaching the floor, read:

http://www.freep.com

Building a Better Legal Profession

Photo from LA Times

Building a Better Legal Profession, a national grassroots organization dedicated to improving the working conditions and retention rates of young associates, was recently featured in the Los Angeles Times (http://www.latimes.com) .

To learn more about the organization or to see how your firm ranks against other firms in your area on several vital statistics, including the number of female, GLBT or minority associates and partners, please visit http://www.betterlegalprofession.org.  To learn more about the Opt-In Project (dedicated to improving the retention of female lawyers), please visit www.hellerehrman.com/optin/

NALP Awards

The NLGLA’s annual Lavender Law career fair was awarded the National Association for Law Placement's 2008 Award of Distinction for Diversity at NALP’s Annual Conference in Toronto, Ontario in early May. The 2008 Award of Distinction for Technology went to the Online System for Clerkship Application and Review (OSCAR) Development Team Development Team for their work on an online application system for federal judicial clerkships. Tom Maligno accepted the NALP’s Award of Distinction for Public Service on behalf of the Touro Law Center’s William Randolph Hearst Public Advocacy Center.

Left to Right: Mark Soltys (US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit), Laura Simon (US District Court for the District of Columbia), Chris Warner (US District Court for the District of Columbia), Gayle Englert (NALP Awards of Distinction Committee Chair), D’Arcy Kemnitz (Executive Director of the NLGLA) and Tom Maligno (Executive Director for the William Randolph Hearst Public Advocacy Center, Touro Law Center)

New Hire for the NLGLA: Juan Ramon Garcia

The National Lesbian and Gay Law Association is happy to announce that Juan Ramon Garcia has joined the Association as full-time staff.  Juan is a graduate of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and comes to the NLGLA after working on Capitol Hill and for the Government of the District of Columbia.  Juan can be reached either at (202) 637-7661 or Juan@nlgla.org.

Note: The NLGLA recently moved offices.  Our new contact information is as follows:

National Lesbian and Gay Law Association

1301 K Street NW, Suite 1100 East Tower

Washington, DC 20005--3373

Main: (202) 637-7661

Employment Opportunities

Do you have an employment opportunity you would like included on our online Job Board?  Employers, recruiters and job seekers are encouraged to visit the Job Board section of the NLGLA website where you can post a job description, browse through submitted resumes or apply for one of the openings.

Upcoming Regional Events

Go to http://www.nlgla.org/calendar.html for the full listings.

Questions? Please contact Juan.

LGLA Happy Hour - West Hollywood, CA

Friday, May 16, 2008  6:00 PM

East West Lounge, 8851 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90069

Opportunity to network with members of the Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association of Los Angeles.  Be sure to try the BanaNavan!

QLaw and Lambda Legal's Legal Year in Review - Seattle, WA

Thursday, May 22, 2008  12:00 PM

Perkins Coie LLP, 1201 3rd Avenue, Suite 4800, Seattle, WA 98101

QLaw and Lambda Legal are pleased to present "The Legal Year in Review: Surveying Advances Across the Country for LGBT People and our Families in 2008."  This exciting event will be held Thursday, May 22, 2008 from 12:00-1:30pm at Perkins Coie LLP and will feature Jon W. Davidson, Legal Director, Lambda Legal's Western Regional Office.  For more imformation, please visit: : http://qlaw.roundtablelive.org.

Washington Minority Bar Association's Diversity Conference- Seattle, WA

Friday, May 30, 2008  8:15am

Seattle University School of Law, 1112 E Columbia Street, Seattle, WA 98122

Washington State's minority bar associations (including QLaw) are pleased to invite you to attend the Third Annual Statewide Diversity Conference for Washington lawyers, law students, and legal professionals.  The conference will be held May 30 from 8:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Seattle University School of Law.  A pre-conference reception honoring diverse judges will be held on May 29, 2008 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Perkins Coie LLP, 1201 3rd Avenue, Suite 4800 in Seattle.

The plenary session is entitled "Courtroom Bias: How do Judges and Juries React to Diverse Counsel and Litigants?" and will include remarks from a variety of panelists, including judges, professors, government and private-sector attorneys.  For additional information or to register, please visit http://www.wambac.org

Lambda Legal 5th Anniversary Celebration: Lawrence v. Texas - Washington, DC

Thursday, June 5 , 2008  12:00 PM

National Press Club, 529 14th Street NW, #1300, Washington, DC 20045

In commemoration of the 5th anniversary of the Lawrence decision, Lambda Legal is hosting a special evening on June 5th at the National Press Club in Washington, DC entitled "Sexuality, Liberty and the Constitution: 5 Years After Lawrence v. Texas."  The event includes a reception for amici at 6:00pm, followed by a roundtable discussion moderated by NBC Nightly News Correspondent Pete Williams and featuring Atty. Paul Smith who argued the case before the Supreme Court.

Please RSVP to jarellano@lambdalegal.org by May 15.  For additional information, please contact Leslie Gabel-Brett, Director of Education and Public Affairs at 212-809-8585 or lgabel-brett@lambdalegal.org.

GAYLAW Social -  Washington, DC

Thursday, June 5, 2008  7:00 PM

Hotel Helix, 1430 Rhode Island Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005

Monthly opportunity to network with members of GAYLAW (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender attorneys of Washington, DC).  Please visit www.gaylaw.org for more information!

Want to feature your events in the NLGLA newsletter

and in the NLGLA Online Community Event Calendar?

Click here to submit an event.

Registration Open for Lavender Law 2008

Register early for Lavender Law 2008 - San Francisco and take advantage of reduced prices! There are separate registration forms for

Professional and Student Attendees

and

Recruiters and/or Sponsors

NLGLA Members receive a special, reduced rate on Lavender Law registration, but the only way to take advantage of this special Members-only pricing is to log in to the NLGLA Online Community and complete the member-specific registration.

LGBT Law Student Groups: Become a Member of the NLGLA for Free!

Registering your LGBT Law Student Group as a member of NLGLA is quick, easy, and (best of all) FREE! Ensure your law school's LGBT group stays up to date on NLGLA programs, Lavender Law announcements, and much, much more!

Register your LGBT Law Student Group TODAY!

Questions?  Please contact Juan Garcia at Juan@nlgla.org.

Renew Your NLGLA Membership

In order to keep receiving the exceptional benefits of an NLGLA Membership, be sure to renew yours if it is expiring.  Members can safely pay dues with a credit card through our secure website.

Read all about NLGLA Membership at NLGLA.org

(includes links for becoming a member and renewing dues)