LGBT Family Law Institute® Programs & Schedule:
The Family Law Institute® (“FLI”), a joint venture of the LGBT Bar and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, allows experienced LGBT family law practitioners to share collective wisdom and to discuss cutting-edge legal strategies for representing members of the LGBT community on such matters as family creation, assisted reproductive technology, ethics, interstate and international parentage issues, estate planning, collaborative law, transgender issues, dissolution of relationships, and elder law. The annual meeting of FLI will take place on Friday, August 9th, from 8:30am to 5:00pm.
In order to create an environment where there can be a free flow of information, the meetings are closed and are not recorded. Registration is limited to 125 participants whose work history qualifies them as seasoned attorneys. The LGBT Family Law Institute is opened to experienced and new practitioners.
Institute sessions are not formal lectures, but rather are structured to encourage participation from everyone in attendance. Further, the LGBT Family Law Institute® gives participants an opportunity to network with lawyers from other states in order to build a cadre of family law practitioners throughout the country.
To guarantee that the discourse remains at a high level, and to ensure that all participants are able to contribute meaningfully to the conversation, we are asking that interested parties submit the following application:
Application Process:
Current members of the Family Law Institute® will be given priority access to the annual summer institute meeting. If you are a current member, please register for the annual meeting here. Within one business day of submitting a form, a staff member of the LGBT Bar will reach out to you with the FLI registration code, which provides a discounted rate to the Lavender Law® Conference. You can then register for the overall conference (a requirement to attend FLI) here.
If you are not a current FLI member, there is a more rigorous path to attendance. As only FLI members may attend the annual meeting, you must become a member. To begin the application process to become an FLI member, please complete and submit the online application. The Membership Committee Chair of the LGBT Family Law Institute® (FLI) will then review your application, conduct an interview with you, and make a decision regarding your membership and annual meeting attendance. Should you be accepted, you will be notified via email, prompted to become a member and pay dues, and then receive the FLI annual meeting registration code. Once you receive the code, please register for the LGBT Bar’s 2019 Annual Lavender Law® Conference and Career Fair as an FLI attendee using the FLI code. Please note that all FLI members must adhere to FLI’s Mission Statement and Member Guidelines.
Please contact Mari Nemec at mari@lgbtbar.org or call (202) 637-7661 if you have any questions.
Applicants will be selected based on their experience with LGBT family creation, protection, and dissolution. Applicants should have familiarity with these issues and may be asked to provide evidence describing their familiarity with LGBT family law.
2019 FLI Program Agenda*
Salon E
(Breakout Sessions: Salon E and Salon K)
FLI Director: Tiffany Palmer, Jerner & Palmer
Program Committee Chair: Rebecca Levin, Jerner & Palmer
| 8:30am-8:45am | Arrival and Welcome (Rebecca Levin/Tiffany Palmer) |
| 8:45am-10:00am | State of the Union with NCLR (Shannon Minter) |
| 10:00am-10:30am | FLI Relationship Building (Ellen Fischer, Rebecca Levin) |
| 10:30am-10:45am | Break |
| 10:45am-12:30pm | Town Hall: Post-Marriage Equality Trends Across the Country in Parentage/Marital Presumption, Non-Marital Relationships and Other Legal Designations (Bill Singer) |
| 12:30pm-1:30pm | Lunch |
| 1:30pm-2:45pm | Joint Program with Transgender Law Institute and Trusts & Estates Institute: Trans Name & Gender Changes 2.0 (Moderator: Ellen Fischer; Speakers: Josh Langdon, James Knapp, Arli Christian) |
| 2:45pm-3:00pm | Break |
| 3:00pm-4:00pm | Break-Out Sessions Salon E: Donor Conception/Ownership of Genetic Material (Alana Chazan) Salon K: Litigating in State vs. Federal Court: Considerations Under the Trump Administration/New Supreme Court (Dub Guston, Lee Carpenter) |
| 4:00pm-4:15pm | Break |
| 4:15pm-5:00pm | Closing Session (Future of FLI) (Tiffany Palmer) |
*Agenda in progress