Author: mnemec
Evelyn A. Clark
National LGBTQ+ Bar member Evelyn Clark serves as a fourth-year Associate at Thompson Coburn LLP in the firm’s International Trade & Transportation Regulatory practice. In her work, she advocates for clients in their interactions and relationships with the federal government when importing, exporting, and navigating U.S. regulations. She also helps provide proactive support to help […]
Julie Rooney
Julie Rooney, a member of the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association and Deputy General Counsel & Head of U.S. Privacy at OpenX, became a lawyer because she views the legal profession as the perfect way to make ethics and philosophy practical and applicable to the real world. A former philosophy major, Rooney is particularly fascinated by […]
Equal Access for All? The Troubling Trend of “Campus License to Discriminate” Laws
Across the United States, university and law school campuses host a variety of student organizations ranging from groups pursuing similar professional interests, to religious associations, to identity-based organizations such as LGBTQ+ student groups. These organizations play an important function in campus life. They are spaces where students can make friends, network, learn about new opportunities, […]
Leslie Richards-Yellen
Leslie Richards-Yellen serves as Chief Diversity Officer at Sidley Austin LLP and is a proud member of the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association. Before joining Sidley in 2023, Richards-Yellen served in DEI leadership roles at several other large law firms. She is also a longtime ally of the LGBTQ+ legal community and played a critical role […]
Bryanna Jenkins
LGBTQ+ Bar member Bryanna Jenkins has never forgotten her roots as community organizer in her hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. She currently serves as Policy Director at the Lavender Rights Project where her dedication to her community remains as strong as ever. “My organizing background informs my work,” Jenkins explains. “I find value in people and […]
August Naston
August Naston (he/they) is a law student at Fordham University School of Law and a board member of the National LGBTQ+ Bar’s Law Student Congress. He is the first openly trans member of Fordham Law’s SBA and a co-founder of Advocates for Trans* Law Students (ATLS), a student organization on Fordham Law’s campus that provides […]
Omar J. Alaniz
Omar J. Alaniz, Managing Partner at Reed Smith LLP’s Dallas office and a board member of the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association, pursued a legal career to create a better life for himself and others. “I come from humble beginnings,” he explains. “My parents were young when they had me and worked multiple jobs to support […]
Maxime Matthew
Maxime Matthew, an Associate at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, has a dynamic portfolio encompassing antitrust matters, intellectual property cases, and complex multidistrict litigation. They also are involved in extensive pro bono work, including challenging Arkansas’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors. Their work on that case, Brandt v. Rutledge, helps prevent Matthew, who is trans […]
History Made in New Hampshire – LGBTQ+ “Panic” Defense Banned
Last week, New Hampshire became the 18th state to ban the heinous LGBTQ+ “panic” defense – a legal strategy wherein defendants charged with violent crimes weaponize their victim’s real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity to bolster other defenses, such as insanity, provocation, or self-defense. When employed, the LGBTQ+ “panic” defense asks the court […]