Annual Report 2017-2018 : simplebooklet.com

foundationof the the lgbt bar association of greater new york Dear Members and Supporters The LGBT Bar Association Foundation of Greater New York LeGaL is celebrating its 40th Anniversary Year Over the last few decades our community has fought hard We ve faced enormous challenges and achieved significant victories But today those who fought against us run the federal government With the perspective of our 40 year history we can truly say that our work has never been more critical LeGaL has been proudly dedicated to serving its members and the LGBTQ community through our educational programs advocacy and legal services 2017 marked a year of growth for each of these vital services This year LeGaL s helpline experienced a surge in calls from LGBTQ community members with nearly 2 000 requests for legal assistance Our flagship weekly Manhattan legal clinic at the LGBT Center thrives and continues to provide free legal assistance to those who are most vulnerable We continued to use impact litigation and amicus advocacy to secure equal dignity under the law for LGBTQ people Our commitment to growing and diversifying our membership was evident with the rebirth of our women s initiative The launch of our Leadership Council marks a new era of partnerships with legal professionals who stand with LeGaL in our effort to serve the most marginalized members of our community LGBTQ people need the legal community in New York to be here for them when we are winning and when we are under attack LeGaL s work is made possible by the generosity of members donors and sponsors Please be part of our next 40 years We need your support Thank you Eric Lesh Gennaro Savastano Executive Director President Le G a L 2 0 1 7 2 0 1 8 A N N UA L R E P O RT 1

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40 Years of Promoting Justice in and through the Legal System Focused on the greater New York metropolitan area LeGaL is dedicated to improving the administration of the law ensuring full equality for members of the LGBTQ community promoting the expertise and advancement of LGBTQ legal professionals and serving the larger community LeGaL is a leading effective and recognized voice for all members of the LGBTQ community and offers a host of legal resources to its members and the community Opposite page April 1989 Manhattan Lawyer article featuring the 3rd Annual Dinner hosted by LeGaL formerly BAHR GNY Le G a L 2 0 1 7 2 0 1 8 A N N UA L R E P O RT 3

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LGBTQ Impact Litigation and Advocacy Leadership Council A select group of attorneys representing top law firms and corporations make up LeGaL s Leadership Council supporting a wide range of legal services and programs In 2017 with the help of the Public Interest Law Committee chaired by Anthony Perrotto the Leadership Council officially launched at a party hosted by Paul Hastings LLP LeGaL s Leadership Council brings together law firms and companies to support our mission to safeguard a fnd advance the rights of the LGBTQ community Leadership Council members support us by providing vital pro bono services including legal advocacy and life changing services to members of our community unlikely to be able to afford an attorney and by hosting and sponsoring educational programs and events like our annual Volunteer Thanksgiving and Awards Night Among other benefits membership includes priority status to serve as co counsel on impact litigation or to join in amicus advocacy Legal Representation and Advocacy Many of LeGaL s clients are among the most marginalized community members including low income individuals new immigrants transgender people LGBTQ youth and survivors of commercial sexual exploitation LeGaL is uniquely positioned to serve as a point of entry into the legal system for community members because of our many clinics helpline and online inquiries Through the leadership and service of Legal Director Brett Figlewski we endeavor to identify litigants with compelling cases that may have wider impact for the LGBTQ community and to represent them in co counseling arrangements with law firms or legal services organizations We are widely recognized as being at the forefront of issues related to the recognition and rights of LGBTQ families and continue to fight for justice for non biological and nonadoptive LGBTQ parents in cases across New York State 4 L eGaL 20 17 20 18 A N N UA L REP ORT From Manhattan to Monroe County we provided representation or advisory expertise in both trial and appellate level cases Our advocacy also includes supporting legislative initiatives such as the enactment of the Gender Expression Non Discrimination Act GENDA LeGaL s community outreach is made possible by a network of dedicated volunteer attorneys and students At the 2017 Volunteer Thanksgiving and Awards Night hosted by Kilpatrick Townsend Stockton LLP LeGaL recognized Anthony Zurica and Charbel Hajj for outstanding dedication Seyfarth Shaw LLP for law firm leadership David Collins and Michael Lynch for amicus advocacy and Carolien Hardenbol for pro bono excellence

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Impact Litigation This year LeGaL proudly fought to protect and advance the LGBTQ community s rights by authoring or joining friendof the court briefs on critically important issues LGBTQ Parents and Families Discrimination Travel Bans With Latham Watkins LLP LeGaL submitted an amicus brief in Gunn v Hamilton 1st Dept With The Kurland Group we represented litigants in the Matter of Joseph O v Danielle B 2d Dept Seyfarth Shaw LLP and the American Academy of Assisted Reproductive Technology Attorneys AAARTA submitted an instrumental amicus brief in this case With Paul Hastings LLP we co authored amicus briefs in two employment fairness cases Zarda v Altitude Express 2d Cir and Christiansen v Omnicom Group 2d Cir With the ACLU and a host of allies we authored an amicus brief in Masterpiece Cakeshop Ltd v Colorado Civil Rights Commission presently before the United States Supreme Court We stood in solidarity with several allies against the so called travel bans by joining amicus briefs in IRAP v Trump 4th Cir and Hawaii v Trump 9th Cir which was cited in the Circuit s decision Le G a L 2 0 1 7 2 0 1 8 A N N UA L R E P O RT 5

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Forty Years of Serving the LGBTQ Community LeGaL Helpline and Free Walk in Clinics I want to thank each of you for being there to support my partner and me as well as the entire LGBTQ community It is a very crucial service which you provide always there professional and knowledgeable I know that I have a challenging case and your support has been invaluable You gave me the confidence to fight my legal battle A W We believe that the test of any community is the extent to which it provides for its members especially in the seemingly ordinary daily struggles LeGaL endeavors to provide meaningful legal services through various free drop in legal clinics which offer holistic consultations and referrals to members of our the LGBTQ community Attorney volunteers help with any number of legal issues including housing immigration family law matters criminal issues employment discrimination and more In 2017 LeGaL proudly operated five 100 free walk in legal clinics our weekly Tuesday Night Clinic at the LGBT 6 L eGaL 20 17 20 18 A N N UA L REP ORT Center in Manhattan our weekly Saturday night Qlinic for LGBTQ youth monthly clinics in conjunction with SAGE in both the Bronx and Harlem and our newest clinic in Newark N J Hundreds of clinic visitors received knowledgeable information and advice as well as wherever possible immediate referrals through LeGaL s Legal Referral Network LeGaL s Helpline which fields legal inquiries and provides information about our walk in clinics experienced a surge in calls from LGBTQ community members in 2017 with nearly 2 000 requests for legal assistance

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location Practice areas income Age HELPLINE CLINIC INQUIRIES Improving Access to Justice Per your referral I hired R E as my attorney With great pleasure I d like to inform you that my permanent green card was finally approved a few minutes ago I am eternally grateful to both of you for all your help Thank you so much for all your help I cannot describe in words how thankful I am You really made a huge difference in my life I am so happy N G As part of LeGaL s effort to provide and increase access to high quality culturally competent legal services for members of the LGBTQ community we offer a Pro Bono Panel PBP and Lawyer Referral Network LRN This provides opportunities for solo lawyers law firms and legal services organizations to assist the community by offering pro bono services through the PBP or to obtain potential fee paying clients through the LRN Both utilize an online platform which facilitates quick and appropriate referrals In 2017 65 providers made themselves available for approximately 1 000 potential consultations Lawyers donated countless hours through the PBP and the LRN generated thousands of dollars in network fees paid to LeGaL Le G a L 2 0 1 7 2 0 1 8 A N N UA L R E P O RT 7

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Promoting the Expertise and Advancement of Legal Professionals LGBT Law Notes For the last four decades LeGaL s monthly LGBT Law Notes publication has been reporting on the latest legal developments Our companion LGBT Law Notes Podcast has reached over 57 000 downloads nearly 1 000 each month LeGaL continues to publish Professor Arthur Leonard s LGBT Law Notes the most comprehensive monthly publication available summarizing legal and legislative developments affecting the LGBTQ community here and abroad As of 2018 we are pleased to announce that LGBT Law Notes is now available on Westlaw The companion LGBT Law Notes Podcast which is hosted by Eric Lesh has reached over 57 000 downloads nearly 1 000 monthly downloads The podcast is available on iTunes and PodBean LGBTQ Legal Networking Events We are social Who said lawyers can t be fun In 2017 LeGaL presented numerous opportunities for members to meaningfully engage with each other and the broader legal and LGBTQ communities In 2017 thanks to our Networking and Social Events Committee chaired by Nicholas Corsano LeGaL presented numerous opportunities for members to meaningfully engage with each other and the broader legal and LGBTQ communities including LeGaL s Induction of Officers hosted by Weitz Luxenberg 8 Theatre Night at Sunset Boulevard Ladies Night Dinner with the Women of the Appellate Division Pride March and Reception with Governor Cuomo The Summer Brief Pool Party in the Pines hosted by Victor Zonana and Tommy McCall sponsored by Pernod Ricard L eGaL 20 17 20 18 A N N UA L REP ORT Ladies Game Night Ladies Wine and Chocolate Night Wine Tasting at Waverly Inn sponsored by Signature Bank LeGaL s Annual Holiday Party sponsored by Foley Lardner LLP Gibson Dunn Crutcher LLP Hinshaw Culbertson LLP Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Sullivan LLP

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LGBTQ Legal Education Programs LeGaL is an accredited CLE provider and offers regular programs on topics of special interest to the LGBTQ community and the profession more broadly In 2017 LeGaL presented Continuing Legal Education CLE courses and other educational programming including The Family Matrimonial Law Section chaired by Anthony M Lise and Jonathan Latimer organized and or co hosted a number of CLEs including Our annual LGBT Law 2016 Year in Review presented by Professor Arthur Leonard Susan Sommer Joshua Block and Matthew Skinner hosted by Davis Polk Wardwell LLP Name Change Training presented by Mark M Hager Andy Izenson Inbal Paz Garrity Christopher Oldi and Thomas R Westle hosted by Blank Rome LLP Chechnya Reacting to a Gay Purge presented by Jessica Stern Yelena Roman and Graeme Reid hosted by Proskauer Rose LLP The Sixth Annual Judicial Reception Out on the Bench presented by Judge J Paul Oetken Judge Pamela Chen Judge Marcy Kahn and Judge Josh Hanshaft hosted by Skadden Arps Slate Meagher Flom LLP Immigration 101 Quick and Useful Immigration Law for Family and Matrimonial Law Practitioners presented by Geoff Kagan Trenchard and Claire R Thomas hosted by Seyfarth Shaw LLP Love s Promises A Conversation with Professor Martha Ertman interviewed by Brian Esser hosted by Fried Frank Harris Shriver Jacobson LLP Recognition Remedies Domestic Violence in the LGBTQ Community presented by Brett Figlewski Christopher E Bromson Mark M Hager Chanel Lopez Jimmy Medina and Dale Melchert co hosted with the New York Women s Bar Association and The Joyful Heart Foundation hosted by Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP We also hosted several Brown Bag Lunches led by Michael Bond which included more informal opportunities for discussion of topics such as Intent to Conceive Adopt and Co Parent hosted by Ralph M Randazzo sponsored by Christopher Street Financial New York City s New Independent Contractor Law hosted by Jeffrey E Goldman and Learn about Becoming a Guardian with Justice Andrea Masley

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Judicial Screening LeGaL s Judiciary Committee works to ensure that New York s courts are staffed by fair and impartial judges who will uphold the rights of LGBTQ people Our Committee ratings are published in the New York Law Journal Chaired by Janice B Grubin and Michael J Weiner the seventeen members of the Judiciary Committee had a busy productive and influential 2017 From August through November screening panels of the Committee met ten times to interview and evaluate candidates for judicial office Judicial candidates appearing before the Committee received one of three ratings highly approved approved or not approved The Committee promotes members of the LGBTQ community interested in serving within the judiciary and holds events and programs with New York s judges Judicial Diversity For decades LeGaL has worked for greater representation of the LGBTQ community on the bench and 2017 was a historic year For the first time ever New York s highest court has an openly LGBTQ Judge the Hon Paul G Feinman a former LeGaL Board President In 2017 Governor Cuomo once again demonstrated his firm commitment to moving the LGBTQ community even further along the path to full opportunity and inclusion by appointing Judge Paul G Feinman a former LeGaL President to the New York Court of Appeals LeGaL is proud of the role we played in making sure that New York s courts particularly at the very highest levels reflect the rich diversity of our state 10 L eGaL 20 17 ANN UA L REP ORT The following openly LGBTQ judges were also elected or appointed in 2017 Cynthia Kern former LeGaL President was appointed to the Appellate Division First Department Joanne M Winslow was appointed to the Appellate Division Fourth Department George Silver was appointed Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for New York City Courts Anthony Cannataro Franc Perry and Adam Silvera were elected to Supreme Court Richard Tsai was elected to Civil Court

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Law Student Development Hank Henry Fellowship Each year a qualified law student is selected for LeGaL s one ofa kind judicial fellowship established in memory of Dr M L Hank Henry whose groundbreaking work as the Executive Director of the Fund for Modern Courts was instrumental in ensuring that openly gay and lesbian candidates were considered for appointed judicial positions in New York The 10 week summer fellowship gives students the opportunity to work with judges in New York City and Albany and is made possible with generous support from MetLife The 2017 Hank Henry Fellow was Matthew Eley Boston University School of Law 19 Career Fair LeGaL hosted its annual Career Fair for law students which included over 50 participating employers from the private government and public interest sectors hosted by New York Law School The Career Fair was sponsored by Cravath Swaine Moore LLP Epstein Becker Green P C K L Gates LLP Shearman Sterling Sullivan Cromwell LLP Weil Gotshal Manges LLP WilmerHale and Law Offices of Thomas Sciacca PLLC Law Student Summit We held our annual forum for leaders of local LGBTQ law student groups to connect share ideas discuss common challenges and garner mentorship and advice from LeGaL s leadership hosted by Epstein Becker Green P C LeGaL s Annual Dinner and Community Vision Awards honors individuals or organizations with a distinguished record of service to the LGBTQ community including a sustained commitment to achieving equal rights for all members of our community 2017 Award Recipients Professor Matt Coles UC Hastings College of the Law former Project Director of ACLU LGBT AIDS Project Susan Sommer Former Associate Legal Director and National Director of Constitutional Litigation at Lambda Legal and Le G a L 2 0 1 7 2 0 1 8 A N N UA L R E P O RT 11

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FINANCIAL STATEMENT LeGaL Condensed Statement of Activities Support and Revenue Association Dues 43 000 Foundation Support 425 876 Grants 30 000 Donated professional services 162 000 Total Income 661 460 Expenses Legal Programs and Services 434 239 Management and General 60 940 Fundraising 7 455 Donated professional services 162 000 Total Expenses 664 633 Net Assets Beginning of Year 161 890 Net Assets End of Year 158 717 LeGaL Association and Foundation 2018 Staff and Board of Directors 2017 was a year of tremendous growth and transition In December Eric Lesh was appointed LeGaL s new Executive Director taking the reigns from Matthew Skinner We thank Matthew for his many years of dedicated service to LeGaL and look forward to partnering with him in his new role as Executive Director of The LeGaL 20 17 A N N UA L 12Failla Richard C LGBTQ Commission of the New York State Courts Staff President Eric Lesh Executive Director Brett Figlewski Legal Director Leah Harper Manager of Design and Communications Gennaro Savastano Association Janice Grubin First Vice President M Frank Francis Secretary and Second Vice President K Scott Kohanowski Treasurer Caprice Bellefleur Kristen Prata Browde William Crosby Ricardo Doriott Concepcion Montoya Cameron Smith REP ORT Richard E Weber Jr Tyler Walton NYU 18 Law Student Liaison Foundation Patrick MacMurray Vice President Edward Augustine Secretary K Scott Kohanowski Treasurer Joseph Evall Sarah Filcher Brian Gatens Anthony Lise William Lopez Robert Maldonado Thomas Maligno Meredith R Miller Anthony Perrotto Matthew Putorti Karl Riehl Katherine Zarchikoff Brooklyn 19 Law Student Liaison Special thanks to Meredith R Miller for her valuable contribution to the 2017 2018 Annual Report and to our many benefactors including The Melkus Family Foundation Roxanne Assoulin and an especially generous anonymous grantor

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LeGaL s Commitment to Diversity LeGaL is committed to diversity and inclusion and strives to serve and reflect the full spectrum of the LGBTQ community through events outreach and community support LeGaL is proud to have re launched its women s initiative which hosted three events the kickoff Dinner with the Women of the Appellate Division with Appellate Division Justices Elizabeth Garry Marcy Kahn and Rosalyn Richter a Game Night fundraiser for LeGaL s clinics and a Wine and Chocolate Night LeGaL has also made a concerted effort to have its board reflect our unique community In the past two election cycles we have shown our commitment to diversifying the board and have elected more women persons of color and trans attorneys to lead our organization LeGaL has also worked to build relationships with other diverse bar associations to attract more diverse members to our organization and build bridges with allies in those important communities This included co sponsoring events such as the Battle of the Bars which LeGaL won and a joint bar memorial service for Judge Sheila Abdus Salaam Le G a L 2 0 1 7 2 0 1 8 A N N UA L R E P O RT 13

Annual Report 2017-2018

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