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The LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York 
LeGaL E-Bulletin 
May 5, 2011

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Upcoming LeGaL Events

 

- May 11: Should We or Shouldn't We? (CLE)
- May 12: Out at Your Law Firm in 2011
- May 13: The Normal Heart - Buy Your Tickets Today!
- May 17: Using Technology to Manage Your Practice
- May 23: Recent Changes to the Estate Tax Laws: The Impact on the LGBT Community  (CLE: details coming soon!)
- May 24: Defending (and not Defending DOMA): the King & Spalding Controversy

** Save the Date: June 23, 2011: A Pride Event Celebrating our LGBT Judges & 15 Years of LeGaL's Hank Henry Judicial Internship Program (Hosted by Morrison & Foerster)
 
In This Issue
LeGaL News & Events
Job Postings/Classifieds

LeGaL News & Events
 

LeGaL President Contributes Law Day Column to NYLJ.  LeGaL President Carlene Jadusingh contributed a column to the New York Law Journal as part of its special Law Day section.  Law Day's theme this year encouraged participants to assess and celebrate the legacy of John Adams.  A copy of the column can be read here

 

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Defending (and not defending) DOMA: the King & Spalding Controversy

A Panel Discussion Presented by  

LeGaL & NYCLA's LGBT Issues Committee

Tuesday, May 24, 2011
6:30-8:00p.m.
NYCLA, 14 Vesey Street, NYC (2nd Floor Lounge)

(click here for program flyer) 

 

King & Spalding's initial decision to represent the Congressional Republicans in litigation concerning the Defense of Marriage of Act (DOMA) was met with a public campaign of criticism organized by one of the nation's leading LGBT rights organizations, the Human Rights Campaign.  The controversy, which culminated in the firm's request to withdraw from such representation and the resignation of a prominent partner, has fueled significant debate in the legal community and beyond.

 

Join the distinguished panelists listed below for a lively and timely discussion of recent events:

 

·  Is advocacy aimed at encouraging a law firm to drop a client ever appropriate? What responsibility, if any, do members of the legal profession have in the face of such pressure?


· Does the answer depend, in part, on whether the law being defended can be characterized as resting exclusively on historical animus or whether it's a civil or criminal matter?


· Is this any different from the criticism leveled at lawyers/firms for defending Guantanamo prisoners?  How far can or should law firms go in prohibiting certain activities of its attorneys in deference to its client's wishes?


· Should the withdrawal be viewed simply as a testament to an increasing societal commitment to equality or, instead, as evidence that the legal profession's tradition of defending unpopular clients is increasingly under assault?

 

Panel
Kevin Cathcart
Executive Director, Lambda Legal   

Professor Katherine Franke
Director, Center for Gender & Sexuality Law,
Columbia Law School

Pery D. Krinsky
Krinsky PLLC
Chair, NYCLA, Comm. on Professional Discipline
Chair, NYSBA, Ethics Committee of EASL Section   

Wesley R. Powell*
Partner, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
* Lead counsel to six men challenging their detention in Guantanamo Bay    

  

Register Today 

 

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   "Should We or Shouldn't We?"   

A CLE Presented by LeGaL

 

                                                 Wedding Cake ImageWedding Cake Image 2

Increasingly clients are inquiring about the right to marry and the benefits or burdens they acquire when they marry in a State that permits same sex marriage and then return to NY to live. Many clients have heard that NY will recognize their out-of-state marriage and come to attorneys with the misconception that their marriage will receive full recognition in NY.

In this program Ralph Randazzo, Esq. will discuss the current state of NY State rights for same sex couples who are married elsewhere, the ethical issues of counseling same sex couples on marriage and other complexities involved with such counseling. 

Whether you practice in this area or just want to stay up-to-date on developments affecting our community, this program is for you.

This program is generously supported by Christopher Street Financial. 

 

Christopher Street Financial Logo   

 

Register Today!  


Date
: May 11, 2011
Time: 6:00p.m. - 7:30p.m.
Location: The LGBT Community Center (208 W. 13th Street)
Credits: 1.5 credits (.5 credits in Ethics / 1.0 credits in Areas of Professional Practice)
Cost:   LeGaL Member*: $20.00        Non-Member: $40.00      Law Student: $10.00

* Rate available only to members in good standing. For scholarship inquiries, e-mail info@le-gal.org.

 

 

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 Pride Colors Image

Out At Your Law Firm in 2011: A Discussion for LGBT Associates

A Panel Discussion & Networking Reception

 

Sponsored by the LeGaL Partners Group  

& generously hosted by Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP   

Join the distinguished panel listed below for a discussion of the  

following questions and more relevant to LGBT associates:

 

· Does being "out" as an LGBT associate even matter at law firms today? Does it hurt - or does it help?

 

· Have the old stereotypes really died - or are they just kept hidden behind closed doors? What can you do if you think that your openness is hurting your career prospects?

 

· How do clients respond to LGBT diversity - not just in general terms, but when it's their lawyer who will be representing them in a deal or in court?

 

· Are we too shy about leveraging our diversity as a positive factor? What more can we LGBT lawyers do - in our firms, with our clients, and in the community?

 

· How much do the answers (and even the questions) change for an associate based on gender identity and expression?

 

Register Today! 

 

Date: May 12, 2011
Time: 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Location: Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, 1285 Avenue of the Americas 

Cost: Complimentary

 

Panel:

David C. Bryan, Partner

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz  

 

Joseph Evall, Partner (Moderator)

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP

 

Roberta A. Kaplan, Partner

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

 

Elizabeth A. McNamara, Partner

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

 

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Using Technology to Manage Your Practice.  A workshop with LeGaL member Russ Korins and special guest Tom Crimmins, founder and president of Business Technology Services, Tuesday, May 17, 9:00-10:00am in midtown. Free for LeGaL members who are practicing attorneys, this small and interactive workshop will show participants how technology can benefit client development and managing your office. Learn how to choose the best solutions for organizing your contacts, staying in touch from anywhere, backing up your data, and improving security. We will encourage participants to share their own tips and to ask questions. Limited space; registration required. Details and registration information are available at www.russkorinsconsulting.com/legalworkshop.html  

 

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Normal Heart Logo 

The Normal Heart.  Join LeGaL members and friends for a night out on Broadway for one of the season's most well-received and important plays - Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart.  Tickets are limited.   

Date: Friday May 13, 2011, 8:00p.m.

Location: Golden Theatre (252 West 45th Street) 

Cost: $60.00   

Buy Your Tickets Today! 

 


Donate to the LeGaL Foundation!

 

Donate to the LeGaL Foundation  

Your tax-deductible donations support our walk-in clinics, the publication of Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, the Hank Henry Judicial Internship Program and a host of additional activities benefiting our community.  


Job Postings/Classifieds  

Safe Horizon Hiring Staff Attorney
.  The Staff Attorney will provide legal representation to domestic violence victims in family offense, custody, visitation and child support cases in Family Court.  For additional information, visit here.

Nixon Peabody Hiring Associate.  Our Government Investigations & White Collar Defense Practice Group is seeking to hire an associate to join our Washington D.C. or New York City office.  The ideal candidate will have approximately four to six years' of strong overall litigation skills, including brief drafting and deposition experience, as well as strong experience with government investigations and white collar criminal defense.  Experience handling SEC Enforcement actions, including document productions, witness testimony, and Wells submissions, preferred.  Qualified candidates will be motivated self-starters with stellar academic credentials, superb judgment and communication skills, a commitment to excellence and have the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.  For consideration, please visit http://www.nixonpeabody.com/lateral_attorneys.asp.  If you have any questions, please contact Jenna Martineau, Lateral Attorney Recruiting Administrator, at jmartineau@nixonpeabody.com.  Principals Only.

Immigration Equality Seeks Pro Bono Volunteers.  Immigration Equality seeks attorneys to take on LGBT asylum cases pro bono.  We will screen the case, provide you with training and mentoring, and you will gain valuable experience - and possibly save the life of an LGBT person who fears returning to their country.  No prior immigration experience is necessary.  For more information, please contact Vickie Neilson, vneilson@immigrationequality.org.

ACLU's LGBT & AIDS Project Hiring Staff Attorney. 
The LGBT Project is part of the ACLU's Center for Liberty, which is dedicated to the principle that we are all entitled to determine the course of our lives based on who we are and what we believe free from unreasonable government constraint and baseless stereotypes. The Center for Liberty encompasses the ACLU's work on LGBT, women's rights, reproductive freedom, and freedom of religion and belief.  The Staff Attorney will work in New York City and be responsible for significant constitutional and statutory litigation and policy work on a wide range of LGBT and HIV-related issues throughout the country.  For complete information on the position and the application process, visit here

Newark-Essex Pride Coalition (NEPC) Seeks Attorney Panelist
.  NEPC is looking for an attorney to participate in a panel discussion on the film, The Fire This Time. The screening will take place on Wednesday, June 8 from 7 - 9 pm at Wise Women's Center, Essex Community College. The film concerns the following events: On a hot summer evening in 2006, in the gay-friendly West Village neighborhood of New York City, a group of African-American women in their late teens were verbally threatened and physically attacked by an older man. Even though no killing took place as they tried to defend themselves, the media reported the event as "Attack of the Killer Lesbians." The justice system gave them unprecedented harsh prison sentences; despite the fact the women had no previous criminal records.  If interested in serving on the panel, please e-mail [redacted for archive version].  More information on the film here

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