Each year, the National LGBT Bar Association’s Lavender Law® conference provides a challenging and rewarding learning experience for our attendees and presenters. To cater to our highly diverse demographic of practitioners, legal scholars, members of the judiciary and law students, the latter of whom make up half of the conference attendees, both introductory and advanced content will be presented.
2012 Workshop Schedule
In addition to day-long seminars focused on family law and transgender issues (the LGBT Family Law Institute and the Transgender Law Institute), the 2012 conference will feature workshops on cutting edge legal issues affecting LGBT individuals, families and the community.
Current workshop list.
Titles, descriptions and speakers subject to change:
Session One
Session Two
Session Three
Session Four
Session Five
Concurrent Workshops Session One
Friday, August 24 | 10:45am – 12:15pm
Advanced Issues in Safe Schools Law and Policy
Columbia Hall 1
Attendees should have basic knowledge of safe schools law and policy, including knowledge about anti-bullying laws and first amendment speech issues in schools. This course will then explore advanced safe schools issues including the tension between bullying policies and the school to prison pipeline and criminalization, the interplay of first amendment issues and cyberbullying, and laws that stigmatize and isolate LGBT students.
Speakers: Alison Gill, Shawn Gaylord, Asaf Orr, Michael Lieberman
Brand Enforcement on the Internet for 2012
Columbia Hall 2
The panel will present on cutting-edge brand enforcement issues on the Internet including: social media, the new generic top-level domain program, and recent related caselaw. The Internet continues to be a rapidly-growing environment for all companies as well as a challenge for both in-house and outside counsel to keep up with innovations in this constantly-changing space. The presentation will assist both groups with prioritizing issues in this ever-growing area.
Speakers: Brian Winterfeldt, Christian Dowell, Eric Mueller, Rick McMurtry, Jennifer Golinveaux
Basic Estate Planning
Columbia Hall 3
Overview of the unique issues that arise when doing estate planning for same-sex couples, including ethical issues regarding joint representation, how to protect against claims of undue influence, document preparation, forms of property ownership, use of trusts, and an introduction to basic gift and estate tax rules as well as to probate procedure.
Speakers: Kate Fletcher, Pat Cain, Tamara Kolz Griffin, Joan Burda
Defending the Courts: Why the LGBT Community Should be Particularly Concerned about the Strength and Independence of the Bench
Columbia Hall 4
This panel will explore why the LGBT community has a particularly vested interest in defending the courts against attack and in advocating for diversity on the bench. Speakers will assess the current attacks on the courts (jurisdiction-stripping legislation, attempts to break up circuits, calls for impeachment, etc), discuss why diversity on the bench might be important, and explore how we can more effectively speak about the importance of the courts and judicial diversity. In addition, the panel will explore the role that courts play in social justice movements and how this is similar (or dissimilar) to the roles played by other branches of government.
Speakers: Praveen Fernandes, Liz Seaton, Eric Lesh, Nan Hunter, Judge Mary Celeste
(Sex) Stereotyping in Antidiscrimination Law
Columbia Hall 9
This panel explores the functioning of sex (and other) stereotyping in equal protection and statutory antidiscrimination law. Specific topics include the 11th Circuit’s recent decision in Glenn v. Brumby, the first such reported case holding anti-transgender discrimination to be sex discrimination prohibited by the Equal Protection Clause; the EEOC’s conclusion this year that Title VII’s ban on sex discrimination prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity or transgender status; alternatives to sex stereotyping claims in transgender equality litigation; and harms of gender stereotypes for heterosexually identified men and the importance of universal freedom from sex stereotypes and gender norms as well as the value of non-identitarian approaches to securing equal freedom for all.
Speakers: Sharon McGowan, Mary Anne Case, John Min Kang, Jillian Weiss, David Cruz
Junior Scholars
Columbia Hall 10
The objective of this panel is to encourage the development of the next generation of sexual orientation and gender identity scholarship by fostering cross-generational support and feedback from experts in the field. Topics from papers selected in the past include sexuality in public schools, polyamory as a sexual orientation, custody disputes with a non-homosexual parent, the race-sexual orientation analogy, political compromises made in the name of advancement, the relationship between same-sex marriage and religious exemptions, and the social constructs that hinder gender expression.
Coordinators: Courtney Joslin, Tony Varona
Adoption as a Battleground
Columbia Hall 11
Following victories on LGBT adoption in both Arkansas and Florida, we’ve seen a renewed assault on the ability of LGBT people to foster and adopt. Arizonapassed legislation giving preference in adoptive and foster care placements to “a married man and woman.”Virginiapassed a “conscience clause” law allowing state-funded private agencies to deny placements based on the agencies’ moral or religious beliefs. Adoption has become a bargaining chip in statewide negotiations around relationship recognition in New York, Maryland and Illinois. Join national advocates and practitioners for a discussion of the status and legal issues related to the renewed assault on LGBT adoption.
Speakers: Emily Hecht-McGowan, Elizabeth Gill, Sarah Warbelow
Diversity and Inclusion: Straight Allies and LGBT Law
Columbia Hall 12
An ally is not just a sympathetic listener who supports from behind the scenes, but is someone who proactively advocates for change to improve the quality of life for LGBT people within their organization, their profession, and their lives. It is critical for allies to find/enlist other allies. The brave HR champions in many organizations very much need the help of straight people to keep the organization competitive and progressing on protections that are important to LGBT people. Progress towards more equal protections benefits not only LGBT people, but makes the entire organization more inclusive. Straight allies are more likely to find where resistance to such progress exists, and typically realize that lack of knowledge is a primary problem. Straight allies armed with advocacy and some-self education can reduce resistance, and importantly can identify and enlist new allies.
Speakers: Theodore Furman, Cisselon Nichols Hurd, Meg Milroy, Wendell Chambliss
Concurrent Workshops Session Two
Friday, August 24 | 2:00pm – 3:30pm
Trends in Employment, Labor and Benefits Laws: What You Need to Know
Columbia Hall 1
This presentation will analyze significant employment, labor and benefits decisions from recent years, including those relating to LGBT employees. Special attention will be given to cases applying Title VII to questions of gender identity, especially in light of the decision in Macy v. Holder. The Macy case, which ruled that discrimination against transgender employees was included under the sex-discrimination clause of Title VII and violates federal law, will be explained. Members of this diverse panel of experts will provide an overview on the current practice of employment law including helpful tips on best practices for employers. Our panelists will refer to current cases as well as changes employees can expect to see in the future.
Speakers: Laura Maechtlen, Michelle Peak, Kevin Kraham, Kevin Madden, William Thomas, Rachel See
The Intersex (DSD) Movement: Developing Legal and Extra-Legal Strategies
Columbia Hall 2
The LGBT movement has adopted diverse legal strategies, including litigation, legislation, and appeals to the executive branch to end discrimination against the LGBT community. Often, community leaders and members have disagreed about the most effective approach. Similar discussions have arisen in the intersex community. This newer, smaller, and less well-funded social justice movement does not have the financial capital or human resources to pursue its goals on a scale similar to the LGBT movement. Therefore, it must carefully consider what strategies may have the greatest likelihood of success. This panel will examine the efficacy of a variety of legal strategies, including appeals to the executive and legislative branches and litigation, as well as critical alliance building efforts that the intersex movement could use to accomplish its major goals.
Speakers: Julie Greenberg, Ellen Feder, David Knight, Marybeth Herald
LGBTQ Intimate Partner Violence – Still in the Closet
Columbia Hall 3
This workshop will provide an overview of LGBTQ Intimate Partner Violence for law students and practitioners. This introduction course will cover general dynamics, restraining orders, immigration relief, a judicial perspective, as well as an overview on federal legislative efforts to ensure LGBTQ inclusion in the Violence Against Women Act. This course is for beginners and/or those who are not familiar with LGBTQ IPV.
Speakers: Terra Slavin, Morgan Lynn, Ty Cobb, Hon. Zeke Zeidler, Andrew Sta. Ana
Trans and Gender Nonconforming Youth: Advocating for Our Most Vulnerable
Columbia Hall 4
The number of American families seeking medical and/or legal intervention on behalf of young gender variant children has skyrocketed in recent years, perhaps because of media coverage of the issue. We’ll discuss strategies for addressing the needs of trans and gender noncomforming kids, including safety, privacy, and respect at school (as impacted by school policies on recordkeeping, restrooms, locker rooms, sports, and peer harassment) as well as issues that arise in custody cases and for youth in out-of-home care. We’ll also note how recent advances in medical and psychological research can inform legal approaches to serving children’s best interests.
Speakers: Amanda Goad, Ilona Turner, Dru Levasseur, Jennifer Levi, Asaf Orr
LGBT Families and US Immigration and Citizenship Law
Columbia Hall 9
This panel will address numerous areas of immigration law that adversely affect LGBT immigrants and their families. First, the panel will describe how the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) tears apart same-sex couples in the context of US immigration and nationality law, assessing various paths forward including legislation (the Uniting American Families Act and/or repeal of DOMA) and litigation (challenges to DOMA). It will describe administrative and judicial movement regarding gay bi-national families since DOJ decided last year that DOMA is unconstitutional. Next, it will examine the immigration system’s treatment of marriages involving one or more transgender spouses. The panel will also describe and critique the complex current immigration environment faced by same-sex couples and their children born with the assistance of reproductive technology and/or surrogacy and possible national and international reform in that area. Finally, it will address the conditions facing LGBT immigrants in DHS detention facilities and the potential affect of regulations implementing the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA).
Speakers: Scott Titshaw, Mary Kenney, Tom Plummer, Shannon Minter, Keren Zwick
Advanced Topics on the Intersections of Race, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity
Columbia Hall 10
This workshop will present cutting-edge work by non-governmental and governmental organizations addressing the legal intersections between racial justice and LGBT equality, with an emphasis on case work and research involving issues facing children, youth, and families. Among the topics to be discussed are addressing discrimination at school faced by LGBT students of color (including school disciplinary policies and the school-to-prison pipeline); seeking asylum for immigrant LGBT youth; addressing the needs of underserved minority LGBT families and communities through advocacy of policies beyond marriage equality; and identifying the role of civil rights groups serving communities of color and the LGBT community in advocating for issues of common interest and concern.
Speakers: Joseph Wardenski, Susan Hazeldean, Aisha Moodie-Mills, Allison Brown
Building a Queer-Friendly Legal Academy: Accomplishments and the Road Ahead
Columbia Hall 11
During the past 20 years, GLBTQ movements have made headway in the legal academy, which has been generally supportive. Upset about these modest gains, backlash groups have organized counter-movements to shore up anti-gay bias. Given this history and the current dynamics of legal education, workshop participants will examine what the relationship of the legal academy to GLBTQ movements is or should be. Participants will consider the following questions. How can we recruit and enroll more GLBTQ law students? What can the academy contribute to GLBTQ movements? How do I become a law professor?
Speakers: José Gabilondo, José Bahamonde-González, Nancy Ota, Rey Valencia, John Culhane
CAUCUS: Legal Services for Low-Income LGBT Clients
Columbia Hall 12
This caucus is a networking and informational meeting for legal advocates interested in providing services to low-income LGBT clients. All advocates involved in providing services to low-income individuals are invited to attend. In this caucus, we will discuss issues such as the challenges in serving and reaching the LGBT community, tips for providing competent services, strategies for effective outreach to the LGBT community, and examples of successful LGBT-focused projects started by legal services organizations. The organizers will provide an overview of a pilot LGBT competency training curriculum for legal aid offices being developed by the speakers.
Coordinators: Cathy Sakimura, Dan Torres
Concurrent Workshops Session Three
Friday, August 24 | 3:45pm – 5:15pm
Creating a Family through Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART)
Columbia Hall 1
The creation of a family by members of the LGBT community hardly happens accidentally — many couples take advantage of assisted reproductive technology (ART) to have children. The session will educate attendees about the various tools and techniques available (alternate insemination, co-maternity, in vitro fertilization, gestational and traditional surrogacies, among others). In addition, as these transactions often have multi-jurisdictional and ethical facets; panelists will discuss how to deal with these situations.
Speakers: William Singer, Judith Sperling-Newton, Tiffany Palmer, Deb Guston, Kim Surratt
LGBT and Other Considerations for the New Employee Benefits Frontier
Columbia Hall 2
Just as the law with respect to LGBT rights is constantly evolving, so too have there been significant changes in the law governing employer-provided pension and health plans. From healthcare reform to a shift away from traditional defined benefit pension plans in favor of a 401(k) model, the manner in which employees receive benefits has changed dramatically in recent years. Our panel will provide a general overview of the current state of employee benefits law, including its evolution and future potential trends, while highlighting special considerations for the LGBT community. Our panel will be structured in a conversational manner to provide relevance not only to practitioners who encounter employee benefits issues, but also all other individuals who, as employees, would benefit from a better understanding of their own employer-provided pension and health plans.
Speakers: Joseph Manicki, Richard Segal, Pat Cain, Todd Solomon
Evolving Transgender Issues in Legal Identity Documents and Employment
Columbia Hall 3
Courts are increasingly interpreting sex-discrimination laws like Title VII to cover discrimination against trans people, and an increasing number of states are passing bills to add gender identity and expression to their state’s nondiscrimination laws. In addition, there are new driver’s license policies in several states, as well as finally new breakthroughs in birth certificate policies regarding gender markers. Panelists will describe the latest efforts to increase protections for trans employees through litigation and lobbying for inclusive laws and will discuss the exciting developments with regards to identity documents legislation and policy.
Speakers: Sharon McGowan, Lisa Mottet, Matt Wood, Janson Wu, Greg Nevins
Making Up Working Women: Enforcing Gender Conformity through Workplace Appearance Codes
Columbia Hall 4
Harrah’s Casino fired Darlene Jespersen, who had worked for Harrah’s nearly twenty years as a bartender, for not complying with a highly feminized appearance code. Jespersen sued. The federal appellate decision in the case recognized that sex stereotyping in dress codes can violate federal law and set new evidence standards for such cases. Panelists will explore how appearance codes create barriers for workers based on gender identity and sex, how social science research may be used to meet the new evidence standards, and how employers can require a professional appearance while respecting employees’ sex, gender identity and expression.
Speakers: Jenny Pizer, Jody Herman, Jillian Weiss
Emerging Issues and Practice Areas in Energy Law
Columbia Hall 9
Energy law is one practice area that has thrived during the recession. This is due, in part, to increased political and regulatory emphasis on energy reliability as well as developments in the industries themselves, such as growth in the renewable and clean-tech sectors, developments in battery storage technology and an emphasis on the smart grid. At the same time, the discovery of new low-cost shale gas fields in theU.S., and the resulting shift to natural gas combustion, has impacted investment in other fossil fuels as well as renewable energy and efficiency. It has never been a more exciting time to be an energy attorney. Members of this panel will share how they came to practice in this ever changing and challenging practice area and explain to the audience the distinct practice areas and projects each of them focus on.
Speakers: Matthew Rudolphi, Charles Berardesco, Judge Steven Kirkland, Don Clarke, Roni Epstein
GLBT Judicial Education Programming and How to Bring it to Your Jurisdiction
Columbia Hall 10
This presentation will share GLBT judicial programming as presented across the country by various national and statewide Organizations, Institutes and Associations, including but not limited to, the Williams Institute, the American Judges Association, the American Bar Association, the Family Law Institute and state presentations across the country. Although this presentation is aimed at the judiciary, it is also relevant to attorneys as it provides an in-depth look at the judicial profession. The information will include a written and verbal synopsis of these programs and will also familiarize the audience with strategies on “how to” get the programming to their jurisdiction.
Speakers: Hon. Mary A. Celeste, Hon. Mark King Leban, Todd Brower, Hon. Zeke Zeidler
The LGBT Community and the Environment
Columbia Hall 11
This workshop will be divided in two parts: A short introduction about the effects of pollution on our communities and how the Department of Justice is focused on the issue of Environmental Justice with examples of two cases we have settled where significant LGBT communities are located. Followed by a panel discussion with lawyers from ENRD, Civil Rights, and staff from HHS. Panel would be moderated by the DOJ Community Relations Service.
Speakers: Jeffrey Prieto, Cynthia Ferguson, Jeffrey Sands, Cara Mroczek, Gavin Hilgemeier, Daria Neal, Kelly Collins-McMurry
LGBT Issues from an African-American Lens
Columbia Hall 12
The way discrimination is experienced by black LGBT people is not simply discrimination based on race plus discrimination based on LGBT identity. It is a unique type of discrimination that is based on a person’s identity as a black LGBT person. In order to truly build an inclusive movement that takes seriously the discrimination faced by the entire LGBT community, we must be actively involved in identifying and addressing this discrimination faced by black LGBT people. The goal of this panel is to move toward an understanding of the legal and policy needs of the black LGBT community to combat discrimination in way that is conscious of the experience of members of this community. This will often require going beyond what are traditionally understood as the most important issues for the LGBT community and, indeed, redefining that concept entirely. For example, targeting employment discrimination against black LGBT people needs more than just ENDA. It will also require policy changes that protect people against discrimination based on employment status and criminal background. Ensuring that black same-sex couples have true marriage equality cannot stop with a fight to remove marriage bans for same-sex couples. It must include work to increase equal opportunity to education (a factor we know makes it more likely that people will marry) and target unfair criminal justice policies that result in many black males especially spending their marriageable years in prison. This panel will discuss this issue and propose practical policy solutions to building a more inclusive LGBT legal movement.
Speakers: Demetris Cheatham, Natalie Chin, Terra Moore, Maya Rupert, Garry Bevel
Concurrent Workshops Session Four
Saturday, August 25 | 10:45am – 12:15pm
Intersectionalities: Serving the Legal Needs of Spanish-Speaking and Latino LGBT Clients
Columbia Hall 1
The Spanish-speaking and Latino LGBT communities are an important, growing and increasingly visible part of the LGBT movement. Many legal trends in the movement for LGBT equality directly impact Spanish-speaking and Latino LGBT people, including developments in marriage equality, challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), employment issues, bullying, trends in immigration protection for binational same-sex couples, and advances in the international arena. LGBT groups are also increasingly collaborating and partnering with Latino and immigrants’ rights advocates, and international organizations. In fact, prominent groups, including the NAACP and National Council for La Raza, have come out in support of marriage equality. This workshop is designed to increase your capacity to meet the legal needs of Spanish-speaking and Latino LGBT clients, and build relationships with the Spanish-speaking communities and organizations. The workshop will also help lawyers expand and deepen their intersectional analysis. This workshop will be conducted in Spanish.
Speakers: Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, Tico Almeida, Manuel Ródenas, Dan Torres, Tom Plummer
Effective and Respectful Representation through Collaborative Law: Resolving Relationship Formation or Dissolution Issues when Laws are not Helpful to LGBTQ Families
Columbia Hall 2
This workshop describes the Collaborative Law process and demonstrates how it differs from court-based representation. Same-sex families face many legal and practical obstacles in the formation and dissolution of relationships. Legal recognition varies greatly from state to state. If families go to court, outcomes are often unjust and poorly suited to their needs. Collaborative Law offers a non-adversarial alternative where families negotiate family formation/prenuptial/dissolution/divorce agreements that are uniquely suited to their needs, with the assistance of specially trained legal, mental health and financial professionals. The focus is the needs and interests of the parties.
Speakers: Mariette Geldenhuys, Carol L. Buell, Susan C. Silber, Charles Spiegel
Religion-based Arguments Against Legal Protections for LGBT People
Columbia Hall 3
Advocates for LGBT civil rights are doing increasingly well at achieving legal equality for LGBT people through legislation and court cases, but such progress is in serious jeopardy of being diluted in fundamental ways through the use – either written into legislation or imposed by courts – of broad religious exemptions that allow religiously affiliated organizations, or even just religious individuals, not to obey LGBT non-discrimination rules in employment, housing, public accommodations. This could mean that people with religious views hostile to LGBT equality would be free not only to discriminate against LGBT people in employment, but to refuse to respect marriages of same-sex couples in any number of contexts. At the same time, religious liberty plays a vital role in our constitutional democracy. This panel will explore the tension between the accommodation of religious beliefs and the commitment to LGBT equality under the law, discuss current legal and legislative developments on religious exemptions, and discuss effective messaging against religion-based discrimination against LGBT people.
Speakers: Christine Sun, James Esseks, Tobias Barrington Wolff, Alan Brownstein, Reverend Cedric Harmon
Progress through Partnership – Advanced Litigation
Columbia Hall 4
A follow up to last year’s “Working in Partnership to Advocate for LGBT Students,” this workshop will focus on the groundbreaking settlement achieved in litigation brought on behalf of six public school students inAnoka-HennepinMinnesota. Topics to be discussed include the path which led to that settlement, the different but complementary roles of government, non-profit and private attorneys all working to enforce anti-bullying legislation, the path to settlement and the important precedent established by the broad-reaching consent decree. Professor Robert Salem will place the settlement in context based on his broad academic work.
Speakers: Michael Ponto, Robert Salem, Tamica Daniel, Sam Wolfe
Key Legal and Policy Issues in LGBT Aging Law
Columbia Hall 9
The number of LGBT adults age 65+ is expected to double to three million by 2030. Older LGBT adults face significant barriers and profound disparities that impede successful aging: fewer sources of support; higher poverty rates; poor health and health access; and unequal treatment under laws, programs, and services. Many enter the aging system with the harmful physical and emotional health effects of a lifetime of discrimination. This workshop will address the numerous legal and policy issues impacting LGBT elders and discuss the cutting-edge and government-funded, nonprofit, and academic resources and policy solutions available to assist practitioners and older adults.
Speakers: Larry Chanen, Aaron Tax, David Godfrey, Nancy Knauer
Common Paths to the Judiciary
Columbia Hall 10
This is the annual presentation geared toward those attendees who may someday be interested in ascending the bench. It covers both the appointed and elected process in different jurisdictions. The presenters will discuss ethics in the profession, and how those are similar and different between practitioners and members of the bench.
Speakers: Judge George Silver, Judge Larnzell Martin, Jr., Judge Mark King Leban, Judge Linda E. Giles, Judge Linda Colfax, Judge Gary Cohen, Judge Phyllis Randolph Frye, Judge Michael Fitzgerald
Corporate Counsel and Partners: An In-Depth Look at the Profession
Columbia Hall 11
The job of corporate counsel has many key differences compared to lawyers at private law firms. Panel participants will be both in-house lawyers as well as partners at major law firms in order to provide both perspectives to attendees. They will discuss the professional path that brought them to their respective organizations as well as their various responsibilities and the work of their association as a whole. Attendees will learn about how legal professionals promote LGBT initiatives within their corporation in addition to how strong LGBT and diversity inclusion policies can make private firms more attractive to corporations.
Speakers: Barry Parsons, Ritchie Miller, Derek Windham, J.D. Fugate, Therese Lee
Beyond Equality: The Future of the LGBT Movement
Columbia Hall 12
Following past civil rights movements, the modern LGBT movement has advanced a rights-based, equality framework. From equal treatment in marriage and the military, advocates argue that what we want is equality — nothing more, nothing less. Yet, lessons from past movement teach us of the limitations of this framework in improving the lived experiences of individuals. And even assuming the value of a rights-based, equality framework, what is the future of our movement once those victories have been won? This panel will explore strategies and decisions of the LGBT movement, both to strengthen current strategies as well as explore future alternatives.
Speakers: Janson Wu, Chai Feldblum, Shannon Minter, Nan Hunter, Maya Rupert, Jay Kohorn
Concurrent Workshops Session Five
Saturday, August 25 | 1:30pm – 3:00pm
LGBT Issues in Federal Anti-Discrimination Law: An Inside Perspective from EEOC and DOJ Attorneys
Columbia Hall 1
Federal enforcement agencies play a central role in advancing civil rights in employment and education and in combating discrimination in workplaces and schools acrossAmerica. Members of this expert panel, including both EEOC and DOJ attorneys, will provide an overview of current legal issues and case law under various civil rights statutes. In addition, the program will highlight strategic enforcement and litigation, targeted educational and outreach efforts, and internal workings of federal agencies. The panelists, as federal enforcement agency attorneys, will describe their unique roles and perspectives, and the challenges and opportunities for LGBT advocacy provided by their work.
Speakers: Eduardo Juarez, Justin Mulaire, Anna Pohl, Louis Lopez, Sharon McGowan, Chai Feldblum
Family Formation: Parentage
Columbia Hall 2
All over the country, LGBT individuals and couples are forming families with children. The dizzying variation in state case law and statutes makes legal representation of these families challenging. This panel will discuss such representation both in states with broad protections and states with little or no protections, along with interstate recognition issues. Panelists will discuss legislative solutions, case law developments, and what to do when neither statutory reform nor litigation seem promising.
Speakers: Nancy Polikoff, Michele Zavos, Claudia Work, Kim Surratt
Ending Transgender Exclusions in Health Care
Columbia Hall 3
Panelists will discuss legal and policy efforts to end discriminatory exclusions for transgender people in health care plans, including private insurance plans and government employee plans, as well as the plans set up by the Affordable Care Act. America’s top corporations continue to lead the way on creating LGBT-inclusive workplaces, even while workplace laws and policies lag behind, and advocates continue to push those companies to do more. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index is the premiere national benchmarking survey on LGBT workplace inclusion, rating law firms and large corporations on their policies, benefits and practices. In 2012, achieving a 100% on the CEI became harder, with employers needing to provide transgender-inclusive health care options. Learn the business case and legal considerations for implementing these important changes.
Speakers: Ilona Turner, Brian Moulton, Jamison Green, Jenifer Cromwell, Harper Jean Tobin
HIV/AIDS and Privacy
Columbia Hall 4
This presentation will feature updates on HIV/AIDS laws and policies generally moving to the recent case decided by the United States Supreme Court, decided during its 2012 Term, FAA v. Cooper, Docket No., 10-1024. The lawsuit was for the illegal disclosure of Plaintiff’s HIV status – Whether a plaintiff who alleges only mental and emotional injuries can establish “actual damages” within the meaning of the civil remedies provision of the Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. 552a(g)(4)(A).
Speakers: William McColl, James Wood, David Knight
How To Best Manage Your Intellectual Property: Patents, Copyright, and Trademarks
Columbia Hall 9
This panel will discuss managing intellectual property (IP) portfolios and litigation from the in-house and outside counsel perspectives. The rising costs of managing IP — Patents, Copyright, and Trademarks — has lead in-house counsel to come up with creative ways to defend and assert their IP rights. This CLE will encompass a lively discussion composing of in-house and outside counsel to give you their best practices. The discussion will also cover recent developments in IP case law, the America Invents Act, and how in-house counsel choose outside counsel and whether diversity has a factor in their decision-making process.
Speakers: David Tsai, Todd Dickinson, Wayne Sobon, Denise Main, Julius Towers
Putting Our Heads in the Cloud: Legal Ramifications of Cloud Computing Across Public & Private Sectors
Columbia Hall 10
Cloud computing is becoming an almost-ubiquitous phenomenon for organizations and individuals, and the legal ramifications for cloud use span across many industries and practices for lawyers, including in-house attorneys and their outside counsel, all levels of government, and the judiciary. This workshop will highlight some of the most pressing legal concerns for lawyers to consider as they work with clients (whether internal or external) to maneuver cloud computing implementation and use.
Speakers: Ritchie Miller, Matt Goodrich, Allison Stanton, Alex Tang, Christopher Wolf, Scott Griffin
The Evolving Role of Corporate and Securities Lawyers in the Post-Dodd Frank Act World
Columbia Hall 11
In response to the financial crisis, Congress enacted the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, also known as the Dodd Frank Act, a far-reaching set of financial market reforms that represents a sea change in the corporate regulatory landscape. The Act imposes a variety of new statutory and administrative requirements on financial firms, public companies, markets, and regulators. Representing the financial sector, regulators, the bar, and academia, panelists will reflect on a range of issues currently facing regulated entities as they negotiate this evolving legal environment.
Speakers: Jose Gabilondo, Hope Adams, David Freedman, Glenn Gordon
First Amendment Issues in Media & Entertainment Law
Columbia Hall 12
Our expert panel of First Amendment scholars and entertainment lawyers examines recent developments in the regulation of content in various forms of media. Topics include FCC enforcement trends, First Amendment jurisprudence in theRoberts Court, recent changes in defamation law affecting the LGBT community, the tension between privacy and free speech, and the portrayal of LGBT issues in the media.
Speakers: Paul Marchegiani, Daniel Brenner, Elizabeth Glazer, Bryan Tallevi, Brita Strandberg