New Year, New Name, New Site, New Look!

The National Lesbian and Gay Law Association (NLGLA) is pleased to announce that, effective today, the organization has changed its name to the National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Bar Association.  We feel the new name will be more inclusive of all members in the LGBT legal community and will provide clarity on the Association’s mission by bringing the organization’s name into alignment with other diversity bar organizations (National Bar Association, Hispanic National Bar Association, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, etc.).

As the leading voice of the LGBT legal community, the National LGBT Bar Association will continue to host the only national career fair and continuing legal education conference for LGBT law students and legal professionals.  The LGBT Bar will host the 21st such conference on September 10-12, 2009 in Brooklyn, NY.  The 2008 Career Fair and Conference featured 169 recruiters and 590 students from across the country.

As part of the name change, the National LGBT Bar Association has launched a new website:  LGBTbar.org.  The new site will feature up-to-the-minute information about all of the LGBT Bar’s exciting programs, including the Annual Career Fair and Conference (formerly “Lavender Law”), the LGBT Bar’s Law Student and Corporate Counsel  divisions, our Estate Planning and Faculty Advisory groups, the 2009 Allies for Justice and Dan Bradley Equality & Justice awards.

While our website and email addresses have changed, we are still located at 1301 K Street NW, Washington, DC.  You can also contact us by email or by phone at (202) 637-7661.  Be sure to visit us online at:

National LGBT Bar Association

Online CLE Courses

Each session at the 2008 Annual Career Fair and Conference was recorded and is now available online at LGBTbar.org.  All videos may be watched free of charge.  These online courses have been accredited in 29 states.  To apply for continuing legal education (CLE) credit ($175/course), please follow these simple steps:

1. Go to the LGBT Bar's Online CLE Courses page and click on the course for which you wish to receive CLE credit.
2. At the bottom of the page,you will see a list of states which have accredited that particular online course.
3. View the video and write down the unique verification codes as they appear on the screen.  You will need to have Quicktime installed on your computer.
4. When you have finished viewing the video, fill out the Online CLE Credit Application form for your state.  You will need to enter the verification codes from the video.
5. You will receive an email receipt of your purchase.  Once the codes have been verified, LGBT Bar staff will email you a separate certificate of completion for the course you selected.  Please allow up to 2-3 business days for the certificate.

If you have any questions about the LGBT Bar’s Online CLE Courses, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Now Accepting Workshop Proposals for 2009 Conference

The National LGBT Bar Association, through its annual 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.

This year’s conference will feature fifteen workshops on cutting edge legal issues affecting LGBT individuals, families and the community. Topics covered in recent years have included: constitutional law, family law, estate planning and taxation, employment discrimination, HIV/AIDS, immigration, workplace diversity, domestic violence, law enforcement, and LGBT issues in the military.

The LGBT Bar is deeply committed to providing workshops that include diverse perspectives on each panel. Workshop proposal submissions that include a combination of practitioners, legal scholars, and members of the judiciary will be given heightened consideration.

The deadline for submissions is March 6, 2009.

Submit a 2009 Continuing Legal Education Workshop Proposal

Government Lawyers Working Group

With the Inauguration less than two weeks away, the LGBT Bar is proud to announce the launch of our Government Lawyers Working Group. This group will provide a forum for legal professionals within the government to solicit and offer advice from fellow government employees as well to strategize about the best way to effect positive change in the new political climate. If you are or will soon be a government attorney and are interested in joining the Government Lawyers Working Group, please email Juan Garcia.

Thanks to our Early Sponsors

The LGBT Bar would like to thank our early sponsors for the 2009 Annual Career Fair and Conference:  Dickstein Shapiro LLP, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, King & Spalding, Latham & Watkins LLP, Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, Perkins Coie, Reed Smith, Ropes & Gray LLP, Seyfarth Shaw, Townsend and Townsend and Crew.

If you would like to become a recruiter or sponsor of the 2009 Annual Carer Fair and Conference, please visit:

Sponsorship of the 2009 Annual Career Fair and Conference