Strategic Plan 2008 - 2012

The LGBT Bar Strategic Plan 2008 - 2012 was approved by the LGBT Bar's Board of Directors on March 13, 2008.

LGBT Bar Mission Statement

The National LGBT Bar Association is a national association of lawyers, judges and other legal professionals, law students activists, and affiliated lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender legal organizations. The LGBT Bar promotes justice in and through the legal profession for the LGBT community in all its diversity.

Goal #1: Diversify Programs and Services to Meet the Needs of LGBT Bar Members

The LGBT Bar seeks to enhance the programs and services provided to its diverse membership by offering educational, programmatic and career development opportunities. These opportunities will be targeted to member subgroups and affiliated organizations, who all possess membership within the organization. The LGBT Bar also seeks to enhance its services to the greater legal profession by becoming the primary source for data reflecting LGBT diversity in law firms, law schools, the judiciary and the profession.

Goal #1 Program Objectives:

1. Establish 3 active member affinity groups based on practice area or identity, and grow to 10 in five years.
2. Diversify the professional and social networking opportunities for members by practice area and identity.
3. Measure LGBT diversity in law firms, the judiciary, law organizations and law schools. (NLGLF)
4. Provide capacity-building trainings for regional LGBT bar association affiliates of LGBT Bar and LGBT law student organizations.
5. Build an on-demand LGBT legal issues resource bank on the LGBT Bar website.
6. Increase the number of legal professionals who receive CLE credits from LGBT Bar. (NLGLF)
7. Create career and business development resources for members.

Goal #2: Expand, Diversify, and Engage the LGBT Bar Membership

The LGBT Bar strives to create an organizational environment that is inclusive and supportive, enabling all members to contribute to their fullest potential. The LGBT Bar strives to garner a broader range of experiences and insights to create a spirit of volunteerism, providing powerful and principled leadership opportunities and building relationships with diverse organizations. By respecting and valuing the differences of all its members and affiliate organizations, The LGBT Bar engages the entire breadth of talents and resources to grow and expand its membership. The goal of intentional diversity is vital to a shared ambition in continuing to strengthen the quality, visibility, and reputation of the LGBT Bar.

Goal #2 Membership Objectives:

1. Increase LGBT Bar individual membership through targeted recruitment of Annual Career Fair and Conference attendees, lapsed members and members of regional LGBT bar associations, and through the diversification of membership in various practice areas and identities.
2. Increase LGBT Bar membership of LGBT bar association affiliates, LGBT law student organizations, and other specialty bar associations through targeted recruitment.
3. Engage LGBT Bar members in the work of the association through structured committees, and increase committee opportunities each year.

Goal #3: Be the Leading Voice of LGBT Legal Professionals and LGBT Legal Issues

As the only national association of LGBT law students and legal professionals, the LGBT Bar will strive to achieve its mission of “improving the quality of life for LGBT legal professionals in and through the legal profession” by further solidifying its role as the leading national voice of LGBT legal professionals. Just as the American Bar Association strives to embrace and represent the needs of attorneys across the nation, the LGBT Bar strives to be the professional home and go-to representative of the needs of LGBT attorneys across the nation.

Goal #3 Advocacy Objectives:

1. The LGBT Bar will position itself to be able to respond quickly to landmark litigation by submitting its own original amicus briefs or by joining the briefs of other organizations. The LGBT Bar will establish a standing committee to advise the Board on amicus issues.
2. The LGBT Bar's ABA liaisons will learn LGBT Bar policy positions, in order to effectively campaign for these policy positions within the ABA.
3. Be the leader among minority/specialty bar associations by establishing reciprocal position support by participating in at least one amicus brief of each identified organization.
4. Promote policy positions to regional LGBT bar association affiliate members and ask for adoption by each organization.
5. Collaborate with other national LGBT organizations and entities to advocate for LGBT legal issues and legislation.

Goal #4: Build a Strong, Effective, Sustainable the LGBT Bar to Leverage Greater Resources to Achieve Its Mission and Goals

On the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the Annual Career Fair and Conference, the LGBT Bar is making the vital transition of a working board to a governing board, to set the policy and direction of the organization for the next 20 years. Staying true to its roots as a Board representative of the interests of members in all regions of the nation, the Board will consist of no less than two representatives from regional affiliates and two law student representatives. By solidifying the brand of the organization as the nation’s LGBT bar association, The LGBT Bar will increase its marketing and fundraising efforts to ensure it is a strong, effective and sustainable organization for many, many years to come.

Goal #4: Capacity Objectives

1. Transition the LGBT Bar Board of Directors from a working Board to a governing Board.
2. Transition the LGBT Bar Board to be composed of the following positions: President, President-Elect, Past-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Delegate to the ABA's House of Delegates and 15 At-Large members. All memebrs will be fully vested. Among the 15 At-Large positions, the following seats will be reserved: 2 seats for LGBT regional bar association affiliates, 1 seat for a 2nd year law student, and 1 seat for a 3rd year law student. Members of the LGBT Bar ABA Delegates Commitee who do not serve on the LGBT Bar Board will automatically hold ex-officio seats on the Board.
3. Board leaders will engage in member participation in the organization to support programming and services by building an effective volunteer committee structure.
4. Diversify and expand income streams in order to successfully support annual increases in operations  (LGBT Bar and NLGLF).
5. Increase annual revenues (LGBT Bar and NLGLF).
6. Establish board policy setting a minimum criteria for board members' fundraising as an annual percentage of the yearly budget, to ensure board member accountability and to expand funding (LGBT Bar and NLGLF).
7. Upon approval by the ABA, change the name of the NLGLA to "National LGBT Bar Association."
8. Change the name of Lavender Law to "Lavender Law: National LGBT Bar Association Annual Conference and Career Fair." (NLGLF)