Trial Magazine

During AAJ’s 2014 Winter Convention, New Orleans attorney Zachary Wool searched his schedule for the LGBT Caucus meeting. He couldn’t find it, and he came to realize that no such caucus existed. It was then that the idea of an LGBT Caucus was born. Zachary knew that lawyers face all kinds of issues in their practices above and beyond the substance or procedure in a case.

For this reason, AAJ has a Minority Caucus, a Women Trial Lawyers Caucus (WTLC), and a New Lawyers Division. He knew it was equally important for LGBT lawyers to come together to discuss issues of gender or sexuality that may impact them and their practices.

When I received an email from the WTLC leadership outlining Zachary’s ideas and asking for volunteers, I did not hesitate. After months of emails and phone calls, Zachary and I planned to meet face-to-face at the 2014 Annual Convention in Baltimore and map out the steps to create an LGBT Caucus.

One of our goals, which became part of the caucus’s mission statement, was to increase awareness of LGBT issues, education, and networking opportunities. It also was important to have an open and inclusive caucus so that any AAJ member could join, regardless of their sexual orientation. All lawyers have LGBT clients, and we wanted to be a resource for lawyers who may not have experience discussing or handling LGBT issues.

Our next step was to draft the caucus bylaws. We did so with the help of AAJ leadership and staff, and support for the caucus continued to grow. We raised money to support our networking receptions and CLE programs, created “LGBT ALLY” buttons, and saw a tremendous show of enthusiasm and offers to help from other AAJ members.

Zachary and I were humbled by the many attorneys and firms who sponsored the caucus. Without their generosity, we could not have successfully planned for the 2015 Annual Convention in Montreal, where the caucus bylaws were approved. Over the next year, the caucus acquired more members, sponsors, and support. Zachary and I were anxious and excited as the 2016 Annual Convention in Los Angeles approached.

All of our hard work would culminate in a general membership vote, a crucial step in making the caucus official. As the LGBT Caucus was unanimously approved, cheers erupted and tears owed.

One area that is crucial to the caucus is holding and sponsoring CLE programs to educate members about some of the issues LGBT lawyers and clients face. In Montreal, the caucus’s debut CLE featured former Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Justice John Greaney, who wrote the concurrence in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health—the case that made Massachusetts the first state to legalize same-sex marriage. David Boies, who argued Hollingsworth v. Perry before the U.S. Supreme Court, also spoke about the status of marriage equality.

At AAJ’s Annual Convention in Boston next month, the caucus will cosponsor a full-day education program, “Civil Rights: Proving Liability, Effective Discovery, and Damages.” The caucus will also hold a business meeting and networking reception. For more information, visit www.justiceannualconvention.org.

Laura V. Yaeger is an attorney at Morgan & Morgan in Tampa, Fla. She can be reached at lyaeger@forthepeople.com.