CHICAGO (MARCH 18, 2021)— LAGBAC, Chicago's LGBTQ+ bar association, has announced the unveiling of their new name, look and 2021 programming to reflect the diverse population it serves. Since 1987, LAGBAC has supported the LGBTQ+ legal community in Chicago through professional development and education about legal issues affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and questioning persons. The organization debuted its new website, resources, and name along with a panel discussion featuringthe country's four transgender judges March 18.
"Not only is LAGBAC one of the oldest LGBTQ+ bar associations in the country, but one of the first, if not the first, to have 'gay' and 'lesbian' as part of our name," said LAGBAC President Moses Suarez. "To continue in that spirit, we felt it necessary to acknowledge and serve our community by updating our brand and providing programming that reflects the diversity within it."
To be inclusive of its diverse membership, LAGBAC has updated their logo and name to reflect its membership's diversity. The updated logo incorporates elements of Chicago's flag to celebrate the city and its people. LAGBAC has also updated its website reflecting its new look and expanded to provide resources for LGBTQ+ lawyers, elected officials, law students, and other legal professionals it serves.
To provide access to the legal and judicial system for LGBTQ+ law students, The LAGBAC Foundation will award scholarship grants to support full-time employment at a qualified LGBTQ+/civil rights organization during the summer. Throughout the year, LAGBAC will also provide social, networking, and thought leadership programming, including:
Breaking In and Moving Up: Resume Building for In-House Council
Thursday, March 25, 2021 from 12pm — 1pm CST
LAGBAC's Corporate Counsel Committee and Mindy Crandus Sircus, Managing Director, In-House Counsel Recruiting for Major, Lindsey & Africa, are excited to present a one-hour lunch seminar about effective resume development for attorneys looking to move in-house or to take the next step in their in-house counsel careers. The seminar will provide practical tips for resume development.
The Equality Act: A Town Hall with U.S. Representative Marie Newman
Spring 2021
Lawyers for Diversity Law Student Scholarship Fundraiser & Awards
Summer 2021
The LAGBAC Foundation awards scholarship grants to support full-time employment at a qualified LGBTQ+/civil rights organization during the summer. First, second and third year law students are encouraged to apply for grants that range up to $6,000. Applications can be submitted to foundation@lagbac.org .
Unpacking Structural Inequality: Its Impact on LGBTQ+ Communities of Color, Town Hall — part II of series
Fall 2021
"LAGBAC's commitment to diversity and inclusion reflects the direction our country is making in LGBTQ+ equality," said Hon. Jill Rose Quinn, Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County. "The organization is once again leading the charge in clearly identifying the community it serves and giving them the resources they need to succeed."
For more information, membership, or details on upcoming LAGBAC events, visit www.lagbac.org .
ABOUT LAGBAC
LAGBAC is one of the largest and most well-respected LGBTQ+ bar organizations in the country, based in Chicago and Chicago's surrounding areas. Its members include lawyers, judges and other elected officials, law students, and other legal professionals. Since 1987, LAGBAC has united and strengthened the LGBTQ+ legal community by providing its members vast social and networking opportunities, presenting hundreds of hours-worth of continuing legal education, granting scholarships to law students, working with Lambda Legal, the Public Interest Law Initiative, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, the Cook County Public Defender's Office, and other organizations, to connect students with internships in their areas of interest, offering mentoring to students and young lawyers, and evaluating candidates for judicial office as a member of the Alliance of Bar Associations for Judicial Screening.
