WHO WE ARE

The mission of this Section is to promote equality in the law for LGBTQ+ people; to combat the tide of anti-LGBTQ+, especially transphobic, laws and regulations; eliminate discrimination against LGBTQ+ attorneys and litigants; support equality of opportunity for, and increase the visibility of, contributions made by LGBTQ+ attorneys; and promote diversity within the judiciary by inclusion of all underrepresented groups, including LGBTQ+ people.

 

SECTION BENEFITS

Membership in the New York State Bar Association’s LGBTQ+ Law Section offers you many ways to enhance your knowledge and expertise through CLEs and other informative programs.

Membership also provides opportunities for networking and professional development. Our Section writes reports and articles regarding recent legislation and developments in the law and we spotlight members who are breaking the mold and making a difference in the LGBTQ+ community. Our members, through this Section, are having a significant impact on positive change for the LGBTQ+ community across New York State and beyond.

Join today!

There are many ways to become involved in NYSBA’s LGBTQ+ Law Section. Here are a few:

  •    Speak or serve as a panelist for one of our CLE programs
  •    Author articles shared on the Section’s online platforms and publications
  •    Monitor and report on LGBTQ+ laws from the New York State Legislature
  •    Aid in membership and outreach initiatives

 

SECTION CONTENT – For Members Only

The LGBTQ+ Law Section has been in the forefront of introducing, monitoring and evaluating legal developments in the areas of LGBTQ+ Law at both federal and New York State levels. Access our exclusive members-only online community here.

 

CONTACT US

To learn more about this Section, please contact Ernesto Guerrero
[email protected] or (518) 487-5535.

Sam Buchbauer

Sam Buchbauer

Sam currently serves as the Chair of the LGBTQ+ Law Section of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA). He has moderated virtual CLEs for the Section, including “Representing LGBTQ Clients and Ethical Considerations”. He has also been panelist for the CLE program entitled “LGBTQ+ Estate Planning: Inclusivity Considerations When Planning for LGBTQ+ Clients” before the Schenectady Bar Association. He has previously served as Chair of the Membership Committee for the LGBTQ+ Law Section and the Co-Chair of NYSBA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

Sam Buchbauer is an associate attorney at Capell Barnett Matalon & Schoenfeld LLP and practices in the areas of estate planning, estate administration, and residential real estate. He regularly assists clients in meeting their estate planning goals and guiding Executors through the estate administration process. Sam also represents clients in real estate matters, including coops, condos, houses, and HDFCs in the New York metropolitan area.

Sam received his J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law and his Masters in Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. He received his B.A. from Syracuse University.

Online Community

LGBTQ+ Vanguard Award

The 2025 LGBTQ+ Vanguard Award

The LGBTQ+ Law Section wishes to celebrate the amazing dedication and achievement that members of the community have given to the legal profession. As more LGBTQ+ persons attend law school, join NYSBA, seek leadership positions and career support, and demand greater equality in the law and parity in the workforce, we have a responsibility to celebrate those LGBTQ+ and allied lawyers in their tireless work in ensuring the future prosperity and success of the LGBTQ+ community.

There are thousands of LGBTQ+ lawyers and allies in New York, who for decades have been at the forefront of the profession. In many cases, they have been the lawyers and advocates who have made social change possible at the state and national level. It is critical to celebrate these incredible people for their drive and ambition that has made it possible for the LGBTQ+ community to come closer to true equality.

Contact: [email protected]

Nomination Deadline: Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Date Presented: 2025 Annual Meeting

Prize Awarded: The recipient will receive a recognition award and a complimentary one-year membership in the Association and the LGBTQ+ Law Section

2024 LGBTQ+ Vanguard Award Winner

Wesley R. Powell, Esq.
Partner, Litigation, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

A partner in the Litigation Department of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, Wes Powell serves as Co-Chair of the firm’s Pro Bono Practice, where he leads pro bono efforts on a broad range of groundbreaking civil rights matters that advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, low-income New Yorkers, asylum seekers and others. Throughout his 30+ year legal career, Wes has maintained a longstanding commitment to social justice, and played a lead role in landmark cases involving LGBTQ+ rights. He is a member of Willkie’s DEI Committee and partner liaison to the LGBTQ+ affinity group. He is also Co-Chair of the firm’s Antitrust Practice Group.

As part of his ongoing work for LGBTQ+ rights and healthcare equality, Wes successfully led a Willkie team, along with TLDEF, in Lange v. Houston County, Georgia, seeking healthcare coverage for transition-related, medically-necessary surgery and treatments for Sgt. Anna Lange, a transgender Sheriff’s Deputy. The court’s landmark ruling held that defendants had violated Title VII by maintaining a health plan excluding coverage for gender-affirming care. Wes also co-led a federal class action, Toomey v. Arizona, with the ACLU, which challenged a coverage exclusion for transition-related medical care imposed on transgender employees in Arizona’s state university system and resulted in a class settlement eliminating the challenged exclusion. These wins follow his groundbreaking work in the landmark case Cruz v. Zucker (SDNY), with the Legal Aid Society of New York and the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, which resulted in a NYS Medicaid coverage requirement of medically necessary care for gender dysphoria.

In immigration matters, Wes has advocated for the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ refugees fleeing persecution in their home countries, through individual representations of LGBTQ+ individuals seeking immigration relief.

Outside of his legal practice, Wes serves on the board of the NYC AIDS Memorial, helping to develop the physical memorial into a significant cultural and educational institution in the West Village. He previously served for nine years on the board (including three years as Chair) of the Hetrick-Martin Institute (HMI), a leading provider of services to at-risk LGBTQ+ youth and home of Harvey Milk High School, a New York City public high school for at-risk students, many of whom are LGBTQ+. He is a past chair of the Partners Group of the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York; as chair, Wes led the Partner Group’s advocacy for more LGBT+ members of the state and federal judiciary.

Wes has received numerous awards in recognition of his pro bono advocacy. In 2023, he received NYSBA’s Outstanding Pro Bono Volunteer Award, and Legal Aid Society’s Public Interest Law Leadership Award. He was also a driving force behind Willkie’s 2023 Pro Bono Innovator award by Bloomberg Law. Wes was named Chambers’ LGBTQ+ Equality Lawyer of the Year in 2019, and a Crain’s New York Business Notable LGBTQ Leader in 2022.

Wes is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and Duke University School of Law. Wes, his husband Michael Rourke, and his children Beckett (15) and Olivia (9) live in NYC.

PAST RECIPIENTS

2023- Amy E. Schwartz-Wallace, Esq., Empire Justice Center
2022-
Michelle Kahn, Esq., Kahn & Goldberg, LLP (Inaugural Award)

LGBTQ Youth in the Foster Care System

LGBTQ Youth in the Foster Care System

Breathe Into It: How Intentional Breathing Can Help You Manage Stress

Breathe Into It: How Intentional Breathing Can Help You Manage Stress, Presented on November 8, 2021

The Rainbow Workforce: Panel Discussion with LGBTQ+ Identified Recent Grads and Law Students

Rainbow Workforce

NY Law Student Virtual Coffee Hour: LGBTQ+ Law and Policy During the Biden Administration

March 9- LGBTQ Law and Policy

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