LGBTQ+ Law Section 2026 Virtual Annual Meeting
This two-part program addresses emerging challenges for LGBTQ+ attorneys in a rapidly changing legal landscape. Panel one explores the ethical use of AI in law practice and the risks of algorithmic bias impacting LGBTQ+ individuals. Panel two examines the evolving future of DEI across firms, companies, and public entities, including legal and political pressures and their effects on LGBTQ+ inclusion. Together, these panels offer insight and strategies for resilience, advocacy, and ethical practice.
- Attendees will learn how emerging technologies and shifting DEI policies create new risks for LGBTQ+ attorneys and communities
- January 20, 2026
- 1:00 PM
- 4:00 PM
- 1.0
- 1.0
- 2.0
- Virtual Participation
1:00 p.m. – 1:10 p.m.
Welcome and Introduction
Speaker
Samuel W. Buchbauer, Esq. | Porzio, Bromberg & Newman, P.C.
1:10 p.m. – 2:10 p.m.
AI and the Practice of Law: Ethical Challenges and Bias Risks for LGBTQ+ Attorneys
Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the practice of law - from research and drafting tools to the algorithms shaping employment, housing, healthcare, and credit decisions. For LGBTQ+ attorneys, these developments raise both professional and community-focused concerns: how to responsibly use AI in their own practice while also recognizing and challenging the ways biased systems can harm clients. This program will explore the ethical obligations of attorneys under the New York Rules of Professional Conduct when using AI, practical litigation and discovery strategies when algorithms are at issue, and how advocates can address the disproportionate impact of AI-driven bias on LGBTQ+ individuals and other marginalized groups.
Speakers:
TBD |
1.0 Credit in Ethics & Professionalism
2:10 p.m. – 2:20 p.m.
Break
2:20 p.m. – 3:20 p.m.
The Future of DEI in Law Firms: Risks, Retreats, and Resilience for LGBTQ+ Attorneys
Law firms across the country are scaling back their diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments, including dissolving DEI teams, restructuring employee resource groups, and removing public-facing diversity statements. These changes, spurred by shifting legal, political, and economic pressures, directly affect LGBTQ+ attorneys and their career trajectories. This program will examine the legal landscape shaping DEI (including recent Supreme Court decisions and reverse-discrimination litigation), analyze how firms are adapting (or retreating), and explore strategies LGBTQ+ attorneys can use to navigate, advocate, and thrive in a rapidly changing environment.
Speakers:
TBD |
1.0 Credit in Diversity, Inclusion & Elimination of Bias
3:20 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Concluding Remarks
Speaker
Samuel W. Buchbauer, Esq. | Capell Barnett Matalon & Schoenfeld, LLP
3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
LGBTQ Law Section Business Meeting
- Webinar
- LGBTQAM26
