New York State Court System LGBTQ+ Advocate To Be Honored by New York State Bar Association
1.8.2025
The New York State Bar Association will honor Matthew Skinner, the executive director of the New York State Court System’s Richard Failla LGBTQ Commission, with its LGBTQ+ Vanguard Award.
“By serving as the head of the Richard Failla LGBTQ Commission, Matthew Skinner has brought LGBTQ+ concerns to the forefront of the New York State Court System,” said Domenick Napoletano, president of the New York State Bar Association. “His years of service have strengthened equality in courtrooms across the state. We are proud to have him as one of our members.”
Skinner has served as executive director of the Richard Failla LGBTQ Commission since 2017. In that time, he has supervised the implementation of new policies and training programs to promote LGBTQ+ rights and end discrimination, as well as supporting LGBTQ+ judges and court personnel.
The LGBTQ+ Vanguard Award celebrates a lawyer who has constantly and consistently gone above and beyond to support the LGBTQ+ community. The LGBTQ+ Law Section will present Skinner with the award on Jan. 14, during the association’s Annual Meeting in New York City.
Prior to his current position, Skinner was the executive director of the LGBT Bar Association and Foundation of Greater New York, or LeGaL. Before that, he litigated at Proskauer Rose, and clerked for Judge Richard K. Eaton at the United States Court of International Trade. Skinner graduated magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame in 2006 and Albany Law School in 2009. He lives in Ilion, New York.
Honoring attorneys who render extraordinary service to the public and the profession is part of NYSBA’s Annual Meeting tradition. This year’s event promises to be dynamic and informative, featuring a wide range of sessions and activities tailored to the diverse interests and needs of lawyers practicing in New York. Annual Meeting takes place Jan. 14 to 17 at the New York Hilton Midtown.
Highlights of Annual Meeting include the Presidential Gala, where retired Associate Justice Stephen Breyer of the Supreme Court of the United States will receive the association’s most prestigious award, the Gold Medal. The gala is on Thursday, Jan. 16, from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., at The Plaza Hotel. Justice Breyer will speak about his career, judicial philosophy and his recent book during a fireside chat at the gala.
The Presidential Summit, the marquee event of the New York State Bar Association’s Annual Meeting, is on Wednesday, Jan. 15, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The summit, entitled “Securing Justice: Addressing Sexual Violence and the Weaponization of Individuals and Groups During Conflicts and Wars,” will focus on justice for the victims of wartime human trafficking and sexual violence.
Distinguished guests include Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy, international human rights law expert and founder and chair of the Civil Commission on October 7th Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children; Susana SáCouto, director of the War Crimes Research Office of the American University Washington College of Law; and Abid Shamdeen, advocate for Yazidi genocide survivors and co-founder of Nadia’s Initiative. Susan Harper, treasurer of the New York State Bar Association, will moderate the discussion.
In addition, former Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court Bridget McCormack and Jennifer Leonard, legal tech expert and professor at the University of Pennsylvania, will present on the impact AI has had on the legal profession, and how lawyers are navigating changing regulations related to privacy and data security.
Each year, more than 120 different panels and social events make up the New York State Bar Association’s Annual Meeting and some 4,000 lawyers participate. For more information on NYSBA’s Annual Meeting, click here.
