National LGBT Bar Association names 'Best Under 40'

The nation’s largest organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and allied legal professionals released its 2016 “Best Under 40” list today, recognizing the country’s most accomplished young LGBT legal professionals. The National LGBT Bar Association's list includes young lawyers from across the country who have distinguished themselves in their field, and demonstrated a strong commitment to LGBT equality. The awards will be presented during the organization’s Lavender Law® Conference & Career Fair in Washington, DC on August 5th.

 “This year’s ‘Best Under 40’ prove how necessary diversity is to a thriving legal community," said D’Arcy Kemnitz, executive director of The Bar. “These young attorneys represent the very best of the profession. They come from law firms, non-profits, corporations and the government. Their breadth of knowledge and legal expertise demonstrate the significant talent the LGBT community brings to the law, and highlight the impact a few can have on the greater good. We’re proud to honor them and all that they have accomplished.”

 This year’s honorees (in no particular order) are:

• Alex Oh (Partner, Stoel Rives LLP, Seattle, WA)

• Ari Ezra Waldman (Associate Professor of Law, New York Law School, New York, NY)

• Barbara A. Schwabauer (Trial Attorney, Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Litigation Section, Washington, DC)

• Brian D. Huber (Associate, Proskauer Rose LLP, Boston, MA)

• Chinyere Ezie (Staff Attorney, Southern Poverty Law Center, Montgomery, AL)

• Clement Lee (Staff Attorney, Immigration Equality, New York, NY)

• Daniel Redman (Associate, Spring & Associates, PC, San Francisco, CA)

• Dylan Nicole de Kervor (Attorney, Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Washington, DC)

• Erika Lorshbough (Policy Counsel, New York Civil Liberties Union, New York, NY)

• J. Denise Diskin (Attorney, Teller & Associates PLLC, Seattle, WA)

• Jason N.W. Plowman (Associate, Littler Mendelson P.C., Kansas City, MO)

• Jessica R. Bogo (Associate, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, San Francisco, CA)

• Katherine Kraschel (Associate Counsel, Yale New Haven Health, New Haven, CT)

• Matthew Benedetto (Counsel, WilmerHale, Los Angeles, CA)

• Matthew Putorti (Associate, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, New York, NY)

• Merisa K. Bowers (Attorney, Merisa K. Bowers Attorney at Law, LLC, Columbus, OH)

• Nafees Nuruddin (Associate General Counsel, Canary, Brooklyn, NY)

• Omar Gonzalez-Pagan (Staff Attorney, Lambda Legal, New York, NY)

• Ria Tabacco Mar (Staff Attorney, ACLU LGBT & HIV Project, New York, NY)

• S. Kerene Moore (Attorney, Legal Services of South Central Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI)

• Angela Giampolo (Principal, Giampolo Law Group, Philadelphia, PA)

• Ashland Johnson (Director, Policy & Campaigns, Athlete Ally, Washington, DC)

• Ben Aguilar (Attorney/Owner, Law Offices of Ben Aguilar, San Diego, CA)

• Caleb Oken-Berg (Attorney, Skellenger Bender, P.S., Seattle, WA)

• Christopher Riano (Administrative Law Judge, New York State, New York, NY)

• Damon W. Suden (Partner, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, New York, NY)

• Dimitri Portnoi (Counsel, O'Melveny & Myers LLP, Los Angeles, CA)

• Edward Campbell (Associate, Nixon Peabody LLP, Los Angeles, CA)

• Felicia Medina (Managing Partner, Sanford Heisler Kimpel, LLP, San Francisco, CA)

• J. Michael Hearon (Senior Associate, Quarles & Brady LLP, Chicago, IL)

• Jason R. Parish (Partner, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Washington, DC)

• Jonathan L. Brophy (Partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP, Los Angeles, CA)

• Lauren Fontana (Staff Attorney, Civil Rights Education and Enforcement Center, Denver, CO)

• Matthew D. Cipolla (Partner, Jenner & Block LLP, New York, NY)

• Melanie Rowen (Associate Director, Public Interest Programs, UC California, Berkeley School of Law, Berkeley, CA)

• Michael Bosworth (Deputy Assistant to the President; Deputy Counsel to the President, White House Counsel's Office, Washington, DC)

• Olivia Hunt, Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Fellow, Whitman-Walker Health Legal Services, Alexandria, VA)

• R. Kent Piacenti (Associate, Vinson & Elkins LLP, Dallas, TX)

• Ryan Patrick Delaney (Attorney, Delaney & Robb Attorneys at Law, LLC, Metairie, LA)

• Wendy Erdly (Special Counsel, State Liquor Authority and Department of Agriculture, Forest Hills, NY)