Lambda Legal hosted its second annual Forum Conveniens at the Flatwater Grill, 321 N. Clark, to introduce the nonprofit’s work to new attorneys and legal interns.
Nora Winsberg, of Merrill Lynch and a member of Lambda’s National Leadership Council, said that the June 3 event was aimed at attorneys in private law firms ‘right out of school who, at some point, may be asked to help Lambda on a pro bono basis.’ Camilla Taylor, senior staff attorney at Lambda, emphasized that ‘you can be a part of our work and our movement not just by donating but also as cooperating attorneys.’
Taylor referred to the ‘diverse docket’ of cases that Lambda is involved in. These include the ongoing marriage equality lawsuit in Iowa, Varnum v. Brien, as well as the case of Daunn Turner, a transgender woman. Turner wanted to legally change her name but was denied a waiver of fees by a Will County, Ill., judge who declared that her name change was ‘not that important.’ The Illinois Supreme Court recently ordered the lower court to file a name change petition and fee-waiver request for Turner. Christopher Clark, also a senior staff attorney, said that assisting attorneys usually found that their work at Lambda made for the most ‘interesting, rewarding and cutting-edge legal issues.’ Photo of Taylor (left) and Clark and of Merrill Lynch’s Nora Weisberg (left) and Karen Rabin, and text by Yasmin Nair.