Who:
Mary Bonauto,
Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders
Martha Coakley, MA
Attorney General's Office
What:
Boston Bar Association Beacon Award for Diversity +
Inclusion
When: November 13, 2012 at 6 p.m.
Where: The Liberty Hotel, Boston
As the Supreme Court of the United States considers
several cert petitions involving gay marriage, the BBA will present its Beacon Award for Diversity
+ Inclusion to the Gay and Lesbian Advocates
and Defenders and the Massachusetts Attorney General's
Office for their efforts to challenge the federal Defense
of Marriage Act (DOMA), a statute that discriminates against legally married
same-sex couples. The award will be presented on the evening of November 13,
2012 at the Liberty Hotel at a reception free and open to the entire legal
community. Mary Bonauto will be accepting the award on behalf of GLAD and Martha
Coakley will be accepting the award on behalf of the Attorney General's
Office.
"GLAD in its own right exemplifies the values of the Beacon Award in
constantly advancing the frontier in diversity and inclusion in our profession
and society at large," said Colin Owyang, Senior Vice President and General
Counsel, National Grid USA, and chair of the selection committee that vetted the
numerous nominees for this award. "Even more impressive than its daily heroic
work was its success in enlisting the support of the Office of Attorney General
of Massachusetts and others, both directly and indirectly affected by DOMA, as
it continued our profession's proud tradition of public service. Importantly,
this coalition-building effort serves as a model for effective private-public
partnerships that are necessary for all manner of important policy innovation,
especially in the never ending advancement of diversity and inclusion."
With this award, the BBA recognizes the major work involved in two parallel
cases that challenged the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act
(DOMA), one filed by GLAD and the other filed by the AG's Office. In May of this
year, the First Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision covering both cases
-- ruling that DOMA violates the Constitution of the United States. Following an
appeal by the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group, the case is expected to come
before the Supreme Court of the United States later this year.
Both cases coming before the First Circuit involved the filing of numerous
amicus briefs produced by lawyers at a number of distinguished law firms
donating their time to fight discrimination. Among the many bar associations
listed on a brief in support of the case brought by the AG was the Boston Bar
Association.
The BBA established the Beacon Award for Diversity + Inclusion in 2010 to
recognize exceptional leadership on diversity strategies that will have a
lasting impact on the Greater Boston Legal profession. Previous
winners include Massachusetts
Mutual (2011) and Northeastern
University School of Law (2012).
Sponsors of the Beacon Award for Diversity + Inclusion are:
Bingham McCutchen LLP
Choate Hall & Stewart LLP
EMC
Corporation
Goodwin Procter LLP
Goulston & Storrs - A Professional
Corporation
Holland & Knight, LLP
Krokidas & Bluestein
LLP
Looney & Grossman LLP
MassMutual
Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris,
Glovsky and Popeo P.C.
National Grid USA- Waltham
Nixon Peabody
LLP
Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP
Ropes & Gray LLP-NY
Suffolk
University Law School
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr
LLP