Jackie Drohan, Esq. (she/her) Partner at Drohan Lee
Jackie Drohan, Esq. (she/her) Partner at Drohan Lee Jackie Drohan, Esq. is an executive committee member of the New York State Bar Association and has served as founding Chair of NYSBA’s Task Force on the Treatment of Transgender Youth in Sports and Chair of the Amicus / Litigation Committee for NYSBA’s LGBTQ Law Section. She has authored or co-authored amicus briefs before the federal Circuit Courts as well as the U.S. Supreme Court on matters ranging from bank fraud to foster parental rights for same sex couples in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia and anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination in 303 Creative. Her connection to youth sports is personal, having coached LGBTQ and other students (including her own daughters) in primary school soccer, competitive judo, swimming, skiing and endurance running. Jackie has been a partner with Drohan Lee, a financial services law firm based in New York City, since 1995, before which she had a 12-year career as a commodities and derivatives dealer for major banks. Jacqueline did her undergraduate work at Washington University at St. Louis and holds an MBA from Baruch College in addition to her Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School. She is a former Trustee of the NY Citizen’s Budget Committee and serves as U.S. President of the Financial Markets Association.
James D. Esseks, Esq. (he/him) Co-Director of ACLU LGBTQ & HIV Project
James D. Esseks, Esq. (he/him) Co-Director of ACLU LGBTQ & HIV Project James D. Esseks, Esq. is Co-Director of the ACLU LGBTQ & HIV Project, advocating for equal treatment of LGBTQ individuals and those living with HIV through litigation, policy work, and public education. He has served as counsel in significant cases such as U.S. v. Skrmetti, challenging Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth; Bostock v. Clayton County, where the Supreme Court deemed anti-LGBTQ workplace discrimination unlawful; Obergefell v. Hodges, which established the right to marry nationwide; and other landmark cases defending LGBTQ rights. Before joining the ACLU in 2001, James was a partner at Vladeck, Waldman, Elias & Engelhard, PC. He holds degrees from Yale College and Harvard Law School, where he was editor-in-chief of the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review. He also clerked for Judge Robert L. Carter and Judge James R. Browning.
Arthur Leonard, Esq. (he/him) Robert F. Wagner Professor of Labor and Employment Law, Emeritus at New York Law School
Arthur Leonard, Esq. (he/him) Robert F. Wagner Professor of Labor and Employment Law, Emeritus at New York Law School Arthur Leonard, Esq. is the Robert F. Wagner Professor of Labor and Employment Law, Emeritus, at New York Law School, where he has been a member of the faculty since 1982. He started and continues to edit the newsletter now known as LGBT Law Notes in 1980. He started the New York Law Group in the 1970s. The Law Group became the Bar Association for Human Rights of Greater New York in the mid-1980s and is now known as the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York. Professor Leonard is co-author of law school casebooks on "Sexuality Law" and "AIDS and the Law" and numerous law review articles. He writes about LGBT legal developments as a contributing writer for Gay City News. He was a founding co-chair of the New York City Bar Association's LGBT Committee. He graduated from Cornell University (NY State School of Industrial & Labor Relations) and Harvard Law School and is a retired member of the New York State bar.
Anthony J. Perrotto, Esq. (he/him) President at LGBT Bar Association and Foundation of Greater New York
Anthony J. Perrotto, Esq. (he/him) President at LGBT Bar Association and Foundation of Greater New York Anthony J. Perrotto, Esq. currently serves as President of the Board of Directors of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Bar Association of Greater New York (LGBT Bar NY). As a native New Yorker, Anthony has given almost the entirety of his legal career to government and public service. Anthony first came to LGBT Bar NY as a clinic volunteer in 2015, receiving LGBT Bar NY first ever "outstanding dedication" award for his commitment to LGBT Bar NY legal services programs. Anthony then joined the Board of Directors in 2018, serving as Vice President of the Foundation from January 2021 through June 2022. In June 2022, Anthony was elected by the Board of Directors to serve as President of the Boards. Professionally, Anthony serves as Principal Law Clerk to Justice David J Kirschner, Supreme Court, Queens County - Criminal Term. He previously served as Court Attorney to Justice Richard Lee Price in Supreme Court, Bronx County - Criminal Term, and, most recently, an Assistant District Attorney with the Bronx County District Attorney’s Child Abuse / Sex Crimes Unit.