Hinshaw's Connie Montoya and Vincent Rizzo to Speak at the 2019 Lavender Law® Conference and Career Fair

Hinshaw attorneys Connie Montoya and Vincent Rizzo are scheduled to present a series of panels at the 31st Annual Lavender Law Conference & Career Fair presented by the National LGBT Bar Association to be held August 7 – 9, 2019. With approximately 1,700 attendees participating—including general counsel from companies ranging from Fortune 500 to emerging businesses—the event is the largest annual LGBTQ+ legal conference in the country.

A summary of Montoya and Rizzo's respective presentations follows below.

A Comprehensive Look at Transgender Equality in the Workplace

Rizzo and his fellow panelists will provide an in-depth workshop on Transgender Equality, beginning with an analysis of Title VII as it relates to Transgender Equality in the workplace, followed by a review of R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes, Inc. v. EEOC and a brief look at state employment nondiscrimination laws. Rizzo will provide a defense practitioner's perspective as to what employers can do to make the workplace more inclusive and in compliance with current federal laws, as well as provide defensive strategies. The session will conclude with insights from both the defense and plaintiff-side on presenting compelling Title VII cases.

Intersectional Lesbian Lawyers and Their Superpowers – Crushing it in the Private Sector

Montoya will join other legal practitioners for an open discussion on how women have overcome obstacles to establish successful practices in the private sector, focusing on the role their sexual orientation/racial background (intersectionality) played along the way.

Walking the Path to Partnership

As part of a panel of law firm partners, Montoya will discuss the journey to partnership. The speakers will address everything from when they first considered partnership to what kept them at their firms when other opportunities arose, as well as the complexities of intersectionality and leveraging one's LGBT identity as an asset.

For more information and to register, visit the LGBT Bar website.