Distinguished Guest Speaker Series: David Codell

Thank you to everyone who joined us on January 22nd at Latham & Watkins for David Codell on the topic of “Gender Stereotyping & Anti-LGBT Discrimination.”  We had a wonderful turnout and an engaged audience.

David Codell is a nationally respected litigator who recently became Constitutional Litigation Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), after having served as Visiting Legal Director of the Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law’s think tank focusing on sexual orientation and gender identity law and policy.

Codell’s litigation has advanced groundbreaking legal theories in landmark cases regarding marriage equality and family recognition, the rights of LGBT youth, and constitutional scrutiny of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Codell served as lead counsel in a series of lawsuits upholding California’s comprehensive domestic partnership laws. He also served as co-counsel with NCLR, Lambda Legal, and the ACLU in litigation in which the California Supreme Court ruled that California must permit same-sex couples to marry and that laws that discriminate based on sexual orientation are subject to the strictest level of scrutiny under the California Constitution.

Codell outlined the history and current state of the law pertaining to discrimination against the LGBT community including recent victories and set backs as same-sex couples continue to fight for the right to marry.

Special thanks again to our sponsors: Latham & Watkins LLP, Chris Hollinger and Lois Thompson.

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