New York State Bar Association Honors LGBTQ+ Attorney Advocate
1.12.2024
The New York State Bar Association’s Vanguard Award is presented to Wesley Powell, a partner in the Litigation Department at Willkie Farr & Gallagher and co-chair of its Pro Bono Practice at the association’s Annual Meeting in New York City.
“Wesley Powell has spent his career standing up for equality and the rule of law,” said Richard Lewis, president of the New York State Bar Association. “His decades of pro bono work have brought justice for LGBTQ+ people across the United States. His leadership in ensuring access to healthcare for transgender individuals nationwide is nothing short of groundbreaking. We are proud to have him as one of our members.”
In a career spanning more than 30 years, Powell has ensured that transgender clients receive health care, obtained asylum for LGBTQ+ clients from Russia, and led the fight to allow transgender students to choose restrooms consistent with their gender identity.
Powell recruits and mentors LGBTQ+ lawyers and serves on the board of the NYC AIDS Memorial. Powell is also a past chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Antitrust Section.
The LGBTQ+ Vanguard Award celebrates a lawyer who has constantly and consistently gone above and beyond to support the LGBTQ+ community.
