The LGBT Bar of New York (LeGaL) is proud to announce the election of Will Lopez to our 2020 Association Board. LeGaL also celebrates the appointment of Carl Charles and Michael L. Lynch to our 2020 Foundation Board.
William M. Lopez is the Deputy General Counsel of Foley & Lardner LLP. In his role as Deputy General Counsel, Mr. Lopez advises Foley and its lawyers with respect to a wide variety of professional responsibility, ethics, regulatory, and compliance issues. He also works with the firm’s staff, processes, and technology associated with new business intake, conflicts of interest, and client engagement. Prior to joining Foley, Mr. Lopez was an associate at Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, where he worked with the Lawyers for the Profession practice group and advised clients with respect to legal ethics, professional responsibility, and law firm risk management.
Mr. Lopez also serves on the Ethics Committee of the New York City Bar, and previously served on the LeGaL Foundation Board, as well as the board of the LGBT Bar Association of Chicago. During law school, Mr. Lopez worked as a judicial extern to The Honorable Ann Claire Williams for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, was a legal intern with Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund in Chicago, and received the “40 Under 40” award from the Windy City Times in 2011. Mr. Lopez is a graduate of Chicago-Kent College of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 2011), where he was note & comments editor of the Chicago-Kent Law Review. He was inducted into the Order of the Coif and Bar & Gavel Society, received CALI awards in Constitutional Law, European Union, and Constitutional History, and was the recipient of the PILI Scholarship and LAGBAC Foundation Award. Mr. Lopez studied English literature at the University of Miami (B.A., cum laude, 2008).
“From precedent-setting cases and unmatched social justice services, to unforgettable attorney networking events, LeGaL is a pillar of the LGBTQ+ legal community in New York, and I am thrilled to help the organization continue its mission of serving the needs of LGBTQ+ lawyers and the greater LGBTQ+ community.” — William M. Lopez.
Carl Charles is a Staff Attorney in the New York Office of Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest organization dedicated to advancing the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and individuals living with HIV, where he previously served as a law fellow in the Transgender Rights Project. Prior to joining Lambda Legal, Carl served as a Staff Attorney with the LGBTQ Rights Project at A Better Balance, where he advocated nationwide for LGBTQ-inclusive family definitions in workplace laws and policies. He also worked as a staff attorney with the New York City Commission on Human Rights Law Enforcement Bureau, investigating and prosecuting violations of New York City Human Rights Law.
Carl began his legal career as a Skadden Fellow with the ACLU LGBT & HIV Project where he advocated for transgender youth experiencing homelessness, living in out-of-home care, and/or involved in the juvenile justice system. Carl has written about his own experiences as a transgender man, as well as legal issues facing transgender people for publications including The Advocate, Conde Nast’s them., and the former LGBTQ Digital News platform Into. Carl is a graduate of the University of Denver Sturm College of Law where he was co-president of OUTLaw and vice president of the Student Bar Association. He received his bachelor’s degree in English Education from the University of Northern Colorado.
“I am incredibly honored to be joining the talented and committed LeGal Foundation Board — a diverse group of attorneys and legal professionals working to support and strengthen the New York LGBT community through service, advocacy and professional development.” — Carl Charles
Michael L. Lynch is an Associate in the Litigation & Business Disputes practice, in the New York office of Epstein Becker & Green, P.C. Mr. Lynch represents employers in a wide range of employment-related litigation predominantly within the healthcare and financial services industries. He focuses on litigation involving breach of contract, restrictive covenants, and claims of whistleblowing. Mr. Lynch also provides assistance in the representation of clients in federal and state court, mediation, and arbitration proceedings involving business disputes and complex commercial litigation.
Before joining Epstein Becker Green, Mr. Lynch served as a Law Clerk to Judge Paul G. Feinman, initially at the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, First Judicial Department, and then at the New York State Court of Appeals, New York’s highest court. While attending law school, Mr. Lynch served as a Judicial Intern to the Honorable Edgardo Ramos of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and as a Clinical Intern at the New York City Law Department, Labor & Employment Field Clinic. In conjunction with his undergraduate studies, Mr. Lynch spent a semester at New College, Oxford University, studying international human rights law.
“LeGaL is an impactful organization that plays a vital role in connecting LGBT+ New Yorkers to attorneys who advocate on their behalf. I’m thrilled to join the Foundation’s Board to do all that I can to help sustain and strengthen the resources LeGaL requires to continue its important work.” — Michael L. Lynch
