Irvine, Calif.— On July 16, 2014, the Orange County Lavender Bar Association (OCLBA) held its Fourth Anniversary Party in Irvine, California. The OCLBA honored Kathleen E. O’Leary, a Presiding Justice of the California Court of Appeal with the organization’s 2014 Community Leadership Award. Justice O’Leary follows Justice David Thompson as the fourth recipient of the Community Leadership Award.
“We are thrilled to honor Justice O’Leary for her distinguished service on the bench,” said OCLBA President Rosanne Faul. “As the first woman to preside over Division Three of the Fourth District Court of Appeal as well as the Orange County Superior Court, Justice O’Leary has shattered glass ceilings and served as a standard-bearer for equality, opportunity, and justice in Orange County.”
The OCLBA also honored Professor Nielan Barnes with the 2014 M. Katherine B. Darmer Outstanding Community Service Award. The award, named in memory of the late Katherine Darmer, a founding member of the OCLBA Board of Directors, recognizes individuals and organizations who make extraordinary contributions to the advancement of LGBT equality. Professor Barnes is an Associate Professor of Sociology at California State University, Long Beach. Professor Barnes’ research sheds light on conditions encountered by LGBT people and people living with HIV/AIDS around the world, particularly in Mexico and South and Central America. On top of this research, Professor Barnes frequently testifies, pro bono, as an expert witness in immigration cases for clients of the Public Law Center, and nationally.
“Immigration judges often receive only limited country conditions information, particularly when the petitioner seeking relief has limited resources. Professor Barnes presents additional, compelling empirical data on country conditions so that Immigration Judges have more of a full picture from which to base their decisions,” said Faul. “There are many people — many LGBT people — that likely would have been sent back to certain death or persecution in their home countries absent Professor Barnes’ expert testimony. OCLBA is thrilled to be able to honor Professor Barnes with this well-deserved award.”
Finally, OCLBA presented the M. Katherine Baird Darmer Equality Scholarship to Elizabeth Hercules-Paez, who will enroll this fall at the University of California—Irvine School of Law. Ms. Hercules-Paez was selected from a pool of extraordinary applicants from across Southern California. The scholarship is sponsored by OCLBA and the Orange County Equality Coalition (OCEC). Ms. Hercules-Paez follows Jordan Aiken, also a student at the University of California—Irvine School of Law, as the second recipient of the scholarship.
The Fourth Anniversary Party was hosted by Barefoot Wine and Bubbly, Bryan Cave LLP, Kia Motors USA, and Soiree Catering; and championed by Aitken, Aitken & Cohn, Carothers, Corrigan Welbourn Stoke, Carothers DiSante & Freudenberger, Gibson Dunn, Jones Day, KAAS Settlement Solutions, Knobbe Martens, and Keller Rackauckus.
The Orange County Lavender Bar Association (OCLBA) is the official association of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and allied attorneys, judges, and law students in Orange County. Founded in 2010, OCLBA produces a dynamic series of programs that connect the bar and lay communities in Orange County to advocacy, education, charity, mentorship, networking, and community building activities that advance LGBT equality. OCLBA is an affiliate of the Orange County Bar Association.
Subscribe for News and Updates
