Two faculty members at the South Royalton Legal Clinic at Vermont Law and Graduate School — Meg York, professor and lead attorney of the Family Law Project, and Jill Martin Diaz, assistant professor and lead attorney of the Vermont Immigrant Assistance project — have been named as two of the 40 best LGBTQ+ lawyers under 40 in 2023 by the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association.
Each year, 40 LGBTQ+ legal professionals under the age of 40 are recognized by the LGBTQ+ Bar for demonstrating a profound commitment to LGBTQ+ equality in their field; both York and Martin Diaz identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community, extending their advocacy within this community and respective legal fields.
“All of us at Vermont Law and Graduate School congratulate Professors Meg York and Jill Martin Diaz on this extraordinary recognition,” Vermont Law and Graduate School President Rod Smolla said. “The work they have done to advance LGBTQ+ rights is central to the mission of Vermont Law and Graduate School and of utmost importance to the nation.”
In her position at the Family Law Project, York has argued and won several cases that have changed the legal landscape for all LGBTQ+ people in Vermont. Earlier this year, York won an appeal against the state’s vital records department, which granted her clients the use of a nonbinary gender marker on an initial birth certificate for their child.
As lead attorney of the Vermont Immigrant Assistance project, Martin Diaz extends their advocacy to the state’s immigrant communities, helping dozens of immigrants and their families achieve safety and security. Their work has proven instrumental for state-based immigrant rights, including supporting implementation of Vermont’s COVID equity stimulus and strengthening our state’s laws related to Special Immigrant Juveniles status.