ALEXANDER G. GRAY, JR. SCHOLARSHIP AWARD

Talia Stoessel, Northeastern University School of Law

The Alexander G. Gray, Jr., Scholarship Award was created in 2006 to celebrate the memory of MLGBA board member Alexander G. Gray, Jr.  Alec was a dynamic contributor to MLGBA in his service to the board and energetic participation in the mentor program. In his legal career, Alec remained dedicated to public service. He was an Assistant Attorney General, General Counsel to the Department of Social Services, and General Counsel to the Trial Court. Alec will long be remembered for his dedication to public service, advocacy on behalf of children, and deep commitment to all that he undertook. The Scholarship Award is given each year to a law student who demonstrates a commitment to and involvement in the LGBT community, as well as leadership, maturity and responsibility.

Talia Stoessel has dedicated countless hours and dynamic energy to the struggle for LGBTQ rights and equality. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 2006, where she earned her B.A. in psychology with honors, with a concentration in feminist studies and sexuality. She also participated in activism and community building among groups grappling with issues of gender, sexuality and discrimination, including Take Back the Night and Radical Cheerleading.

Following graduation, Talia worked as a case manager and volunteer coordinator for Friends Outside, a California organization providing case management services to people who are incarcerated or recently released. During her time there, she brought awareness to her volunteers and to city officials regarding the struggle of LGBTQ people who are incarcerated.  She then worked as a program specialist for an LGBT Tobacco Project at Fenway Community Health, where she learned about disparate health impacts on LGBTQ communities. Through her school and professional work, Talia discovered the law’s potential for creating necessary breaks in destructive routines and abusive situations. She envisioned improvements in the law and legal system that could foster healthier and safer communities and decided to pursue a degree in law in order to contribute to making these improvements.

In 2008, Talia matriculated at Northeastern University’s School of Law, where she has since put her legal skills to use for a wide variety of groups within the LGBTQ community. Talia led the initial effort for a collaborative project with the Poverty Law Clinic and Boston GLASS (Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Social Services) to create a presentation on how to access food stamps for LGBTQ homeless youth. She completed her first co-op with the National Center for Lesbian Rights and was a recipient of the Pride Law Fund fellowship. She has been an integral part of the activism and social activities of Northeastern’s Queer Caucus, including raising money for Boston GLASS, co-hosting panels on LGBTQ issues, and co-writing memoranda regarding the addition of gender identity to non-discrimination policies. She has written extensively on LGBTQ rights, including a memorandum regarding access to medical services for transgender youth in foster care and a paper addressing the U.S. asylum process for LGBTQ applicants.

Amidst these accomplishments, she has also found time to serve as a Co-President of Northeastern’s ACLU and as a teaching assistant for the first year Civil Procedure course. Talia will continue to dedicate herself to improving the law and the legal system to empower and assist disadvantaged communities She has a bright future advocating for the interests of groups within the LGBTQ community.

The MLGBA encourages all members to donate to the Gray Scholarship Fund. For more information, visit www.mlgba.org.

---

Lawyers Weekly Teams with MLGBA to Benefit Gray Scholarship

Dear MLGBA Member,

 

We are pleased to remind you of a new benefit that Lawyers Weekly is offering our members – participation in the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly's Charitable Donation Program.

 

For every person, firm or organization who renews a current subscription for one year or signs up for a new Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly subscription, Lawyers Weekly will donate $50 to the MLGBA Alexander G. Gray, Jr., Scholarship Fund.  There is no additional cost to the subscriber and the benefits for the Gray Scholarship Fund are enormous.

 

In addition to receiving your own copy of Lawyers Weekly for $330 a year (20% off the newsstand rate), you will also get: 

•           Free online access to all newspaper content with searchable archives.

•           Free daily email alerts with the day's important decisions from Massachusetts state courts, agencies and federal courts.

•           Free weekly practice-area email alerts tailored to your special area of practice.

•           Free access to the full text of hard to find bills, laws, briefs and other documents referenced in Lawyers Weekly.           

We hope that you will take advantage of Lawyers Weekly's generous offer.  To take advantage of it, please use our charitable campaign code -- D8FMLG -- when you renew or subscribe so Lawyers Weekly properly directs their donation to the Gray Scholarship Fund.  You can utilize the attached form to participate.  If you have any questions, please contact Gray Scholarship Committee Chair Polly Crozier at polly@kauffmanlaw.net.

Happy Summer and Many Thanks,

MLGBA

 

 

MLW Charitable Donation Program.doc 128K View as HTML Open as a Google document Download

---

ALEXANDER G. GRAY, JR., SCHOLARSHIP FUND

            At the 2006 Annual Dinner, the Massachusetts Lesbian and Gay Bar Association (MLGBA) announced the creation of the Alexander G. Gray, Jr., Scholarship Fund in memory and celebration of friend and colleague Alexander “Alec” G. Gray, Jr.  Alec died on August 15, 2005, after a brief and courageous struggle with melanoma, and he is dearly missed.

 Each year, in Alec’s memory, the Fund presents a $1,000 award to a law student who demonstrates a proven commitment to and involvement in the LGBT community, as well as leadership, maturity and responsibility.  The award helps law students defray the costs of their legal education.  The first award was presented at the 2007 Annual Dinner. 

             The Alexander G. Gray, Jr., Scholarship Fund honors Alec’s outstanding work as a lawyer and his dedication to MLGBA, particularly his mentorship of new lawyers.  Alec was a dynamic and important contributor to the work of MLGBA.  He served on the MLGBA Board from 2002 until 2005.  He was an energetic participant in the mentor program.  He took seriously the task of mentoring LGBT law students and new lawyers and developed lasting relationships with those individuals whom he mentored.  Alec will long be remembered for his dedication to public service, his advocacy on behalf of children, and his deep commitment to all that he undertook.

 Alec was a graduate of the American International College and of Suffolk University Law School.  In his legal career, he remained dedicated to public service.  He served as an Assistant Attorney General under Attorney General Francis X. Bellotti (1977-1987), where he developed a highly regarded expertise in election law and the Initiative and Referendum process.  From 1990 to1995, Alec served as General Counsel to the Department of Social Services, where he played a critical role in reforming child welfare laws and spearheading the successful effort to reduce the average adoption wait time by nearly two years.  His subsequent work as Executive Director of the Adoption Center and as Chief Operating Officer of Concord-Assabet Family and Adolescent Services fulfilled his strong interest in serving abandoned and underprivileged children.  From 2001 onwards, Alec served as General Counsel to the Trial Court, providing counsel to Chief Justice Robert Mulligan, Chief Justice for Administration and Management, and to Chief Justice Mulligan’s predecessor Chief Justice Barbara Dortch-Okara. 

 MLGBA is actively working to raise funds to endow the Gray Scholarship Fund so that it continues to honor Alec and his commitment to mentorship of young lawyers for decades to come.  MLGBA urges you to make a tax-deductible gift* to the Fund.  By making a gift, you will honor Alec’s life and work, and you will signal your commitment to the next generation of lawyers committed to LGBT equality.  If you have any questions about the Gray Scholarship Fund or how to make a gift, please contact Polly Crozier at (617) 577-1505 or polly@kauffmanlaw.net.  Thank you for your support. 

 *The Massachusetts Bar Foundation is a charitable, non-profit organization under the IRS code 501(c)(3), and is serving as the fiscal agent for the Alexander G. Gray, Jr. Scholarship Fund. As such, all contributions to the Fund are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by state and federal law.  Receipts are issued for all gifts.