Student group hosts presentation on estate planning for LGBT community

On November 9, Lennie Gerber, a High Point, N.C. attorney specializing in estate planning for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, delivered a presentation at Elon Law through an event hosted by OutLaw, a student organization raising awareness about LGBT legal issues and fostering an accepting and supportive environment for the LGBT community at the law school and in the greater legal community.

Greensboro attorney Lennie Gerber with Elon Law student Beth Klein.

Gerber’s seminar, titled, “Working with LGBT clients on issues of estate planning,” focused on preparing wills, trusts, powers of attorney and other types of relationship documents for the gay and lesbian community. In the presentation, Gerber stressed the importance of these documents as a way to establish protection and security for one’s partner or spouse.

“OutLaw is grateful to Lennie Gerber for taking time to share the knowledge and experiences she has gained while working to assist the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community,” said Beth Klein, vice-president of OutLaw and second-year law student at Elon. “She has been a great advocate within North Carolina for many years, fighting to assist the community in gaining equal rights and protections. The turnout was greater than expected and many students have expressed that it was not only informative but also enjoyable.”

After retirement from a full-time law career in 1991, Gerber began practicing law on a volunteer basis, primarily representing the gay and lesbian community. Throughout the years, Gerber has assisted on cases and drafted documents for various civil rights organizations including the ACLU of North Carolina, the North Carolina Gay Advocacy Legal Alliance (NCGALA), the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. Furthermore in 1997, Gerber argued the case of Pulliam v. Smith in front of the Supreme Court of North Carolina. The Equality NC Foundation recently recognized Gerber as the “2010 Equality Champion for the Triad Region.”

OutLaw is a social and educational organization that fosters a supportive and accepting environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students, faculty, staff, and professionals at Elon Law and in the greater legal community. OutLaw educates the Elon Law and greater legal communities about the issues, needs, and concerns of their lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender colleagues, clients, friends, and family. OutLaw hosts social events for networking and socializing between members of the Elon Law community and practitioners in the greater legal community.

By Danielle Appelman, L’12