• Judith E. Turkel
• Howard M. Forman
• Frederick de la Vega
• Nicholas E. Bowers

Judith E. Turkel

Judith's primary areas of practice include non-traditional family law, (including donor agreements, adoptions, parenting agreements), residential real estate,  advance directives such as health care proxies and powers of attorney as well as wills and estates with a special emphasis on the needs of lesbians, gay men, transgender people and others in unrecognized or non-traditional families. Judith has been trained in Collaborative Law and offers this service to her clients.

In the early 1980's Judith was one of the founding Board members of the lesbian and gay bar association in New York, then known as Bar Association for Human Rights (now known as Lesbian and Gay Law Association of Greater New York or LeGaL).She served as First Vice President, as well as Chair of the Education Committee and Co-Chair of the Pro Bono Committee.

From 1984 to 1990, Judith served on the Board of Directors of Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund, as a member of the Executive Committee and as Co-Chair from 1987 to 1989.

From 1993 to 1996, Judith was Vice President of the Board of the Paul Rapoport Foundation, a foundation which funds organizations working on behalf of lesbians, gay men and people with HIV/AIDS.   

Judith joined the Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center Board of Directors in 1994 and served as President from 1995 through 2000.

Judith joined the Board of SAGE (Services and Advocacy for LGBT Elders) in August 2005 and in January 2007 was elected Co-Chair.

Lecturer/Conference Presenter:  

• New York County Lawyers Association:  Making it Legal; 

• New York State  Bar Association Civil Rights Committee Program on Practical Approaches to the Legal Issues Facing Lesbians and Gay Men;

• Practicing Law Institute Program on Legal Issues Facing the Non-Traditional Family; 

• Progressive Family Agenda Conference;

• NYS Judicial Training Panel on Non-Traditional Family Law; 

• Lesbians at Law;

• LeGaL;

• and presenter/lecturer for community-based and other groups including Center Kids, Lesbian Cancer Initiative and The New York Community Trust.

Honors and Awards:  

• 2007: Laurie Linton Community Activist Award, Stonewall Community Foundation

• 2001: Leadership Honors, Lesbian & Gay Community Services Center

• 1995: Legacy Uncommon Woman       

• 1987: Bar Association for Human Rights of Greater New York
  (now LeGal) Community Service Award

Education: 

• B.A. cum laude 1976, Union College, Schenectady, New York;

• J.D. 1981, Pace University School of Law, White Plains, New York 

Bar Admission:

• New York (1982);

• New Jersey (1983)   

Professional Affiliations:

• Member: International Academy of Collaborative Practitioners;

• Member: New York County Lawyer's Association; 

• Member: New York State Bar Association (Family Law and Real Estate Sections; 

• Member: Lesbian and Gay Law Association of Greater New York (LeGaL)