An Orlando attorney is the recipient of the American Bar Association diversity leadership award. Larry Smith was given the honor at the group’s annual conference in Chicago for advocating on behalf of the LGBT community. He is the first openly gay recipient.
The award was created in 2008 to recognize individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to promoting full and equal participation in the legal profession.
“Larry Smith’s achievements and continuing efforts on behalf of the LGBT community are inspiring,” said Zesara C. Chan, chair of the Litigation Diversity Committee, in a media release.
Smith has published articles on diversity and inclusion and spoken at conferences around the country. He helped found the first local bar association for LGBT attorneys and students in Orlando, the Central Florida Gay and Lesbian Law Association, only the second chapter of its kind in Florida.
He said he feels that lawyers have an obligation to make a difference.
“The award from the largest voluntary organization of lawyers in the world is especially important to me because it reflects not only a recognition of my work over the past 15 years but the importance of the LGBT and diverse communities on whose behalf I labored,” Smith said.
Along with his work promoting diversity in the legal profession, Smith has advocated for LGBT issues in Orlando. He helped persuade the City of Orlando to amend its Human Rights Ordinance to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. He led similar efforts with the Orange County Board of Education, Orange County Sheriff’s Department and Orange County Commission.
Smith is the founder and managing partner of Southern Trial Counsel, a private firm, in Orlando.
