Phillips '88 Elected Board President for Gay & Lesbian Advocates

Dianne R. Phillips '88, a partner at Holland & Knight in Boston, was recently elected president of Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), a legal organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, HIV status and gender identity and expression.

Phillips has served on the GLAD board for six years, most recently as the board’s vice president. At Holland & Knight, she co-chairs the firm’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Affinity Group, whose mission is to develop and promote GLBT lawyers and professionals. She is also co-chair of the Boston office's Diversity Committee, a member of the firm-wide Diversity Council and a recipient of the 2011 Top Women in Law award for her diversity efforts.

“This is an exciting time to be a part of GLAD,” said Phillips. “Our Transgender Rights Project and youth outreach initiatives are hard at work educating and empowering our communities, and our two DOMA cases are at the forefront of the fight for marriage equality. Momentum is on our side.”

With more than 20 years of law experience, Phillips concentrates her practice in litigation, regulatory, energy and environmental law. She previously worked as assistant general counsel for Suez LNG North America LLC and its subsidiary, Distrigas of Massachusetts LLC, where she was involved in all aspects of regulatory compliance for the nation’s oldest, continuously operating liquefied natural gas import terminal.