Equal Rights Advocates proudly recognizes long-time supporter Kelly M. Dermody as a 2017 Gender Justice Honoree for her decades-long commitment to civil rights and role as a post-election galvanizer of the progressive legal community to support vulnerable communities. This award is given each year to civil rights champions who have contributed to the movement for gender equality.
Kelly is Managing Partner at the San Francisco office of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein and chair of the firm’s employment practice group. She has led groundbreaking class and collective cases on behalf of workers and consumers, and helped millions of women in the process. She’s received just about every legal award there is in recognition of her tremendous intellect and skills, including being named one of the top 100 attorneys in California by The Daily Journal, and top 75 labor and employment lawyers in the state. In 2006, California Lawyer magazine awarded her its prestigious California Lawyer Attorney of the Year Award for her successful prosecution of several class action lawsuits against California’s main hospital chains for charging the uninsured exorbitant and unconscionable prices for medical care.
She has been an inspirational leader in law for over two decades, over which time she has earned tremendous respect and credibility in the legal community. But her incredible dedication to social justice also transcends the courtroom. She has not only served with distinction as a board member for many non-profit organizations, she has been a tremendous force for collection action among us post-election. She spearheaded the high-impact Good Ally Conference in January, gathering over 1,000 members of the legal community to coordinate support for communities affected by policy changes after the election. We thank Kelly and other organizers of this gathering, at which Equal Rights Advocates and the Family Violence Law Center kicked off planning for the Network to Stop School Sexual Violence.
“ERA has always been a fierce champion for women and girls, and understands the critical need for an intersectional, inclusive justice movement,” said Kelly. “I am honored to support and work with ERA in its fight for dignity and equity for all.”
This award will be given on June 14, 2017 at ERA’s annual gala luncheon.
The post Kelly Dermody – 2017 Gender Justice Honoree appeared first on Equal Rights Advocates.