NEW YORK, NY, June 02, 2021 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Arthur S. Leonard with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Mr. Leonard celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Leading an incredible career as a lawyer and educator for nearly 45 years, Mr. Leonard spent his first five years in the field as an associate at Kelley Drye & Warren and Seyfarth Shaw Fairweather & Geraldson in New York City. Transitioning to academia, he joined New York Law School in 1982, where he rose from an assistant professor of law to the Robert F. Wagner Professor of Labor & Employment Law in 2017. (Robert F. Wagner, NYLS Class of 1900, was a United State Senator who authored the National Labor Relations Act in 1935.) Drawing inspiration from the educational careers of his father, a university professor, and his mother, a children's librarian, he has since taught Contracts, Labor and Employment Law, Torts, Professional Responsibility, and Sexuality Law to thousands of New York Law school students.
Devoted to creating lasting change, Mr. Leonard has spent much of his career tirelessly advocating for the rights of individuals facing discrimination because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV status. In addition to presenting programs on LGBT and HIV law in various forums, he testified in support of the NYC Gay Rights Bill (which was finally enacted in 1986 after years of struggle), testified before a Congressional committee on employment discrimination against people with AIDS, and worked to change the law respecting equality for domestic partnership benefits.
Mr. Leonard has written extensively on LGBT law, AIDS law, and employment law, for both general and professional audiences. He served as a columnist and legal reporter for Outweek (1989-1991), LGNY (1995-2002), and Gay City News (2002 to the present). Since 1978 he had edited a monthly newsletter on LGBT and AIDS law, at first called Law Group Notes, then Lesbian/Gay Law Notes, and now LGBT Law Notes. His blog, artleonardobservations.com, discusses important new court decisions. He has contributed numerous articles to legal journals, and notably published the first law review article on employment discrimination against people with AIDS in 1985, which courts cited in recognizing the application of disability discrimination law to such cases. Mr. Leonard co-authored "AIDS: Law in a Nutshell," "AIDS Law and Policy: Cases and Materials," and "Sexuality Law," whose third edition was published in 2019. He was the sole author of "Sexuality and the Law: An Encyclopedia of Major Legal Cases," which was published in 1993.
As an advocate of gay rights and other issues, Mr. Leonard has been involved with many local and national organizations. He is a former board member of the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies at the City University of New York and of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (the world's largest LGBT Jewish congregation). He has served on the AIDS Task Force and the Children, Youth and Families Task Force of UJA-Federation of New York. He served as a legal consultant for the World Congress of Gay & Lesbian Jewish Organizations, and presently serves on the board of directors of TENET Vocal Artists, an early music performance group based in New York City. He also served on the board of Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Mr. Leonard earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial & Labor Relations from Cornell University in 1974 and Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Harvard University Law School in 1977. He is a member of the bar of the state of New York, as well as the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.
Mr. Leonard was the founder and first president of the Bar Association for Human Rights of Greater New York, now known as the LGBT Bar Association. He was a founding member of the National LGBT Bar Association, which presented to him the Dan Bradley Lifetime Achievement Award for his services to the LGBT legal community. At the New York City Bar Association, he chaired the Sex & Law Committee, was a founding co-chair of the Committee on Lesbians and Gay Men in the Legal Profession, and served on the AIDS Committee and the Labor & Employment Law Committee. The NYC Bar Association's LGBT Rights Committee presented him with its first annual Arthur S. Leonard Award for service to the LGBT Community and the profession.
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Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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