AUSTIN, June 27, 2022 – Baker Botts L.L.P., a leading international law firm, is pleased to announce that Maddy Dwertman, a senior associate in the firm’s Austin office, is the recipient of the Judge Black Award from the State Bar of Texas’s LGBT Law Section for their significant contribution to LGBTQ+ legal issues.

Dwertman’s pro bono practice is centered on LGBTQ+ and immigrant rights. Since 2014, they have worked tirelessly on a variety of pro bono matters, including the direct representation of LGBTQ+ clients in immigration courts, federal courts, and before USCIS; the drafting of comments on proposed federal regulations that impact LGBTQ+ communities; name and gender marker petitions; and multiple impact litigation cases that seek to protect and expand trans rights.

Committed to being involved with the legal community, Dwertman has held several leadership roles with bar associations and community organizations. They currently serve on the boards of American Gateways, the National Trans Bar Association, and the Women’s Refugee Commission.  Dwertman recently received the American Bar Association’s prestigious Pro Bono Publico Award, and they were recognized as a “Best LGBT Lawyer Under 40” by the National LGBTQ Bar Association in 2020.

This is the second time that Baker Botts’ lawyers have received the Judge Black Award. In 2003, six current and former Baker Botts attorneys were recognized for representing several LGBTQ organizations as amici in Lawrence v. Texas.

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