Applications for the LGBTQ+ Bar’s 2025 Judicial Nuts & Bolts Academy are open! The Academy will be held in conjunction with the 2025 Lavender Law® Conference & Career Fair on Tuesday, July 29, from 2:00 to 5:30 PM Eastern Time.  Only registered Conference attendees who are seriously seeking a seat on a local, state, or federal bench seat within the next three years are eligible to attend the Academy.

The LGBTQ+ Bar’s Nuts & Bolts Academy for Judicial Candidates seeks to provide interested legal professionals with the tools they need to end up on the other side of the bench.  This intensive workshop welcomes legal professionals from all backgrounds and parts of the country, and particularly encourages attorneys of color, transgender attorneys, and women attorneys to participate.  The LGBTQ+ Bar believes diverse perspectives bring diverse experiences to the bench – and diverse experiences lead to better judgments.

Attorneys seeking a seat on a local, state, or federal bench within the next three years are welcome to apply.  The deadline for applications is Friday, July 18, 2025.  Read more about our faculty here. 

Many thanks to our esteemed faculty of judges and to the International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges for partnering with us on this annual Academy!