The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California recently presented a team of Nixon Peabody attorneys with the 2014 LGBT Advocacy Award in recognition of their pro bono efforts.

The Nixon Peabody team represented students in the Hesperia Unified School District, specifically the Sultana High School Gay-Straight Alliance, in light of censorship of the GSA’s activities and for discriminating against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/ questioning (LBGTQ) students in the school. In selecting Nixon Peabody for the award, the ACLU noted that their team “was truly indispensable in safeguarding the rights of the Sultana High School GSA and raising awareness of the struggles of LGBT students across the country.”

The Nixon Peabody team included BASF members Ellen Papadakis, Cameron Cloar, Danielle Kleinman, and Scott Shepardson and Los Angeles based attorney Seth Levy.