Ropes & Gray Doubles the Impact of Transgender ID Project in Just One Year

In November 2016, Ropes & Gray, in partnership with GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) and the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MTPC), launched the Transgender ID Project to help transgender individuals navigate the process of transitioning on paper.

By June 2017, the project had helped more than 300 transgender individuals manage documentation changes and legal questions associated with accurately documenting their names and gender identities. Today, the project has matched more than 600 individuals with over 200 Ropes & Gray volunteers. Ropes & Gray attorneys from all of the firm’s U.S. offices, and nearly all of our offices outside of the U.S, have participated in the project. Collectively, the firm has committed nearly 10,000 billable hours to the effort.

“The response and participation that we have seen from the Ropes & Gray community in the past year have continued to be overwhelmingly positive. The involvement of so many attorneys, from all of our U.S. offices, as well as globally, has allowed us to match another 300 individuals with attorney teams ready to help them navigate the process,” said Emily Oldshue, an associate in Ropes & Gray’s capital markets group, who has been involved with the project since its inception.

The project currently covers all of New England, while discussions are in progress to expand into new cities in the coming years, both within the U.S and abroad.

A recent article in the Boston Bar Association’s “Beyond the Billable” blog provides an update on the project’s impact since this time last year, during which time the number of transgender individuals assisted through the program has effectively doubled. The firm receives new requests for assistance each week, pairing clients with an ever-expanding roster of volunteers.