Brown Goldstein & Levy attorney Lauren DiMartino was invited to serve as a panelist at the Maryland Law Review’s Annual Symposium, hosted at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. The 2026 symposium was centered around the theme, “Legal Innovations for Trans Rights: The Fight for Justice Within an Unjust System.”
Lauren discussed emerging constitutional rights issues in trans rights work alongside Tyler Rose Clemons, Scott Skinner-Thompson, Sean Lewis, and Chan Tov McNamarah. She focused on her ongoing litigation representing three currently/formerly incarcerated transwomen in a case against the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Corrections—Gilliam v. DPSCS. Gilliam involves Eighth and Fourteenth Amendment claims in addition to claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. She also discussed First Amendment defenses raised by religious organizations in cases involving LGBTQ+ employees, including those at issue in Doe v. Catholic Relief Services. In Doe, BGL represents a gay man whose spouse was denied health benefits when Catholic Relief Services learned his spouse was a man. The case is being heard in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on March 17, 2026.
The symposium was a full-day program that addressed all aspects of trans rights and the law—encompassing subjects ranging from education and employment rights, constitutional rights, prisoner’s rights work, health care access, and transgender violence. It brought together scholars, practitioners, organizations, and community members to discuss these vital topics that impact everyone in society.
ABOUT LAUREN DIMARTINO:
Lauren’s client-centered practice is focused on ensuring diverse communities can thrive, whether it’s through challenging various types of discrimination in housing, employment, or education, holding government actors accountable, or advocating for local businesses embroiled in dispute. She has a robust practice involving the Fair Housing Act, utilizing it to assist individuals and non-profits impacted by discriminatory conduct and to challenge systems perpetuating segregation, with a particular interest in the intersection of housing and public education. She also works with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title IX, Title VII, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to advocate for equity in education, healthcare, the workplace, and professional licensing. Learn more about Lauren.
ABOUT BROWN, GOLDSTEIN & LEVY
Founded in 1982, Brown, Goldstein & Levy is a law firm based in Baltimore, Maryland, with an office in Washington, DC. The firm is nationally recognized in a wide variety of practice areas, including complex civil and commercial litigation, civil rights, health care, family law, and criminal defense. Above all else, Brown, Goldstein & Levy is a client-centered law firm that brings decades of experience and passionate, effective advocacy to your fight for justice.