Hayley Gorenberg
Deputy Legal Director
CONTACT: National Headquarters, 212-809-8585
Hayley Gorenberg is the Deputy Legal Director for Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and people with HIV.
Gorenberg served as lead counsel in Lambda Legal's high-impact legal action against Cirque du Soleil on behalf of performer Matthew Cusick, who was fired because he has HIV. The case resulted in the largest award ever for an HIV-discrimination complaint settled with the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Cirque du Soleil paid $600,000 to Cusick, agreed to implement antidiscrimination training for all of its employees worldwide and adopted a policy of zero-tolerance for discrimination based on HIV and other disabilities.
As part of her work to further Lambda Legal's mission, Gorenberg addresses civil rights and safety for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) students through the National Safe Schools Coalition. She is involved in schools-related litigation, legal advocacy, and formulation of model policies promoting the rights of LGBTQ students, schools professionals, administrators, and allies across the nation.
Gorenberg writes and speaks extensively on issues relating to Lambda Legal's mission. She contributes regularly to Lambda Legal's "Of Counsel" publication for lawyers.
Prior to joining Lambda Legal, Gorenberg served as Coordinating Attorney for HIV Advocacy at the Legal Support Unit of Legal Services for New York City, where she ran a citywide legal task force addressing the emerging legal needs of low-income New Yorkers with HIV. Earlier, as the first staff attorney in the HIV Advocacy Project of Legal Services' Queens office, she engaged in a comprehensive civil litigation practice representing people with HIV.
She served on the Bioethics Committee and chaired the Special Committee on AIDS for the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.
She graduated with honors from Princeton University and earned her law degree in 1992 from New York University School of Law, where she received the National Association of Women Lawyers Award. Gorenberg then clerked in the Southern District of New York. Prior to studying law, she had a successful career as a journalist.
