On December 4, 2009, the Bay Area Lawyer Chapter of ACS, together with the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the ACLU of Northern California, and the Transgender Law Center, hosted a panel discussion with Matt Nosanchuk, Senior Counselor to the Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice, examining potential new avenues for advancing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people's civil rights at the federal, state and local levels. Approximately 50 attendees enjoyed The DOJ and LGBT Rights, a creative and collaborative discussion with leaders in the field, moderated by Tamara Lange, Lead Deputy for the Impact Litigation and Social Justice Section of the Santa Clara County Counsel’s Office.