Lambda Legal Announces Jones Day Foundation Grant in Honor of Retiring Partner Curt Kirschner

Lambda Legal today announced the establishment of the F. Curt Kirschner Senior Counsel and Senior Strategist position, funded by a $1 million grant to Lambda Legal from the Jones Day Foundation to honor retiring Jones Day Labor and Employment partner F. Curt Kirschner, Jr.

“We are so thrilled that the Jones Day Foundation has honored Curt and Lambda Legal with this very meaningful gift,” Lambda Legal CEO Kevin Jennings said. “Curt stepped up early on as a leader in our community, serving on Lambda Legal’s Executive Board for seven years and continuing to serve today on our National Leadership Council. Importantly, he initiated and helped lead Jones Day’s Legal Recognition of Same Sex Relationships Guide, which was cited by the ABA in awarding its Pro Bono Público honor to Jones Day and received Chambers USA’s inaugural diversity award.  Curt’s work within Jones Day also helped lead to the creation of the Firm’s first affinity group for LGBTQ+ lawyers, which led to the creation of numerous other affinity groups within the Firm.” 

Kirschner was based in Jones Day’s San Francisco office, where his practice focused on the resolution of complex labor and employment disputes, with a particular concentration on disputes arising in the health care field. He has been recognized as a top Labor and Employment lawyer by Chambers USA, HR Executive Online, Legal 500, and California’s Daily Journal. Kirschner maintained an extensive pro bono practice, including importantly his work with the American Hospital Association and HEAL Trafficking where he led Jones Day’s initiatives related to health care providers’ responses to human trafficking victims and survivors.  He also served as a pro bono mediator and evaluator of federal labor and employment cases as part of the Northern District of California’s Alternative Dispute Resolution program; pro bono labor counsel to the San Francisco Symphony for over 15 years; and represented a variety of other pro bono clients, including recent work for Planned Parenthood Northern California.

“Lambda Legal does such tremendously important work in support of LGBTQ rights and all those living with HIV,” Kirschner said. “I’ve been proud to serve on their Executive Board and National Leadership Council, where we help create policy and financial strategies to support these civil rights and advocacy efforts. I am so honored that the Jones Day Foundation has funded this position.”

The Jones Day Foundation grant will fund a Staff Attorney position at Lambda Legal for a period of several years with a focus on issues impacting the Senior LGBTQ community.  Lambda Legal has long been committed to ensuring that LGBTQ older adults and people aging with HIV have equal access to the full range of programs, institutions, and systems designed to support us as we age. Safeguarding seniors’ equal access to housing, health care, and government programs, and protecting seniors’ equality, privacy, and dignity are central to securing the full civil rights of LGBTQ people and people living with HIV.

“Curt’s mind, heart, and soul have labored on behalf of the law and our community, and we wish him a healthy and happy retirement,” Jennings added. “We’re delighted he will continue to engage with us as a leader.”

Curt and his husband, Nick Augustinos, who have been together for 38 years, will spend much of their time at their ranch outside Healdsburg in Sonoma County, where they care for a large assortment of rescue animals, including miniature horses, llamas, and a yak.