大卫·欧博伊尔著
2017.9.18
美国民主党在全美50个州和80多个国家都有成员.C. 酒吧正在开始一个常规功能来介绍组成我们社区的人. 阅读你的同龄人，他们的生活，他们在世界各地的工作.
During the height of the AIDS crisis, attorney 米歇尔·扎沃斯 began working in the LGBT community, sometimes meeting her clients in the hospital. “我会去医院看那些死于艾滋病的人, and the first thing I'd do was shake their hand,扎沃斯说, 现为扎沃斯·容克法律集团的管理合伙人和创始人, 事务所. “This was at a time when HIV wasn’t completely understood, 护士有时不会把食物带进病人的房间因为他们害怕接触病人.”
在扎沃斯从事LGBT问题和家庭法前沿工作的整个职业生涯中，这种同情心显而易见. 多年来，扎沃斯见证了巨大的社会变革，在这里，她与D.C. 酒吧 her experiences and passion for the law.
自从你开始你的法律职业生涯以来，你做过哪些不同类型的工作?
While I was in law school, I worked for the ACLU National Prison Project, 我在天主教大学法学院的诊所做法律服务工作.
After finishing law school, I worked for Georgia Legal Services for a short time, 在巴尔的摩的监狱工作了两年半在马里兰州法律援助局, 公司.格拉迪斯·凯斯勒(Gladys Kessler)法官在任期间担任她的书记员.C. 高等法院.
大约在1983年，我在一家小公司工作，在那里我开始为LGBT社区工作.
How did you first get started in LGBT legal work?
我是个女同性恋，我有朋友需要法律援助. 而且，我是惠特曼-沃克诊所第一批从事艾滋病工作的志愿者之一. Ultimately, it was a natural fit.
After a couple of years at a small firm, 我和天主教大学的一位法学教授开了一家公司. We were working at the height of the AIDS crisis, 代表许多经常需要遗产规划协助的个人客户. 我们解决当时遇到的任何问题.
Tell us about some of your experiences in those early days.
We were some of the first people to advertise in the 华盛顿叶片 . . . Our firm represented everybody. Obviously, we knew the LGBT community better than most. 当时, 我代理过一些在医院里奄奄一息的共和党男同性恋者, whose families wouldn't let them see their lovers.
我也和D.C. Council on HIV-related legislation. 当时有很多关于艾滋病和保护LGBT家庭的活动. It was a difficult and exciting time. 我试着, 然后继续尝试, 成为那种与我的客户保持联系的澳门赌场官网——这真的很重要.
你当时有什么特别有挑战性的案子吗?
There were so many challenging cases. 1982年我有一个案例，军方试图将一名同性恋上校送交军事法庭. 我当时的合作伙伴和我成功地让军队允许上校在服役30年后退休.
在我的职业生涯中，有很多这样的故事，它们是我前进的动力之一. 我的工作不只是关于同性恋者——而是关于任何试图保护自己家庭的人, trying to figure out how to have the law work for them. 我参与过很多有趣的案例，都是在我们社会定义的家庭的前沿.
是什么促使你和你以前的法学教授开了一家公司?
1990年我离开了公司，在美国澳门赌场官网协会做了6年的顾问. It gave me much more flexibility to be with my daughter. 我仍然全职工作，但我基本上可以有自己的时间表.
What brought you back to opening your own firm?
当我在美国澳门赌场官网协会的时候，我开始怀念代表客户的日子. I decided that I would work with clients out of my house, and I would meet with people in their homes, which was a great way to have a law practice.
I'd sit in someone's living room, and their cat would be sitting on their lap, or their dog would come over, 或者你抱着他们的孩子.
我的实践不断扩大. 当我女儿去上大学的时候，我的业务量一夜之间翻了一番. 我必须决定我是否愿意削减一切开支，继续在家里工作, or to take an office and expand the practice, 我就是这么做的.
What types of cases are you handling now?
我有几个案例涉及同性伴侣，其中一个收养了另一个. 现在，随着婚姻平等，这对夫妇想要结束收养并结婚. I had three of those cases in D.C. 在马里兰州. 我们想出了一个别人想不到的策略, and were successful in all three. All three couples got married. 太棒了.
我做了很多辅助生殖技术工作，为家庭、女性伴侣或单身男同性恋通过代孕建立合法权利. 我代表了相当多的欧洲客户，他们正在这样做.
我还参与了一个关于一个男人和一个女同性恋之间的亲子关系的三亲判决. All three were ordered to be on the birth certificate. 太神奇了.
你从开办和经营自己的公司中学到的最重要的经验是什么?
It's always harder than you think. It will be more fulfilling than you think it will be. 拥有自己的澳门赌场官网事务所还可以让你在公司里创造一种与同事和客户有关的文化. 这很重要.
在我们公司，我快93岁的母亲为我们的客户烤制饼干. It's cute when clients come in and they see the cookies. I've had a client say to me, "I've never been to a lawyer before, but when I saw those cookies, 我认为, 也许会没事."
I have loved being a lawyer, and I love being a lawyer. 我喜欢与客户一起工作，并以富有同情心和道德的方式为他们解决问题. I can't imagine doing anything else, which is a good thing because someday I'll retire, and I'm not starting another career.
