Deborah Lolai

Deborah Lolai is a Clinical Instructor in the LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic and Lecturer on Law, bringing nearly two decades of experience in community organizing, policy-making, direct legal services, and teaching. With expertise spanning the criminal legal system and gender and sexuality, Deborah is recognized nationally as a leading authority on the representation of LGBTQ+ individuals in criminal cases and on advancing reforms to improve conditions of confinement for TGNCNBI (Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming, Non-Binary, and Intersex) populations.

Prior to their current role at Harvard Law School, Deborah served for nearly a decade as a public defender at The Bronx Defenders, representing thousands of clients. As the Founding Director of the LGBTQ Defense Project—the first initiative of its kind within a public defense organization nationwide—Deborah led efforts in direct legal advocacy for LGBTQ+ clients, advanced policy reforms addressing the criminalization of LGBTQ+ communities, and provided training and technical assistance to both institutions and legal professionals. In 2019, Deborah was appointed to the NYC Board of Correction Task Force on Issues Faced by TGNCNBI People in Custody, contributing to the development of the Task Force’s First Report, published in August 2022. This report has since informed legislative and policy reforms aimed at improving custodial conditions for TGNCNBI individuals.

Since 2019, Deborah has taught as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia University School of Social Work, teaching courses such as Advocacy, Contemporary Social Issues, and LGBTQ+ Communities. At HLS, in addition to teaching in the LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic, Deborah teaches the course LGBTQ Criminalization and Mass Incarceration.

Deborah’s professional contributions have been recognized through multiple honors, such as the 40 Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers under 40 Award from the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association (2025), the Community Excellence Award from the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York (2021), the New York State Bar Association’s Award for Outstanding Achievements in Promoting Standards of Excellence in Mandated Representation (2020), and the New York Law Journal’s Trailblazers Award (2019).