When it came to challenging Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage, the South Florida lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community tapped two female attorneys on the forefront of fighting for the disenfranchised: Elizabeth F. Schwartz and Sylvia H. Walbolt.

Schwartz has long made a name for herself in the LGBT community at the Miami Beach family law firm that bears her name. She was instrumental in litigation that paved the way for gay couples to adopt children.