Washington, D.C. — Democracy Forward President and CEO Skye Perryman was honored as the 2026 Woman Lawyer of the Year by the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia at the organization’s annual dinner at the National Building Museum. The Woman Lawyer of the Year award recognizes attorneys who have championed change in the legal profession through advocacy, leadership, and the advancement of justice and the interests of women in the law.
In announcing the award, the Women’s Bar Association recognized Perryman’s leadership at Democracy Forward and the organization’s work protecting the legal profession, the American people, and the U.S. Constitution, as well as her legal work and leadership prior to Democracy Forward in advancing civil rights, the rights of women, and access to healthcare.
“The Woman Lawyer of the Year award honors not just excellence in the law, but the kind of leadership that lifts an entire profession – someone who leads by example, advances justice, and creates opportunities for others along the way. And in every sense, Skye embodies that vision,” said Brianne Sullivan, a partner at Covington & Burling who introduced Perryman before hundreds of legal professionals and supporters at the WBA’s dinner.
In accepting the award, Perryman highlighted the attacks on the legal profession and our democracy, and the role that women lawyers are playing in confronting those threats. She paid homage to early legal pioneers like Washington D.C.’s Charlotte Ray, who persisted through great odds to help open doors to women in the profession, telling the audience that “We must remember our history – this isn’t the first time that institutions have been hostile to our rights and to our power, and it won’t be the last.”
The award highlighted Democracy Forward’s role in hundreds of legal actions, defending civil rights and reproductive freedom, protecting democratic institutions, and organizing one of the largest affirmative litigation efforts against executive overreach in U.S. history, as well as Perryman’s specific leadership and vision. Perryman dedicated the award to the “team at Democracy Forward and the many lawyers and professional staff who make up our community” as well as their “families, loved ones, and support systems who make our work possible.”
The Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia was founded in 1918 before women could vote or serve on juries. Since 1964, the WBA has presented the Woman Lawyer of the Year Award to leaders who have shaped the legal profession and advanced justice, joining a distinguished list of past honorees that include Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Justice Elena Kagan, former Deputy Associate Attorney General Jamie Gorelick, Judge Ana Reyes, Judge Patricia Wald, former Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta, and Judge Vanessa Ruiz.
Prior to joining Democracy Forward as CEO, Perryman served as the Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel fo the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. She previously held litigation roles at Covington & Burling and WilmerHale. Perryman was named one of the Time 100’s 2025 100 Most Influential People In The World, one of the Washington Post’s Next 50 Americans shaping society in 2026, and one of the Most Powerful Women by Washingtonian Magazine. Under her leadership, Democracy Forward has been named a Human Rights Hero of Our Time by the American Bar Association, among many honors it has received that recognize its work in defending the rule of law.
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