The Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia (WBA) will recognize Skye Perryman, President & CEO of Democracy Forward, as the 2026 WBA Woman Lawyer of the Year. Known for her strategic insight and impact-oriented leadership, Ms. Perryman has a track record of winning tough legal and policy battles, uniting diverse coalitions, inspiring the American public, and elevating voices that represent the fabric of our country to deliver results that improve the lives of millions.

The Woman Lawyer of the Year Award recognizes a leader who has championed change in the profession by leading by example, advocating for justice, and promoting the advancement of women in the profession. The award will be presented at the organization’s Annual Dinner on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC.

Democracy Forward is a nonpartisan, national legal organization that promotes democracy and progress through litigation, regulatory engagement, policy education, and research. Ms. Perryman took the helm at Democracy Forward in 2021, and has built a visionary team of legal, policy, and communications experts to confront anti-democratic extremism head-on while also using the law to advance progress and a bold vision for the future. Under her leadership, Democracy Forward has expanded the scope and reach of its work, emerging as a nationally recognized institution that is taking on the most significant issues affecting people, families, and communities– from defending civil rights and fair wages to seeking to expand access to reproductive health care post-Dobbs to confronting attacks on education to addressing the climate crisis and much more.

Over the past year, Democracy Forward has played a leading role in inspiring courage and in protecting the American people from harmful and unlawful federal executive action. The organization filed hundreds of legal actions in the past year alone and achieved significant wins that have protected hundreds of millions of Americans, launched hundreds of investigations, and, through its Democracy 2025 initiative, organized the largest, most successful affirmative litigation effort against executive branch excesses in U.S. history. Named a Human Rights Hero by the American Bar Association, Democracy Forward has defended the legal profession, bringing together lawyers of all ideological backgrounds to oppose threats on lawyers, judges, and the profession as a whole.

Ms. Perryman was previously a member of Democracy Forward’s founding legal team and is a proud alum of both WilmerHale and Covington & Burling, where began her legal career and gained the trust of clients in the health care, financial services, education, and consumer products industries while simultaneously maintaining an active pro bono practice.

Ms. Perryman’s work has been recognized widely for its positive impact on people and communities. She has received numerous awards and recognitions for her legal work and commitment to public service, including being named one of the Time 100’s 2025 100 Most Influential People In The World, one of the Most Powerful Women, Legal Powers by Washingtonian Magazine, one of The NonProfit Times’s Power & Influence Top 50 and their 2025 Influencer of the Year. She received the Lifetime Achievement Award for the Pursuit of Justice by the O’Neill Institute at the Georgetown University Law Center and the Distinguished Alumni Award of Baylor University by the Baylor Line Foundation, among others.

Ms. Perryman is a frequent guest lecturer and keynote speaker on matters at the intersection of law and policy. She has testified before the U.S. Congress and other expert bodies and her legal work has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court as well as state supreme courts. Ms. Perryman frequently appears on both network and cable television. Her work is routinely covered by The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, Associated Press, Politico, MSNBC, NPR, The Atlantic, and Texas Monthly.

Ms. Perryman grew up in Waco, Texas and is a proud product of K-12 public education. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Philosophy magna cum laude from Baylor University where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and a Juris Doctor with honors from the Georgetown University Law Center where she served as an Editor for the American Criminal Law Review.

The WBA annually bestows the Woman Lawyer of the Year Award. A full list of recipients is available at wbadc.org/about/awards-recognition.