Remembering Alice Philipson (1947-2022)

Alice Philipson (right) with her partner Petra at the 2012 America’s Cup World Series

A brilliant and creative social justice attorney, Alice Philipson died peacefully at her home in Berkeley on July 14, 2022. She was one of the original volunteer attorneys who established the AIDS Legal Referral Panel and remained an ardent proponent of our work for decades.

Alice was the quintessential activist lawyer, who didn’t take a case unless it mattered, and who gave away her time and expertise with abandon. During the AIDS epidemic’s worst years, Alice advocated for people with HIV, litigating cases to ensure medical treatment, to protect against work discrimination, to obtain and honor insurance coverage, and to protect personal health information.

Alice dedicated her legal career to fiercely fighting for gay and lesbian rights through impact litigation in the fields of HIV/AIDS and lesbian family law.  Self-described as, “Too hot for organizations,” Alice worked solo but in cohort with BALIF, the Bar Association of SF, the AIDS Legal Referral Panel, National Center for Lesbian Rights, and the Womens’ Cancer Resource Center, among others.

We are so grateful for Alice’s early involvement with ALRP, and we will always proudly remain part of her legacy.