By BOTWC Staff
This firm assists prospective Black clients in locating Black lawyers!
Kisha A. Brown, Esq. is a civil rights attorney who attended Georgetown University Law Center and Wellesley College. Brown was the first woman to be named Director of the Baltimore City Civil Rights Office, and she worked as the Director of Civil Rights and Director of Legislative Affairs in the Maryland Attorney General’s Office. Her voice is used to advocate for issues such as diversity, police reform, education, anti-discrimination, ex-offenders, and community empowerment.
After feeling that the demand for Black lawyers had been far too high for far too long, the entrepreneur decided to launch Justis Connection in 2018. “I felt the need for this from the moment I started law school,” Brown explained. ‘Hey, do you know anyone who does family law?’ people asked. ‘Do you know anyone who practises criminal law?’ And so forth. Then you go through your phone and begin emailing people because you want to make that connection. And that is something that most Black people face because we lack Black lawyers in our inner circle.”
The company was created to help clients establish and maintain relationships with Black lawyers. There are currently about 30 attorneys available in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. Brown plans to expand the services to Atlanta, Chicago, and Orlando this month, and to launch networks in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Texas soon after.
Clients have benefited from the referral network, such as Cassaundra Brownell, who tried the service after becoming dissatisfied with the lawyer she hired for her architecture firm. “It’s like we had to prove something to him, we had to make a change,” Brownell explained. We were looking for someone who could meet our needs rather than having to establish credibility with the attorney first.” Justis Connection was able to connect Brownell with Kerry J. Davidson, who was fantastic and got the job done.
Brownell discussed his experience, saying, “Having a Black attorney is such a bonus because he relates to us. “They have faced some of the same challenges that we have as Black entrepreneurs,” Brownell said. “With a Black lawyer, you start with credibility; you don’t have to build it with them. They get you. Responding to your needs has become more urgent.”
In Brown’s words, “aligning Black people with Black attorneys is the correct thing to do, not only for that individual but also for the system, because when we confront the system and the wrongdoing that befalls us, the system changes.
Visit Justisconnection.com right now!