Black lawyers – Opinions

Oct. 15, Jennifer Collins, SMU Dedman School of Law Dean (and co-author Leonard Baynes, Dean at the University of Houston Law Center), for a piece paying tribute to Heman Minor — who blazed a trail for Black Texas law students —while also promoting the two school’s upcoming webinar, “Black Lawyers Matter Conference” Oct. 30. Published in the Houston Chronicle under the heading Black Attorneys Matter. We must diversify Texas law firms: https://bit.ly/379gzUp

Prior to 1950, if a Black Texas resident wanted to become a lawyer, they had to leave the state and study at a Northern law school or serve as an apprentice under a willing white Texas lawyer in order to become licensed. They had to do this because, at that time, none of the Texas law schools admitted Black students no matter their qualifications.

This year, we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court opinion Sweatt v. Painter, the case that led to the desegregation of Texas law schools. We feel the best way to honor Heman Marion Sweatt is to continue to expand the number of students of color who are ready to be trained and join the ranks of practicing attorneys in Texas — a state that sorely needs to bolster that racial diversity. Co-hosting the Black Lawyers Matter Conference on Oct. 30, a Zoom-style webinar, will allow us to take stock of this challenge and share best practices to solve them.

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June 19, Jennifer Collins, Dedman School of Law Dean (and co-author Leonard Baynes, Dean at the Universiy of Houston Law Center), for a piece recognizing that Blacks are under-represented in Texas law schools and law firms while providing solutions to increase those numbers. Published in the Houston Chronicle: https://bit.ly/2YWqvLs

We all have been rocked by the tragic death of former Houston resident George Floyd while in police custody and witnessed street protests and calls to address persistent anti-Black racism.

As deans of leading law schools in Dallas and Houston, we join together to provide background on these historic events, to condemn all forms of discrimination, and to issue a call to action to work with the legal community to eradicate the continuing scourge of racism and other forms of discrimination.

We note that today is the Juneteenth observance to commemorate emancipation.

Some commentators have described race and racism as America’s original sin. Even though slavery, Jim Crow segregation and many acts of blatant de jure discrimination ended many years ago, we are frequently reminded of this scourge. . .

Continue reading “Black lawyers matter: What the Texas legal community can do to eradicate racism”