Honoring Black Leaders in Law: Black History Month

February is Black History Month. To commemorate the occasion, we’re highlighting the lives and accomplishments of three individuals who paved the way for Black Americans in the legal field. We’re celebrating these figures for both their professional achievements and their impact as pioneers.

Hon. Jane M. Bolin

Jane Bolin (1908-2007) was a legal trailblazer who holds the honor of many firsts in the legal field.

Judge Jane Bolin was the first Black woman to earn a law degree from Yale Law School in 1931. While studying there, she was one of only three female students and the only Black student. She became the first African American woman to work in New York City’s legal department. Judge Bolin is perhaps most famously known for being the first Black female judge in the United States. Her appointment was made by the then-mayor of New York during the 1939 World’s Fair where it made “news around the world.”

She served with distinction on the New York bench for 40 years.

Hon. Thurgood Marshall

Thurgood Marshall (1908-1993) was a civil rights lawyer and the first Black Supreme Court justice. Marshall made a profound impact on American culture by fighting discrimination and dismantling the legal foundation of Jim Crow segregation in the landmark case, Brown v. Board of Education.

Early in his career, Marshall began his own practice and took cases regardless of whether his clients had the ability to pay. He became a staff attorney at NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and later became the chief of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, which was created to fight segregation. Throughout his life, Marshall consistently fought for and advanced civil rights for minority groups. He secured voting rights for Black individuals, struck down race-based housing restrictions, and much more. He served on the Supreme Court for nearly 25 years.

Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray

Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray (1910-1985) was a civil rights activist who broke barriers and paved the way for intersectional feminism. They were the only woman in their cohort at Howard University Law school and were first in their class. Pauli Murray was also the first African American to earn a J.S.D. (doctor of the science of law) from Yale Law School in 1965 and the first female-presenting, Black individual to be ordained as an Episcopal priest.

Murray challenged issues of segregation, coined the term “Jane Crow” to encapsulate their experience of discrimination in the field, and was involved in numerous committees and organizations which focused on advancing the rights of women and people of color. Beyond that, their work influenced landmark trials like Brown v Board of Education and Reed v. Reed.

[Out of respect for Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray’s complex gender identity, we’ve opted to use they/them pronouns in reference to them.]

While diversity in our profession has improved over time, there’s more work to be done. Not only are Black communities still disproportionately penalized within the criminal justice system, they’re also greatly underrepresented in the legal field.

We strongly support and hope to see more people who are Black enter the legal field and into leadership roles at firms. Better diversity at all levels of the justice system better helps us serve our communities and uplift the voices of those that have been historically disenfranchised and disproportionately harmed by systemic issues.