![handle is hein.journals/goal7 and id is 1 raw text is: H o -ty Vin d Law m ar n
In the past few years, many major
minlority law firms have moved into
majority-owned firms or corporations.
Yet, some have not moved, and their
very existence proclaims that minority
law firms are alive and thriving.
The stories of our demise are great-
ly exaggerated, quips Martin Greene,
of Green and Letts, a Chicago-based
firm. It is too easy for people to think
that we are near-extinct. It is a self-ful-
filling prophecy.
Prior to the 1980s, a large percentage
of minority lawyers started their own
solo or small firms. Oftentimes, they
were based in minority communities
and functioned much like [mom]-and-
pop operations. Minority lawyers
before the booming '80s generally did
not find sufficient opportunities within
majority-owned law firms and corpora-
tions. Besides government employment,
opening their own small firms provided
the best option for practicing law.
In the 1980s, there was a marked
increase in the creation of minority-
owned law firms. The reasons for that
growth and the purpose in continuing
the operation of these firms are as
diverse as the partners who run them.
Like their counterparts from earlier
decades, some minority law firm owners
sought opportunities that were not
available in majority-owned firms.
Others wanted a more welcoming prac-
tice environment, and some saw and
continue to see minority firms as a place
to be nurtured and to mentor younger
lawyers.
AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION
COMMISSION ON RACIAL AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY IN THE I'
Many saw minority-owned firms as
a means to offer a different viewpoint to
corporate clients, with the hope that
they would create large full-service law
firms that could compete with similar
majority-owned firms, says David B.
Wilkins, Harvard Law School professor,
who is currently writing a book about
the black corporate bar. Although many
minority-owned firms have successfully
created niches and established strong
reputations for high-quality service,
none has achieved that large national
presence. Those that tried have run
into tough times in the past five years,
Wilkins says. In fact, many minority-
owned firms have closed their doors in
recent years. But the reasons for the
shutdowns vary, ranging from economic
struggles to better opportunities else-
where.
Despite the demise of a number of
minority-owned law firms, many in the
legal profession believe that such firms
need to thrive to provide a diverse view-
point for those seeking legal services.
Corporations need to continue and
redouble their efforts to have diversity in
their services, including the law, says
Green. There is an advantage to having
a different viewpoint, particularly in lit-
igation. He adds that minority lawyers
often understand a plaintiff or plain-
tiff's counsel or jury in a different way
from nonminority lawyers.
But others in the profession contend
that minority lawyers in majority-
owned law firms can provide that
continued on page 6
(OFESSION
The itories of our
demise are greatly
exaggerated.
It is too easy for
people to think
that we are
near-extinct. It is
a self-fulfilling
propheY.
I !
W k , 41' 1 7
, laft
H o p
V i n e
S a m b o r n](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.journals/goal7&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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