National Black Law Students Association

National Black Law Students Association
Name	National Black Law Students Association
Abbreviation	NBLSA
Formation	1968
Type	Student organization
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Location	United States
Membership	Law students
Leader title	National President

Contents

National Black Law Students Association

The National Black Law Students Association is a student-run organization founded to support African American and Black law students across the United States through academic, professional, and civic programs. It interfaces with legal institutions such as the American Bar Association, the National Association for Law Placement, and historically with entities like the Law Students Civil Rights Research Council and the Urban League. The association organizes national conferences attended by representatives from law schools including Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, Columbia Law School, and Howard University School of Law.

History

The organization traces its roots to the late 1960s civil rights era involving activists connected to Thurgood Marshall, Constance Baker Motley, and student movements at institutions such as Howard University, Fisk University, and North Carolina Central University School of Law. Early interactions involved legal figures from the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the American Civil Liberties Union, and collaborations with leaders from the Congress of Racial Equality and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Over decades the association engaged with administrations and agencies including the United States Department of Justice and jurists from the United States Supreme Court, while participating in national dialogues alongside organizations such as the National Urban League and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

The association's mission emphasizes recruitment, retention, and development of Black law students, promoting access to careers at firms like Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, corporations such as ExxonMobil and Microsoft, and public sector roles at institutions including the Federal Public Defender offices and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Objectives include mentorship programs linked to alumni from Baker McKenzie, judicial clerkship pipelines connected to judges on the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and scholarships in partnership with foundations like the Ford Foundation and the Gates Foundation.

Governance is structured with a national board and regional directors representing geographic circuits similar to professional associations such as the American Bar Association Section of Litigation. Leadership has included presidents who later served at institutions like DePaul University College of Law, University of California, Berkeley School of Law, and Georgetown University Law Center. The national office liaises with student chapter officers at law schools including University of Michigan Law School, University of Chicago Law School, Duke University School of Law, and historically with historically Black institutions such as Spelman College affiliates and Xavier University of Louisiana alumni networks.

Signature programs include an annual national convention featuring workshops, mock interviews, and on-site recruiting with employers from Latham & Watkins, Jones Day, Sidley Austin, and government agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission. The organization runs leadership academies modeled after training programs at the Brookings Institution and civic engagement initiatives akin to campaigns by Brennan Center for Justice and NAACP voter mobilization efforts. Legal education programming has included clinics similar to those at Georgetown University Law Center and externships with advocacy groups like the ACLU and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Chapters exist at hundreds of law schools including Stanford Law School, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, New York University School of Law, University of Texas School of Law, and Emory University School of Law. Membership comprises students who later join professional associations such as the National Bar Association, the Hispanic National Bar Association, and local bar organizations like the New York State Bar Association. Chapters coordinate with career services offices at institutions such as Boston University School of Law and community partners like the YMCA and local Legal Aid Society affiliates.

The association has advocated on issues before bodies like the United States Congress and agencies including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, influencing debates on affirmative action cases similar to those argued before the Supreme Court of the United States. It has partnered with civil rights litigators from the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and policy researchers from the Brookings Institution to produce reports informing lawmakers, judges, and deans at institutions such as Columbia University and Princeton University. The association's advocacy has intersected with movements involving leaders like Angela Davis, John Lewis, and organizations such as ACLU and Human Rights Watch.

Alumni have included judges on the United States Court of Appeals, law professors at Harvard Law School and Yale Law School, and public officials at departments like the United States Department of Justice and the Treasury Department. Major events have featured speakers including Barack Obama, civil rights attorneys from the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and deans from Howard University School of Law and Georgetown University Law Center. The national convention and regional conferences have hosted recruiting and keynote sessions with partners such as Microsoft General Counsel offices, representatives from United Parcel Service, and leaders from the National Urban League.