Pro Bono Spotlight: Black Connect

Black Connect is proud to be the only national 501(c)(3) membership and chapter-based organization dedicated solely to eliminating the racial wealth gap in America by increasing the number and success rate of Black-owned businesses.

Due to a lack of resources, 80% of Black-owned businesses fail within the first 18 months, and less than 10% of the 20% that survive make it to 5 years. We work to develop programs and initiatives that address the absence of resources that contribute to the low success rate of Black-owned businesses and close the gaps created by systemic barriers that contribute to cycles of poverty in the Black community.

We have local chapters in New York City, Tampa, Atlanta, and Tulsa and have members across the United States receiving legal assistance.

Types of Legal Services Provided

Black Connect has partnered with leading law firms who provide our members with free business-related assistance including legal advice and direct legal services. We also educate small business owners through events such as legal clinics, panel discussions, and webinars. Our Small Business Legal Services Program provides industry-specific workshops, as well as general legal education on a range of topics, such as contracts and intellectual property.

We focus on improving the economic conditions of Black entrepreneurs and business owners with an emphasis on American Descendants of Slaves (ADOS) in low to moderate income communities.

How We Leverage Paladin

Paladin has been helpful in a number of ways. We have been able to manage our projects efficiently by tracking progress, setting milestones, and managing communication.

The Paladin platform offers the type of attorneys we need, ease of use, and support services."

Through Paladin we are able to describe projects clearly communicating any goals or timelines, engage with potential volunteers discussing our needs and their availability, and ensure that volunteers have access to any resources or information they need.

Paladin is great for maintaining connections by staying in contact with pro bono professionals and keeping them informed about our organization’s progress."

A Pro Bono Project With a Profound Impact

One of our members was served with a petition to cancel her trademark. The petition was filed by an attorney for a business owner whose mark the USPTO rejected because it was too similar to our member’s mark. However, instead of changing the mark, the business owner filed a petition to cancel our member’s mark. Unable to afford to hire an attorney to defend against the petition, our member reached out to Columbia Law School who referred her to Black Connect. She became a member, and after she requested legal assistance, Foley & Lardner immediately stepped up, took the case, and obtained a favorable outcome for our member. Were it not for Foley & Lardner, this entrepreneur who properly registered her trademark and did everything right, would have likely lost her trademark simply because she could not afford an attorney.

Recognizing the Contributions of Pro Bono Attorneys

We highlight our partnering law firms on our website, and this year we created our Pro Bono Partner of the Year Award. Our first honoree was Foley & Lardner, and we presented the award in May during our National WealthBuilding Conference and 5-Year Anniversary Celebration in New York City. Foley & Lardner has provided pro bono assistance to nearly 40 Black Connect members, and Foley has sponsored 3 of our legal events. Foley also provides critical funding for our program.

Pro Bono Opportunities That Are Difficult to Place

Litigation and dispute resolution matters are the most difficult to place because they are often time-sensitive and they can take more time to resolve than transactional matters. However, these matters can have the most detrimental impact on small businesses, so to help get these matters placed, we’re encouraging our business owners to seek legal assistance as soon as a conflict or dispute presents itself, which will allow us to provide our partnering attorneys with as much lead time as possible to be able to intervene and hopefully stave off litigation. We are also highlighting this issue to our partnering law firms and encouraging them to commit to become more involved with dispute resolution.

Importance of Volunteering with Black Connect

Legal mistakes can be costly and fatal to small businesses.”

Black Connect’s Small Business Legal Services Program addresses gaps and systemic barriers that exist in the civil justice system that help fuel the racial wealth gap. We have impacted over 300 small businesses, and we encourage attorneys and law firms to work with us in the provision of legal service, as well as guide us in advocating for changes in laws and court procedures that help small businesses.

We also have a great need for funding. Black Connect was awarded the American Bar Association 2024 Brown Select Award for Legal Access, and our program has been featured in Forbes. Yet, despite our remarkable progress, our program has received little financial support from the legal community. Please invest in our mission with a contribution to our 5-Year Anniversary fundraising campaign and help us reach our fundraising goal!