Howard College is acknowledged for the lots of outstanding and prestigious alumni. The latest building his mark is Lawrence Blackmon, a civil rights attorney.
A troubling come across he experienced when attending the D.C. establishment, paved his route to his greatness: Blackmon’s mind was established to get up causes shut to his coronary heart and to pursue justice.
Blackmon suggests he and other students were being “violated” by a white FBI agent who claimed that based on the footwear one of them was putting on, one of the pupils “matched the description” of a suspect who had robbed a jewelry retailer previously that working day. A typical trope when law enforcement racially profile Black men and women sparked Blackmon’s desire in activism and finally his job as a civil rights lawyer.
After getting his undergraduate degree at Howard, Blackmon attended Mississippi Higher education University of Law, the place he gained his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree (JD), then a Masters of Law (LLM) from George Washington College. Blackmon grew to become a working towards attorney who represents consumers in civil legal rights and private personal injury scenarios. Accredited in Mississippi and Georgia with workplaces in Canton, MI, and Atlanta, he started his vocation with the household small business, Blackmon and Blackmon, in advance of overseeing his non-public practice.
Blackmon took time to speak with BLACK Business about an impending case he is doing the job on with a further powerful civil rights lawyer, Benjamin Crump. He also shared why he made the decision to go after legislation and his potential ideas.
BLACK Business: As an attorney, what difficulties have you had to confront in purchase to commence your have organization and how has that aided you prosper in your practice?
Lawrence Blackmon: I occur from a family members of quite prosperous lawyers, so I didn’t start off from the base per se. But each individual legal professional has to create their individual track record for effects. In this business, results acquire concentrate, prolonged hrs, and really hard get the job done. Climbing to the event and receiving the best achievable effects for my purchasers can be difficult, but it is a challenge that I welcome each one day. In no way getting rid of sight of this enthusiasm fuels the prosper to be successful, the humbling reminder that I’m a servant chief, and the starvation that displays in every single scenario.
Why did you choose to have your law apply in the civil legal rights realm?
Throughout my sophomore 12 months at Howard University, a team of friends and I were being out on a weekday afternoon in Georgetown. As we crossed a active intersection, we recognized a white guy in simple dresses going for walks toward us holding a smaller handgun near his waistline. He was pointing the gun at us and sort of angled us off from the crowd to the aspect of a constructing. I thought to myself, “Oh snap, we’re getting robbed,” but the gentleman advised us to place our arms up and that he was an FBI agent. He questioned us. He named officers and the officers came.
They ran our names by means of the process. We had been informed that the rationale for the violation was that the sneakers that a single of my buddies was wearing—black and white Ken Griffeys—matched the description of the sneakers that a suspect was wearing in a jewellery keep robbery previously that day. We felt violated. We ended up violated. And we did not know who to call. I understood ahead of then that I would be an attorney, but I decided then that I would be the kind of attorney that could be named on when persons are violated, especially by the government.
You have recently partnered with lawyer Ben Crump on a situation against the United States Marshal Provider for an incident involving a Black man or woman getting brutalized and it getting captured on video. What is your expectation with this make a difference?
Initially, let me express that I am really honored to be functioning along with a civil rights champion like attorney Ben Crump. I have extended admired him and his operate for our local community. In this and just about every case, I count on justice to be served, and for my purchasers to be produced entire for this fully unjustifiable violation of their civil legal rights. The bodily wounds will recover, but the mental trauma can very last for a extremely prolonged even though, even a life time. They ought to have to be sufficiently compensated for that.
What would you notify anyone who is passionate about succeeding in the legislation occupation and needs to have their very own follow?
There are numerous people today and a lot of will cause that are in have to have of tough, clever, and courageous illustration. If you are likely to be a attorney, be difficult, be wise, be courageous, and do it for the folks and causes that will need you. If you do that ,the income will stick to.
What does the long term glance like for Lawrence Blackmon and the Blackmon Agency?
We are growing and wanting to open numerous new workplaces, in Alabama and Ga, in the coming 12 months. We will carry on to provide 1st-course service and results to our consumers and our neighborhood.