The Justis Connection wants to make Black attorneys more accessible to Black clients
Cassaundra Brownell, a self-described “serial entrepreneur” from Maryland, was relieved when she found the Justis Connection, a company that links potential with Black attorneys.
Cassaundra Brownell, a self-described “serial entrepreneur” from Maryland, was relieved when she found the Justis Connection, a company that links potential clients with Black attorneys. After failing to see results with an attorney she hired to help her launch an architecture firm she purchased in May, Brownell felt a Black attorney would be a better option.
It seemed “like we had to prove something to him,” she said of her first lawyer. Brownell said she felt that he pushed aside her needs, responded slowly and even expressed a lack of confidence in the new business. “So, we had to make a change. We were looking for someone where our needs could be met, versus feeling like we had to build credibility with the attorney first.”
Brownell learned of Kisha A. Brown’s Justis Connection on LinkedIn and immediately contacted Brown, who then connected her to multiple Black lawyers in her area. She eventually hired Kerry Davidson, a Black attorney who graduated from Harvard Law School and has served her firm well, Brownell said, providing “first-rate service” in a timely manner.
Her case illuminates a point Black lawyers and advocates have been making for some time: Black clients feel that they receive heightened support and more favorable results from Black lawyers than with non-Black legal aid. And unlike Black lawyer associations like the National Conference of Black Lawyers and The National Black Lawyers, which some have relied on to find Black legal representatives in their cities, the Justis Connection specifically works on making those client-attorney connections. Advocates say this is important, adding that more Black lawyer representation in the legal field can be compared to studies that suggest Black patients with Black doctors receive more competent care.
“For us, having a Black attorney is such a bonus because he relates to us. They have gone through some of the same challenges that we go through as a Black entrepreneur,” Brownell said. “With a Black lawyer, you start with credibility; you don’t have to build it with them. They understand you. There’s a greater sense of urgency in responding to your needs.”
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