Mission Statement

The Houston Lawyers Association was founded in 1955 to address the professional needs of Black lawyers and the legal needs of the Black community in greater Houston, at a time when African American attorneys were barred from joining the Houston Bar Association.

The Houston Lawyers Association seeks to address injustice and educate members and the community by serving as a redress conduit, improving legal services, and providing a voice for the community through advocacy, mentoring, professionalism, and coalition building.

What that means in practice

HLA pursues its mission by working to:

• address injustice by ensuring equal employment and business opportunities for Black lawyers
• educate the community by supporting community programs that benefit the Black community
• serve as a redress conduit for the community
• provide a voice for the community through advocacy, mentoring, professionalism, and coalition building
• improve access to and the quality of legal services

Seven decades later, that founding purpose still guides the organization: advancing equal justice under law, supporting Black lawyers, judges, and law students at every stage of their careers, and serving the Houston community through advocacy, mentorship, and public service.