Past Events:

This past February, the University of Baltimore School of Law’s Law Forum hosted its annual symposium entitled, “Blazing the Trail—Maryland’s First Black Lawyers and the Legacy They Built.”  The symposium highlighted the challenges Maryland’s early Black lawyers faced in gaining admission to the bar as well as obstacles Black lawyers continue to face today when seeking bar admission.  Professor Jose Anderson of the University of Baltimore School of Law and the Hon. Dana Middleton, associate judge on the Baltimore City Circuit Court moderated the panel. Panelists included Texas jurist, lawyer and author John Browning, Maryland lawyer Domonique Flowers, the Hon. Pamila Brown, J.D. ’79, administrative judge of the Howard County District Court, and the Hon. Lynn Stewart Mays, associate judge on the Circuit Court of Baltimore City.

The symposium discussion highlighted the work of Browning who is leading the charge to have Edward Garrison Draper posthumously admitted to the Maryland bar. In 1857, Draper, a Baltimore-born, Dartmouth-educated Black man, was examined for Maryland bar admission by Judge Lee, a first cousin to Robert E. Lee. Judge Lee concluded that Draper was “qualified in all respects,” but could not practice law in Maryland as he was not a “free white citizen of this state.” Draper would leave Baltimore for Liberia and succumb to tuberculosis within a year of his arrival.

The symposium highlighted Browning’s groundbreaking article and supported the Maryland Supreme Court’s effort to rectify the unjust denial of bar admission to Draper in 1857. Moderator José Anderson noted Maryland’s role in fighting for justice stating, “[w]hat happens in Maryland matters,” he said. “We shouldn’t hide the struggle.” With the efforts of Browning and Flowers, Maryland could join Pennsylvania, New York, and Texas in granting posthumous bar admissions to Black men, like Draper, who were wrongfully barred from practicing law in those states. “Justice doesn’t have an expiration date,” Browning said.

The event was co-sponsored by the Historical Committee of the Bar Association of Baltimore City, Gallagher Evelius and Jones, the Harry A. Cole Judicial Council of the Maryland Judiciary, and CRC Salomon.

-Patricia Ziff, Law Forum First Year Staff Editor 

Check out this podcast on WYPR about the symposium’s topic: https://omny.fm/shows/midday/blazing-the-trail-remembering-marylands-first-blac

---

 

The Law Forum’s spring publication will feature Michael J. DeStefano’s article Baltimore’s Targeted Blight Elimination Program and How It Can Be Improved.  Inspired by this article and the recent deaths of three Baltimore City firefighters in the line of duty, Blight to Betterment intends to bring awareness to non-governmental solutions to blight in Baltimore City that can supplement government intervention through a panel discussion of prominent community actors in the Baltimore area.

The symposium will focus on the various approaches that non-governmental organizations have taken to address blight in our city, including, but not limited to, lending programs, development of affordable housing, code enforcement, vacant land management, and green spaces.  The goal of the symposium is to bring awareness to non-governmental solutions to blight that can supplement governmental intervention and have a meaningful conversation with members of the community.  

Law Forum dedicates the symposium to Lieutenant Paul Butrim, Lieutenant Kelsey Sadler, and Firefighter Kenny Lacayo, who all died in the line of duty on January 24, 2022, while battling a fire in a vacant rowhome in Baltimore City and extends its sincerest condolences to the Baltimore City Fire Department.  

Our guests include:

Opening and Closing Remarks:
Jules Dunham Howie (Jul Enterprises/Upton Planning Committee).

Moderator: 
Jalal (“Jay”) Greene 

Guest Speakers:
Bishop Donté Hickman (Southern Baptist Church)
Clarence J. Snuggs (Baltimore Community Lending)
Ernst Valery (SAA/EVI and AEQUO Fund)
Steven Preston (Parks & People)
Ellen Janes (Central Baltimore Partnership) 

Below, are two articles that speak on the current Blight issue in Baltimore:

Baltimore’s New Mayor Has a Plan to Deal With Vacant Housing, But is it Bold Enough? 

A Bold Funding Campaign Saves Area 405, a Hub of Art Studios and Workspaces in Baltimore’s Greenmount West Neighborhood 

---

On Thursday February 4, 2021 at 6:00PM, the University of Baltimore Law Forum, in partnership with the Black Law Student Association (BLSA), hosted its symposium, HBCUs v. Maryland: Is There a Solution in Sight? 

Watch the recording of the event below:

---

All Past Events

• February 2021, HBCUs v. Maryland: Is There a Solution in Sight?
• October 2020, Trial Advocacy: The Art of Storytelling.
• September 2020, Coronavirus and its Impact on Voting Rights – Will 2020 Elections be Safe and Fair?
• February 2020, The City Charter: Does it Work for 21st Century Baltimore?

---

---