TMBA Statement Updated June 2022
Thurgood Marshall Bar Association (TMBA) was founded in 2012. TMBA is a contemporary bar association committed to connect, support, and increase the Black legal community in Orange County. TMBA strives to promote diversity and inclusion, professional improvement, and the advancement of justice through positive community involvement and excellence in the practice of law for the Black legal community, allies, and the Orange County legal community at large. Everyone is welcome to join and encouraged to support TMBA.
TMBA’s leadership team includes thirteen dedicated Board Members and Officers who volunteer their time, resources, and talents to support TMBA’s mission, while at the same time leading active careers in various sectors of our legal community. We are sincerely grateful for our 2022 servant leaders who include: Yemi Adeyanju, Denise Carter, Porsche Clarke (TMBA Foundation), Errol Cook, David Griffith, Lisa Hurns (TMBA Foundation), Melonie Jordan, Biola Macaulay, Rebekah Thomas, Honieh Udenka, Hollie Washington, Brooke Weitzman, and Tremayne Wilson.
In keeping with TMBA’s mission to promote diversity, professional improvement, and the advancement of justice, TMBA’s 2022 theme is Pipelines to Practice—creating and facilitating programs and partnership opportunities to open doors and broaden pathways to the practice of law for Black students and lawyers in Orange County. With a focus on equity, we have been planning events to increase racial diversity in the OC legal community by providing access to coaching, mentorship, and employment opportunities. Our 2022 programming has provided Black law students direct access to big law, government, and non-profit legal employers through TMBA’s new Summer Associate Program. We introduced our first class of summer associates in May. Our membership initiative centers on fostering professional networks amongst existing members and growing the membership through community engagement. Because the road to practice should never be determined or derailed by economic inequality or hardship, TMBA and the TMBA Foundation will continue to provide scholarships to law students and pursue avenues to expand academic and financial support to high school and college students who have an interest in the legal profession.
TMBA began the year with plans to continue virtual events, including our annual gala. However, as our community returns to a new normal, we recognize our members and the greater Orange County legal community want to connect in person. With that in mind, our Fourth Annual Juneteenth Scholarship Brunch was our signature fundraising event. The funds we raised will support our programming for the remainder of the year and expand the reach of our scholarships. So far in 2022, our programming has included MCLE opportunities for National Financial Literacy Month; we brought back Wine Down Wednesdays; we have added TMBA Tuesdays, A Fireside Chat as a gathering space for our members; and we have added the TMBA Bar Supplement Program, which provides bar takers additional resources to prepare for the Bar exam.
Lastly, TMBA is working to amplify its community involvement to address racism in Orange County schools and to support Black students and their families. In addition, we continue to work towards a partnership with Santa Ana College and its Pathway to Law School Program.
Stay tuned for future TMBA events and visit www.thurgoodmarshallbarassociation.org to join TMBA today.
For more information about upcoming events, visit www.thurgoodmarshallbarassociation.org.