The Lawyers’ Committee is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to enlist the private bar’s leadership and resources in combating racial discrimination and the resulting inequality of opportunity — work that continues to be vital today.

The Law Center opened its doors as a local affiliate of the Lawyers Committee in 1969. As the demand for civil rights lawyers became overwhelming, the leadership of the Philadelphia Bar Association officially incorporated the Law Center in 1974. Since then we have maintained strong ties to our counterparts across the country. Other affiliates include:

• Public Counsel (Los Angeles)
• Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area
• Mississippi Center for Justice
• Colorado Lawyers Committee
• Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
• Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice (Boston)
• Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs