Join the next generation of civil rights lawyers

Named in honor of the legendary civil rights attorney and LDF founder Thurgood Marshall, and iconic civil rights litigator Constance Baker Motley, the Marshall-Motley Scholars Program (MMSP) is a groundbreaking commitment to endow the South with the next generation of civil rights lawyers trained to provide legal advocacy of unparalleled excellence. 

THE PROGRAM

Fighting for racial justice and equity, Serving Black communities in the south

This moment in our nation calls for a full complement of highly-trained and dedicated civil rights lawyers prepared to meet the challenges we confront and serve our communities with excellence. Established by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF), the MMSP is committed to identifying and investing in the next generation of aspiring lawyers dedicated to pursuing racial justice in the South, and for whom this work is a personal and professional calling.

Since its inception, the MMSP has pledged its support in developing the next wave of civil rights lawyers in the South, where the majority of Black Americans live. Over five years, we will invest in the establishment of a corps of 50 civil rights attorneys equipped and prepared to advocate on behalf of and alongside Black communities in the South seeking racial justice and equity.  

Scholars who demonstrate a commitment to this mission will be afforded: 

  • A full scholarship for law school tuition, and a reasonable cost of living for room, board and incidentals to alleviate the debt burden that can prevent future lawyers from pursuing a career in racial justice; 

  • Summer internships with national and regional civil rights organizations with offices in the South focused on racial justice to jumpstart training in civil rights law; 

  • A two-year postgraduate fellowship focused on a racial justice practice in the South; and 

  • Access to special trainings sponsored by the LDF.

Meet LDF's 2024 Marshall Motley Scholars

OUR HISTORY

LDF has worked for decades to expand democracy, eliminate disparities, and achieve racial justice

Founded in 1940 by Thurgood Marshall, LDF was launched at a time when equity and due process were stifled by widespread state-sponsored racial inequality. Over the next 80 years, LDF challenged those injustices and remains at the forefront of developing and supporting many of our nation’s legendary civil rights lawyers and leaders.

During the 1960s, and early ‘70s, LDF invested in the creation of Black law firms in the American South, providing fellowships and start-up costs for the law practices of some of the most celebrated civil rights lawyers in the region. The time is ripe once again for LDF to invest in the growth and development of civil rights lawyers in the South, where Black people continue to struggle against impediments to voting, education equity, and racial and economic justice.

The MMSP is the next phase of our commitment. Paired with the opening of our new regional office in Atlanta, LDF is deepening its presence in the region to help leverage the talent, passion, and commitment of a new cohort of civil rights attorneys dedicated to serving the South.

MMSP Accomplishments

While the Marshall-Motley Scholars Program carries the names of racial justice icons Thurgood Marshall and Constance Baker-Motley, it is legendary civil rights attorney Julius Chambers who helped to inspire the Program. Chambers, LDF’s third Director-Counsel, believed that it was critically important to “attend to the cooperating network” and invest in civil rights attorneys in the South to further racial justice work as a whole.  

The Marshall-Motley Scholars Program remains committed to realizing that mission of developing a cadre of civil rights attorneys whose work in the American South will usher in transformational change throughout the region. Current Marshall-Motley Scholars have excelled on and off campus, holding leadership positions in regional and national organizations, speaking on behalf of underserved communities, and participating in law reviews, legal clinics, and academic symposia. They have proven to be both voices for change and formidable opponents of inequity.  

At this moment the MMSP stands ready to welcome the next cohort of Scholars into the Program. These fifty (50) aspiring civil rights attorneys will pursue racial justice on behalf of and alongside Black communities in the South.  

Julius Chambers

To date, the MMSP has achieved the following benchmarks:

  • Granted forty (40) law school scholarships  

  • Awarded over $8.5 million to help alleviate the debt burden of law school education 

  • Developed key partnerships with civil rights organizations across the South for Scholar internships and post-graduate fellowships 

  • Highlighted the Legal Defense Fund as a pioneer in the scholarships space 

Truly, there is no other program that has dared to forge new pathways in civil rights law and challenge the racial injustices that plague our nation. 

This is what this moment in history requires, and this is the Marshall-Motley Scholars Program.