Small Business Legal Services Program
Helping connect our members with free business-related legal assistance
Black Connect operates the largest national pro bono legal services program for the Black business community
The SBLS Program furthers Black Connect’s mission by providing essential supportive legal services to underserved and at-risk businesses
Many of the legal challenges entrepreneurs face are preventable—or far less disruptive—when addressed early. Yet too many small business owners are forced to navigate contracts, intellectual property, compliance, and disputes without legal guidance simply because traditional legal services are financially out of reach.
Structural barriers to capital mean Black-owned businesses are disproportionately under-resourced at critical stages of growth. SBLS exists to help close that gap.
Through the Small Business Legal Services Program, Black Connect provides access to practical, preventive legal support for underserved and at-risk entrepreneurs. The program is designed to help business owners build on solid legal foundations, reduce risk, and make informed decisions before issues escalate into costly disputes.
SBLS combines legal education with real-world application. Our programming includes industry-specific workshops, targeted clinics, and general legal education covering core areas such as business formation, contracts, intellectual property, and consumer and commercial rights. The goal is not just access to legal services—but access to knowledge, protection, and long-term business sustainability.
SBLS plays an important role in educating business owners, professionals, and the general public about legal and business issues that affect business development and business relationships through:
Direct legal services
Legal Clinics
Panel Discussions
Webinars
“If law is the cornerstone of democracy, then for as long as access to legal representation has a high price tag attached to it, economic inequality will remain the biggest threat to democracy and there is no justice for all.”
“A lawyer is either a social engineer or a parasite on society”
- Charles Hamilton Houston, Esq.
As a scholar, educator, and lawyer, Charles Hamilton Houston dedicated his life to fighting racism with the rule of law as an instrument for justice and social change.
“The Negro lawyer must be trained as a social engineer and group interpreter. Due to the Negro’s social and political condition . . . the Negro lawyer must be prepared to anticipate, guide and interpret his group advancement. . . . [Moreover, he must act as] business advisor . . . for the protection of the scattered resources possessed or controlled by the group. . . . He must provide more ways and means for holding within the group the income now flowing through it.”
Thank you to our partnering law firms!
We work with law firms that have a proven track record of skilled resolution to legal issues, a compassion for the needs of others, and dedication to improving the communities in which we live and work.
More Ways to Get Involved!
Donate to SBLS, become a sponsor, or become a member of Black Connect to help us expand our legal support to small businesses and entrepreneurs. Several sponsorship opportunities are available, including naming rights. Email to inquire.
