In recent days, weeks, and months, the United States has seen protest movements in virtually every state with statements and demands for justice ranging from “Black Lives Matter” to “End Systemic Racism” to “Defund the Police” to “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” to “I Can’t Breathe.” What is more, these calls to action are taking place in the context of a global pandemic that has itself not only exposed long-festering racial disparities but led to new manifestations associated with the virus.

Coalitions of attorneys and corporations are rising up to assist a new effort by the ACLU of Louisiana’s Justice Lab. Many of these new partners have spoken about their motivations for joining the fight and working with the Justice Lab. “I’m excited to get started, and to help do justice and give victims the support that they need and the legal remedies they need,” says Jahmy Graham, a partner at Nelson Mullins, one of many lawyers quoted in a recent article in the American Lawyer about their law firms’ respective involvement with the program.