Urban Lawyers

Urban Lawyers is a UK-based charity (Charity number 1165914) founded in 2010 by Dr Tunde Okewale OBE, a barrister at Doughty Street Chambers. The organization is dedicated to making the law, in its academic, practical, and career contexts, more accessible to marginalized and underrepresented groups in society.

The charity primarily focuses on educating young people from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds about their legal rights and the legal profession. It addresses issues of social mobility and diversity by providing workshops, mentoring, coaching, and networking opportunities designed to inspire and support those who might not otherwise have access to the legal sector.

Urban Lawyers is run by a committee of young, diverse legal professionals, including practising barristers and solicitors from across the United Kingdom. These volunteers donate their time to further the charity’s mission of widening participation in law and increasing diversity within the legal profession.

Since its inception, Urban Lawyers has developed a number of initiatives and events, including the Urban Lawyers Careers Conference launched in 2016 and the Urban Lawyers Heroes program. The charity also collaborates with organizations such as luxury fashion brand Manolo Blahnik to run educational initiatives aimed at widening access to legal careers.

In recent years, Urban Lawyers has expanded its reach by launching projects such as the Prison Project with HMP Pentonville and hosting prominent events, including a red carpet screening of the film Just Mercy with notable figures like Bryan Stevenson, Michael B. Jordan, and Jamie Foxx.

Urban Lawyers’ vision is to inspire and educate all who encounter the legal profession while actively challenging the historic exclusivity of the field by supporting social mobility and diversity[1][2][4].

[1] https://urbanlawyers.co.uk [2] https://urbanlawyers.co.uk/about-us/ [3] https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=1165914&subid=0 [4] https://www.instagram.com/urbanlawyers/ [5] https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/5061854/contact-information