McNees program for Black-owned businesses enters fourth year
February 20, 2024
Press Releases
(February 20, 2024) The 2024 McNees Legal Equity Advancement Program (LEAP) officially launched today and is now open to qualifying Black-owned and Black-controlled businesses in three states.
Keynotes:
- For the fourth year in a row, McNees is expanding LEAP’s reach into another community: Baltimore County, Md.
- McNees launched LEAP in 2020 to help qualifying businesses overcome societal barriers to growth that are caused, in part, by institutional racism. Each business chosen for the program is awarded one year of free legal services.
- The LEAP Request for Qualifications Portal is now open to interested businesses and will remain open through March 5. Qualifying businesses will then be asked to submit an application for the program.
McNees launched LEAP in southcentral Pennsylvania; expanded it to include Columbus, Ohio, in 2022; and last year further expanded the program to parts of western, central and eastern Pennsylvania as well as Frederick, Md. This year, the initiative’s coverage area includes the Baltimore community.
“Our team has had the pleasure of working with and learning from more than 20 businesses in our community since we launched this program, and we are excited to expand again this year into a new community,” Adeolu Bakare, LEAP co-chair, said. “Our goal continues to be helping Black-owned and Black-controlled businesses get started, stay operational and develop tools for sustainable growth and long-term success.”
LEAP applications are now being accepted from qualified businesses located in the following areas:
- Central Pennsylvania:Adams, Centre, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry and York Counties
- Eastern Pennsylvania:Chester and Delaware Counties
- Western Pennsylvania:Allegheny County
- Ohio:Delaware, Fairfield and Franklin Counties
- Maryland:Frederick and Baltimore Counties
LEAP awardees gain access to nearly every practice area at McNees to help them with a wide range of business needs, including business organization or reorganization, tax, employment, real estate, intellectual property, Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certification, and contract review, among others. In addition, recipients are offered educational webinars, seminars and networking opportunities.
To date, 24 Black-owned or Black-controlled businesses have received free legal services through the McNees LEAP initiative. LEAP clients from 2023 included the nation’s first Black bookstore, micro-winery, tapas restaurant and performance venue based in Lancaster, Pa.; a full-service construction company specializing in renovations, new construction and land development in Columbus, Ohio; and a nonprofit life resource center in Frederick, Md.
“Investing in our communities is a core tenet of how we do business at McNees, and each year we are honored to get the chance to work with incredibly talented entrepreneurs who make this program what it is,” Benjamin Ward, LEAP co-chair, said. “Often times, setting an even playing field for these businesses is what takes them to the next level. It has been a privilege to be a small part of their success.”
LEAP is one of many pro bono and diversity, equity and inclusion investments McNees makes in the communities it serves. The firm has a longstanding history of supporting programs and organizations to further initiatives that provide opportunities and resources for underserved populations. McNees is a proud member of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA), an organization dedicated to driving change and promoting attorney diversity in law firms and corporate law departments. McNees has also been a longstanding supporter and sponsor of the LGBT Center of Central PA. In 2022, McNees was the first law firm in Pennsylvania to join the Women’s Business Enterprise Center-East (WBEC-East) Supplier Diversity Council, a group that champions women-owned businesses. The firm also regularly sponsors and participates in events and programs that provide education and awareness around issues that impact underserved populations in the community and in the workplace.
To learn more about LEAP or to apply for the program, visit www.mcneesleap.com.
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McNees is a multidisciplinary law firm founded in 1935 with more than 150 attorneys representing businesses, associations, institutions, municipalities and individuals. The firm serves clients worldwide from offices in Devon, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Pittsburgh, Scranton, State College and York, Pa.; Columbus, Ohio; Frederick and Towson, Md.; and Washington, D.C. McNees is a member of the ALFA International Global Legal Network.
