OUR STORY
LegalHoops first appeared in San Francisco, CA, in 1992 and was promoted by Stephen Barnett, a US-based legal recruiter who is responsible for the recruitment and placement of lawyers in law firms, corporate law departments and government agencies. Stephen saw the need to provide assistance to several communities by embarking on a project that would raise money for charities from 3-on-3 half-court basketball tournament championship games for lawyers and their guests held at the Golden State Warriors’ coliseum. The project was a complete success and it continued for several years. In fact, even basketball celebrities such as Michael Jordan, a six-time NBA Champion, attended our events.
The work of LegalHoops eventually shifted from focusing solely on producing entertainment to the development of programs and strategies to meet the contemporary needs of the disperate communities, and in 2018 LegalHoops became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, LegalHoops’ mission is to abolish racial injustice and systemic racism reported by its members. In doing so, it has developed a number of events, activities, and initiatives to raise funds to end domestic terrorism, hate crimes, and systemic racial discrimination by law enforcement in America. Ultimately, LegalHoops is trying to save lives.
LegalHoops also connects its members to resources that would enable them to expose unlawful acts of racial discrimination and violence by individuals and organizations and hold those violators accountable. These resources include a diverse network of legal service providers to represent members and victims and business professionals whose vast resources and influence can keep the momentum alive across industries.
As demonstrations continued across the country and the world to protest the deaths of Black Americans, including the recent killing of George Floyd while in police custody, Americans and many people all over the world see these protests as an expression of frustration to longstanding racial issues. Human Rights Activist, Ella Baker, once said, “Until the killing of black men, black mothers’ sons, becomes as important to the rest of the country as the killing of a white mother’s son, we who believe in freedom cannot rest until this happens.” With these words in mind, LegalHoops is campaigning for a world where black lives matter no less than all other lives. We must cleanse institutions of divisive practices that endanger disparate communities.
Additionally, not only do we have to deal with the rampant racism, but also the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which accounts for further racial disparities in America. With many local sporting events cancelled or postponed since the outbreak, social and physical distancing measures have become commonplace to curtail the spread of the disease and it may continue for years where disinformation is unchallenged. As such, LegalHoops has adapted to focus on these two major threats by providing a means of safe participation, which is asking people to donate and support efforts to present practical solutions. Our business professionals will also be there to provide guidance and other means of support to communicate and implement best practices and policies. You can go to the bottom of this page and select a method and donate. Your donation will immediately support this most important movement in American history.
For additional information, you may reach us at (800) 988-3775, using this contact page, and on social media.