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State Bar to Right Injustice from 1868. Black Lawyer to Gain Access Posthumously
By Joyce Gannon
October 18, 2010
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
On October 20, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court posthumously admitted 19th century African American legal scholar George B. Vashon, great-grandfather to Duane Morris partner and Chief Diversity Officer Nolan Atkinson, Jr., to practice law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Atkinson, a member of the firm's Trial Practice Group in its Philadelphia office, is quoted regarding his great-grandfather's achievements and his own efforts to petition the court to formally admit Vashon. Vashon sought admission to practice law in Allegheny County in 1847 and 1868, but was rejected in both cases because of his race. He was the first black graduate from Oberlin College, later became the first black lawyer in New York state and the first black professor at Howard University.
Atkinson and Duane Morris associate Leslie Carter in Philadelphia played a major role in petitioning the state's highest court on behalf of Vashon's family to recognize his qualifications for admission to the bar. Duane Morris partner Robert Byer in Pittsburgh, who emceed the ceremony, is also briefly quoted.
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