Chevazz Brown, DiversePro Founder
“What good is first class if my brothers can’t sit? / That’s my next mission, that’s why I can’t quit / Just like LeBron, get my brothers more chips.” — J. Cole
This week, I had the opportunity to host a Clubhouse room with Chevazz Brown, TSU Thurgood Marshall School of Law alum, Jackson Walker partner, and DiversePro founder.
It’s been fantastic witnessing the number of attorneys joining Clubhouse every week. Meanwhile, some of us Texas attorneys are still struggling with Zoom. In any case, I’m prepared to move forward.
Several years ago, Brown noticed there was a dynamic market for connecting people in underrepresented, diverse, and military communities to lawyers from their respective communities who can understand and relate to them.
Three weeks ago, Brown launched DiversePro: a new, online community-focused directory that helps individual and business clients find lawyers with specific cultural, linguistic, and experiential competencies. DiversePro features 100,000+ lawyers around the U.S. in 67 practice areas and 270 specialties, including, specifically: women lawyers, lawyers of color, LGBTQ+ lawyers, lawyers with disabilities, and lawyers who are military veterans and active duty. With this community tool, clients can choose from a wide selection of lawyers with diverse cultures, languages, and life experiences whose unique perspectives and skills can enhance legal services and improve outcomes.
During our Clubhouse chat, it became quite evident how much Brown cares about this market and how much time, capital, and sweat equity he has invested in this platform. I believe Brown has discovered a strong product-market fit for his community-focused directory. And I hope after learning a bit more about DiversePro, you will create or claim your profile!
Without further ado, here is a (lightly edited and condensed) write-up of our conversation:
Renwei Chung (RC): I enjoyed our Clubhouse chat and noticed that most the room was filled by your network. Why did you join Clubhouse and what are your thoughts on how networking affects one’s career success?
Chevazz Brown (CB): A colleague learned of DiversePro and recommended Clubhouse as a way for me to share it with others. She invited me to join. Glad I did! It’s a great platform to learn from people outside your usual circles.
As for networking, if done right, it can positively affect one’s career. For me, my approach simply has been to make friends genuinely and without agenda. I’m enriched by those friendships, and those relationships have helped make my professional life meaningful.
RC: You mentioned a number of affinity groups during our conversation. Are there any particular programs that influenced you?
CB: I’m influenced by all of the great programming presented by those groups. But I’m most influenced by the leadership of those groups. In Houston, we formed the Coalition of Houston Diverse Bar Associations, consisting of:
- Asian American Bar Association of Houston
- Hispanic Bar Association of Houston
- Houston Lawyers Association
- Korean American Bar Association of Texas
- Mexican American Bar Association of Houston
- Middle Eastern Bar Association of Texas
- South Asian Bar Association of Houston
The Coalition amplifies our collective voice and the great work each group is doing individually to advance their community and diversity.
One significant initiative is to help bring greater diversity to our judiciary, particularly at the federal level in Houston — the most diverse metropolitan region in America. Our judiciary is most effective in satisfying the legal needs of the community when it reflects the community it serves.
RC: Why did you launch DiversePro?
CB: I saw a problem: Consumers in underrepresented and diverse communities lack dedicated tools and resources to efficiently find cultural, linguistic, and experiential competence that they want and need in lawyers.
So I created a community tool: an online lawyer directory that helps those communities, along with the military and business communities, find lawyers who truly get them or their customers because of a shared or specific culture, language, or life experience. Featured are women lawyers, lawyers of color, LGBTQ+ lawyers, lawyers with disabilities, and lawyers who are veterans or active duty military.
RC: What type of research did you do, what surprised you, and what does success look like for DiversePro this year?
CB: I first researched how to start a business and what pitfalls to avoid. I then did research to validate the idea, consisting of market and platform validation. Very interesting. I learned:
- Technology has changed legal consumer behavior
- Legal consumers today are unpredictable, informed, connected, and picky
- They prefer self-help and research before contacting a lawyer
- 42% go online to research how to solve the legal issues themselves
- Of those who go online for self-help, over half also are researching lawyers online
- Overall, 31% of legal consumers research lawyers online
- There is significant room and demand for a platform like DiversePro
- Legal consumers view cultural, linguistic, and experiential competence as an enhancer
DiversePro’s first year will be a success if people are using the platform. In my analytic logs, I hope to see users conducting searches (e.g., immigration and Korean), using the “Message” or “Phone” feature (to contact lawyers), and using the “Share” feature (to share a lawyer’s profile with someone).
I also hope to see featured lawyers across the U.S. coming to DiversePro in droves to CLAIM OR CREATE their profile and sharing with the world what makes them and their community special.
I also hope to secure strategic partnerships with legal departments, like Coca-Cola, who may benefit from DiversePro as one of the many ways it finds diverse outside counsel talent in furtherance of its awesome diversity goals.
I want the success or failure of DiversePro to be tied directly to the success or failure of the communities it was designed to help. If I can do that, DiversePro will be a smashing success.
RC: What have you learned about yourself throughout the entrepreneur journey and during this COVID-19 era?
CB: I learned (or was reminded) of a couple things. First, I’m fortunate. I’m fortunate to be healthy and gainfully employed. So many folks are hurting right now. My heart goes out to them.
Second, I’ve got what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur –- the grit, the creativity, the problem-solving skills, the passion, and the support of friends and family.
RC: What made you want to initially enter the legal profession?
CB: Initially, tbh, Bobby Donnell -– the main character on the hit TV show The Practice. Loved him. His life as a trial lawyer piqued my interest. But, of course, I then did my research and got encouragement from a friend’s dad who was a lawyer in the Army JAG Corp. I sensed that the legal profession could open so many doors. I was sold. And I was right.
RC: What advice do you have for others who want to become partners at their respective law firms?
CB: Believe you can. Produce high-quality work product and exercise good judgment and work ethic. Do what is right. Be responsive and sensitive to the demands of your internal and external clients. Be proactive and creative in adding value to your firm. Network, i.e., make friends. Pursue leadership. And be nice.
RC: We covered Coca-Cola’s GC Bradley Grayton’s letter establishing new outside counsel guidelines for its U.S.-based firms. What are your thoughts on this?
CB: Love it. Kudos to Mr. Grayton and Coca-Cola for demonstrating leadership, resolve, and character. I hope it inspires other legal consumers to take similar steps to help move the needle.
There is an economic solution to lack of diversity and lack of professional equality in our profession. What Coca-Cola, DiversePro, and others are doing advances the economic solution.
RC: We touched a bit about the importance of mental health care in the legal industry. Can you share your thoughts about this with our audience?
CB: It’s difficult sometimes to accept that mental health applies to you. It applies to everyone. Our profession is hard. And it can take a toll. Be mindful of the need for balance, meaningful breaks, and professional help or help generally. I regret not being mindful of those things earlier in my career.
Take care of yourselves.
RC: Thank you for your time today, is there anything else you would like to share with the ATL audience?
CB: Thanks for reading. Please share DiversePro with your family, friends, and networks. And if you are a woman lawyer, lawyer of color, LGBTQ+ lawyer, lawyer with a disability, or lawyer who is a veteran or active duty military — please CLAIM OR CREATE your profile on DiversePro today.
Lastly, feel free to learn more on:
On behalf of everyone here at Above the Law, I would like to thank Chevazz Brown for taking the time to share his story with our audience. We look forward to following his successes and wish him continued achievements in his career.