Oliver L. Johnson Legal Education Fund

In 2000, HSBLA established the Oliver L. Johnson Legal Education Fund with the POISE Foundation in order to provide financial assistance to black and African American students enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and Duquesne University School of Law. The Oliver L. Johnson Scholarship is awarded annually at HSBLA’s Black History Month Celebration. The scholarship fund was so named to honor Pittsburgh attorney Oliver L. Johnson's outstanding contributions to the legal community in Allegheny County.

About Oliver L. Johnson, Esquire

Oliver L. Johnson was born in White Oak, Virginia, on March 11, 1891, and, as a child, relocated to Braddock, Pennsylvania. Johnson was one of the first three blacks to graduate from Braddock High School in 1912. Following graduation from high school Johnson matriculated into Howard University, where also worked as a barber on Capitol Hill. He was admitted at, Harvard Law School in 1917.

During World War I, Johnson enlisted and served in the American Expeditionary Forces in France. Upon his return to the United States, he did not have sufficient funds to return to Harvard Law School and enrolled in University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Following his graduation in 1922, Johnson practiced law in Allegheny County for 49 years. In addition to founding the law firm of Johnson & Johnson, were he worked as senior partner, Johnson became the first black prosecuting attorney in the Allegheny County District Attorney's office in 1947.

Johnson’s legacy continues through his two sons and many other family members who chose to follow his footsteps and practice law. In 1973, Johnson’s son, Livingstone Morris Johnson, was appointed to the bench by Governor Shapp in December of 1973. In 1980, his son, Justin Morris Johnson, was installed to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania.

It is more than fitting that the Oliver L. Johnson Legal Scholarship to further education is presented during Black History Month. While we have all heard the saying, “a mind is a terrible thing to waste," it is incumbent upon us as members of the legal community to never forget that it was a legal process, culminating in the Supreme Court's landmark decision of Brown v. Board of Education, that ensured that all minds are given equal opportunity to develop, to learn and contribute meaningfully to our society.

To participate in the 2008 Oliver L. Johnson Legal Scholarship competition, click here.
Applications are due no later than February 19, 2008.