John Sinclair Leary was the youngest son of Matthew Nathaniel Leary and Julia Menriel.  Raised in Fayetteville, NC, Leary was trained as a harness maker in his father’s shop and studied law under a notes white attorney in Fayetteville.  Mr. Leary entered Howard University School of Law in 1871 and ultimately became the second colored lawyer admitted to the bar in North Carolina and the first in Charlotte.  John S. Leary served as a representative in the State Legislature representing Cumberland County for two terms during Reconstruction from 1868 to 1870.  In 1884 he was sent as a delegate to the National Republican Convention.  Mr. Leary’s law office was located on E. Trade St. in Charlotte, NC and he walked from his home in Brooklyn to the courthouse to serve his clients.  “John S. Leary’s chosen job was to defend and help those who needed it, and he pursued it with zeal and earnestness” according to his daughter.  It was for this reason that the Charlotte Chapter of the North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers decided to name the organization the “John S. Leary Bar Association”.

The objectives and purposes of the organization are to:

•  Further the goals of the North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers;
• Facilitate the administration of justice;
• Maintain and enhance the competence of its members;
• Preserve high standards of integrity, honor and courtesy in the legal profession;
• Provide leadership in the Charlotte community;
• Participate in civic activities;
• Encourage its members to dedicate their lives, interest, skills and energies to securing full rights and dignities of Black people and assuring that truth and justice are promptly administered in our courts;
• Establish and maintain a supportive relationship with Black college students in Mecklenburg County who may have an interest in the legal profession and encourage them in that endeavor; and
• Cultivate a spirit of camaraderie and fellowship among Chapter members

The organization is comprised of approximately 200 plus Attorneys who practice in all areas of the law and whose primary purpose is to defend and help those who need it with zeal and earnestness as did John Sinclair Leary.

Tyyawdi Baker and Kimberly Best, Co-Chairs

Demetrius Rainer and Aretha Blake, Vice Co-Chairs

Charles Everage, Secretary

Mike Navarro, Treasurer

Tracy Hatcher, Parliamentarian

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT US AT INFO@LEARYBAR.COM