The law practice, SSW Law Group (SSW), which has its headquarters in Newark, New Jersey, has recently established two other offices in New York and Pennsylvania. As a result of this expansion, the law practice has become a nationwide one and has grown to encompass approximately forty staff members. Legal practice today provides substantial knowledge in various areas, including education, litigation, real estate and economic development, and government affairs.
Calvin Souder, co-founder of SSW and managing law firm member, thinks that the legal representation of urban areas across the country should directly reflect the communities’ identities and beliefs. With this development, we are establishing an institution ideally positioned to fulfill the comprehensive requirements of our community members located in cities across the country.
Calvin Souder, Khalifah Shabazz, and Kyana Woolridge established SSW in 2015, which improved their capacity to respond to competitive contracts. The establishment of their legal practice gave them the profound skills necessary to meet the demanding requirements of the urban areas of New Jersey. As a result of this growth, SSW Law Group will now have offices in Newark, Manhattan, and Philadelphia, allowing them to more effectively meet the requirements of their customers located around the country.
“The founding of SSW was never simply about practicing law; it was always about leaving a legacy of inclusiveness and quality in the legal sector. According to Kyana Woolridge, Esq., SSW Co-founder, “We are excited to embark on this new chapter and to reinforce our commitment to making a difference through dedicated and culturally competent legal representation.”
Khalifa Shabazz, Esq., SSW Co-Founder, said, “With our geographical growth, we are strengthening our ability to advocate for educational and economic empowerment on a larger scale.”
As a nationwide business, SSW will broaden its emphasis across the following sectors, all of which it has previously represented with great success:
• Real Estate: Founding Member Calvin Souder has advised HBCU Presidents on how to extend the use of public-private partnerships and has successfully represented large-scale mixed-use, municipal, commercial, and industrial developments. He is also a founding member of the firm.
• Government Affairs: Member James Gee and Member Jay Redd represent many pharmaceutical and biotech firms around the country and the New Jersey Urban Mayors Association.
• Education/Nonprofit: Founding member Khalifah Shabazz assists mostl systems in New Jersey, including the Patterson Board of Education and the establishment of Hinchliffe Stadium. He was also involved in the creation of the organization.
• During the litigation, Member Philip Hamilton and Member Lance Clarke effectively negotiated a settlement on behalf of the estate of Eric Garner.
• Health and Cannabis: Jorge Vasquez, a member of the organization, successfully secured preferential privileges for formerly jailed people to run cannabis businesses.
“SSW attorneys exemplify that there is no limit to the heights that can be reached when talent meets opportunities,” remarked James Lewis, Esq., President of the Garden State Bar Association. “For so many of us, seeing is believing, and SSW opens its doors to Garden State Bar Association members, including future attorneys from diverse backgrounds, so that they can see that there’s room for them at the highest levels of the profession.”
According to research by the American Bar Association, 40,800 attorneys are working in New Jersey, but only 1,836 are black. Over a quarter of those lawyers work independently, and there is, on average, fewer than one black attorney working in each of the 10,482 legal firms in the state.
According to the Small Business Administration, more than eight out of ten small enterprises do not have any workers. There are 33.2 million small enterprises in the United States. Of those, 27.1 million are sole proprietorships with no employees. Only 16% of all small enterprises in the United States have between one and nineteen employees.
Calvin Souder, Khalifah Shabazz, and Kyana Woolridge are the founders of the SSW Law Group, which began operations in 2015. The urban legal practice in New Jersey is growing at the highest rate, and it currently represents practically every metropolitan area in the state.
It is a Black-owned and women-owned law practice with substantial legal competence in Real Estate and Economic Development, Education, Government Affairs, and Litigation. The business’s headquarters are located in Newark and has offices in Philadelphia and Manhattan.
