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Several large Atlanta firms are observing Juneteenth for the first time on Friday, in observance of the end of slavery in the United States. 

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton and Morris Manning & Martin are giving employees a full-paid holiday, while Hawkins Parnell & Young is closing at noon for paid time off. Firms in Atlanta previously announcing Juneteenth holidays include Akerman, Jackson Lewis, Littler Mendelson, Seyfarth Shaw and Smith Gambrell & Russell.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when a Union general in Galveston, Texas, declared freedom for enslaved people in the state, in accordance with the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862.

Law firms are encouraging employees to use the time off to reflect on U.S. racism and efforts they can make toward systemic change. Ogletree said it has provided ally toolkits to employees and firm leaders with resources for better understanding "race relations and the challenges faced by our black colleagues."

"Ogletree Deakins is united in our unequivocal rejection of hate, bigotry, and violence that have been on display … in recent weeks," the firm said in a statement. "These are difficult times, spawned by needless deaths that create painful emotional and mental turmoil, particularly for Ogletree Deakins' attorneys and staff of color." 

Ogletree has also started a firmwide fundraiser to benefit the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama, in honor of the firm's first black shareholder, David Jones. The legal nonprofit founded by Bryan Stevenson represents prisoners who've been wrongfully convicted, unfairly sentenced or abused while incarcerated and promotes criminal justice reform.

The entire firm will be walking, hiking and biking to raise money over the summer, culminating in a David Jones Memorial 5K. Ogletree will match the amount raised and several shareholders are making additional contributions. 

"In a world where we are battling a pandemic and racial inequality, marrying our health initiative with this contribution seemed particularly appropriate," Ogletree said.

This story has been updated to add that Morris Manning & Martin also made Juneteenth a paid holiday.

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