Ronald Harper is a lawyer who owns The Law Firm of Harper & Paul at 140 W. Maplewood Ave., one of the oldest Black law firms in the city.
Harper & Paul is a general practice firm that specializes in the areas of non-profit legal and tax law, civil litigation, real estate and family legal counseling.
Harper has been practicing law since 1972 and is a graduate of Temple University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in 1968 and law degree in 1971.
“I started out immediately doing contracts for the OIC’s of America,” Harper said. “Today we practice as Harper, Paul, & Harvey, which is a pretty stable continuous operation.”
According to Harper his firm was given the title of oldest continuously practicing Black firm in Philadelphia by prominent attorneys Carl Stingley and Joe Tucker.
“I don’t feel like I’ve been truly challenged, meaning negative issues,” Harper told The Philadelphia Tribune. “That silver spoon was the fact that I came out of Zion Baptist Church and Rev. Leon H. Sullivan was a very aggressive and progressive not only civil rights leader but economics leader.”
Harper became the general counsel for all the entities under the late Sullivan through Zion Baptist Church and Gardens, Progress Plaza, OIC of America and other entities. That provided multiple business opportunities for him. In addition, Harper is a member of Zion Baptist Church and a member of the church’s board of trustees.
“I really always had continuing business,” Harper said in maintaining consistent business opportunities. “Business that I could expect to receive, I always felt that was a challenge for Black lawyers. The competition between Black lawyers is probably minimal, and so we are competing with the thousands of non-Black lawyers that were our competition.”
Harper is also a former president of the Barrister’s Association of Philadelphia and through the organization he has done community workshops to help the community get to know their local Black attorneys. Additionally, Harper has also fought to get more business from major users of legal practices like big business firms to bring more opportunities for Black lawyers in the city.
“I always call them major users of legal services,” he said. “That was a challenge. Even today I don’t have a sense that the challenge has been conquered.”
Harper said that to his knowledge, business entities will not keep Black lawyers on retainer and usually hire them for short-term legal help and not long-term help. There has not been an organization, he said, created to combat these issues of which he is aware.
“Mr. Harper has been a part of almost every part of that movement,” said Daryl DeBrest, president and chief executive officer of Progress Trust Inc., owners of Sullivan Progress Plaza. “He’s provided counsel and guidance from the church, to the OIC’s, to the Sullivan Progress Plaza, he’s played a vital role.”
DeBrest also said Harper has been a mentor to him and the community at large by providing advice and legal counsel.
“Some major institutions have had legal problems that could have sunk them, and I have been a part of keeping them afloat,” Harper said. “They [future Black lawyers] have to be steadfast and present themselves to the public. I’ve been committed to my profession and to my clients, especially my continuing clients. I always seek to give good advice.”
Born in Swainsboro, Harper began his journey surrounded by the warmth of a close-knit community and the halls of Swainsboro Elementary. His early years were shaped by the gentle rhythms of small-town life, until his family relocated to Philadelphia during his early teens—a move that broadened his horizons and deepened his resilience.
Harper is the proud son of Gladys King Harper, whose remarkable vitality continues to shine at the age of 102 in Philadelphia. He is the grandson of the late Alma King and the late Annie Harper, both of Swainsboro. Among his enduring connections to his hometown is his beloved aunt, Eula Jones.
TRIBUNE PHOTOS/ABDUL R. SULAYMAN
Attorney Ronald Harper has been practicing law since 1972 and is a graduate of Temple University, where he received his bachelor’s in 1968 and law degree in 1971.
