MBBA President Carl Forbes Jr. Honored as NCBP Diversity Scholar

July 14, 2023 Rob Abruzzese

Brooklynite Carl Forbes Jr., president of the Metropolitan Black Bar Association. will be honored in August by the National Conference of Bar Presidents. Brooklyn Eagle photo by Robert Abruzzese.

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Carl Forbes Jr., the President of the Metropolitan Black Bar Association (MBBA), will be named a Diversity Scholar for the 2023-2024 year by the National Conference of Bar Presidents (NCBP). This prestigious recognition echoes NCBP’s commitment to fostering diversity and inclusivity within the legal profession.

“I’m honored to be a NCBP Diversity Scholar for the 2023-2024 year,” said Forbes. “Congratulations to my fellow Scholars! I look forward to meeting all of you at the NCBP Annual Meeting in Denver, CO from Aug. 3-5, and to learning from each of you and the NCBP.”

The NCBP, established in 1950, provides information and training to state and local bar association leaders. The organization’s mission is to empower, connect, and inspire bar leaders and organizations, with a keen emphasis on inclusion, accessibility, and belonging.

Forbes’ appointment as a Diversity Scholar aligns with NCBP’s strategic priorities for 2023-2025. These include providing relevant and targeted bar leader programming, increasing engagement, growing membership, expanding and elevating partnerships and collaborations, creating the “Next Gen” Bar, and establishing a sustainable financial model for NCBP.

Forbes, a Brooklyn native of Jamaican heritage, is not just a well-regarded attorney but also a devoted family man who cherishes his community. At CFJ Law PLLC, his firm in Brooklyn, Forbes provides legal services in real estate, estate planning, probate and estate administration, and estate litigation throughout New York.

In addition to his new role as a NCBP Diversity Scholar, Forbes serves as President of the MBBA, New York State’s largest predominantly Black bar association dedicated to advancing equality and justice. His work has earned him several recognitions, including the New York Metro Rising Star by Super Lawyers from 2019-2023, inclusion in the National Black Lawyers Top 100 list from 2021-2023, the Caribbean Life’s 2023 Caribbean Impact Award, City & State’s 2023 Law Power 100, and the National Bar Association’s 2023 40 Under 40 Nation’s Best Advocates.

Forbes graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Philosophy, Politics & Law from Binghamton University and obtained his J.D. from Columbia Law School as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at New York Law School.