Legal defense has played a crucial role in Black history, as African Americans have often been unjustly targeted and persecuted by the legal system throughout U.S. history. One of the most famous examples of legal defense in Black history is the work of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) Legal Defense Fund, founded by Thurgood Marshall in 1940.

Thurgood Marshall and his team of lawyers, including Constance Baker Motley and Charles Hamilton Houston, fought tirelessly to challenge segregation and discrimination in landmark cases such as Brown v. Board of Education, which led to the desegregation of schools in the United States. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund also played a key role in other significant civil rights cases, including Shelley v. Kraemer, which outlawed racially restrictive housing covenants, and Smith v. Allwright, which struck down the "white primary" system that disenfranchised Black voters.

In addition to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, there have been many other Black attorneys and legal advocates who have worked to defend the rights of African Americans throughout history. For example, Charles Hamilton Houston, known as "The Man Who Killed Jim Crow," was a prominent civil rights lawyer and mentor to Thurgood Marshall. Houston's strategy of attacking segregation through the legal system laid the foundation for many successful civil rights cases.

Furthermore, in more recent history, organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center have continued the tradition of legal defense in Black history by fighting against hate crimes, racial discrimination, and injustices in the criminal justice system.

Overall, legal defense has been a powerful tool in the struggle for civil rights and racial equality in Black history, with lawyers and advocates using the legal system to hold institutions and individuals accountable for their actions and to secure justice for African Americans.