The Stanford Center for Racial Justice mourns the loss of Harry Bremond, who passed on Monday, December 8, 2025, at the age of 91. A legal luminary whose determination was matched only by his buoyant spirit, Harry was a legendary retired partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he played a foundational role in driving the growth and success of the firm since its earliest days.
While managing a thriving commercial litigation practice, Harry pursued access to justice and civil rights matters on behalf of the underserved, including by helping to establish the pro bono practice at Wilson Sonsini, which prompted many other firms to launch or expand pro bono programs of their own. Harry’s many civil-rights-related efforts resulted in his being honored by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, the Equal Justice Society, and the Charles Houston Bar Association, among numerous others. He also mentored generations of young lawyers and law students, even after his retirement from Wilson Sonsini in January 2011 until the time of his passing. In recognition of his truly unique impact, in 2020 Wilson Sonsini created the Harry Bremond Award to honor attorneys who have consistently upheld Harry’s excellence in character, leadership, and service to the community.
In May 2021, our Faculty Director, Rick Banks, had the privilege of interviewing Harry for our “Tuesday Race Talks” speaker series, providing audience members an opportunity to hear Harry reflect on his life as one of the very first Black lawyers between San Francisco and San José. When asked what advice he had for young or aspiring lawyers he shared a powerful message: “You have to find someone who wants you to be a success. And if that person wants you to be a success, they will do a lot [for you]. I tell a young lawyer, look, work hard—but everyone works hard, surely. Do that, [but also] hook onto someone who wants you to be a success. . . . [and] networking is very important. You see when I was coming along, there was no networking. . . . try to capitalize on it. But be true to yourself when you network.” View the interview in its entirety below.
In November 2024, we launched the Harry Bremond-Wilson Sonsini Foundation Student Fellowship, which offers Stanford Law students the opportunity to immerse themselves in civil rights work through a wide range of impactful opportunities, including shadowing pro bono work at Wilson Sonsini. During the launch event, over 200 individuals attended to celebrate Harry and the fellowship at Stanford Law School. To learn more about him and the spirit of the Harry Bremond-Wilson Sonsini Foundation Student Fellowship, watch the video below.
Our 2025–26 Bremond Fellows, Brionna Bolaños (JD `27) and Dayle Chung (JD `27), recently joined the firm’s Palo Alto office to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and Harry’s birthday—an honor that has shaped their fellowship experience. “Harry was not only a trailblazer—as the only Black lawyer at his firm for decades—but also a mentor who committed himself to supporting attorneys from underrepresented backgrounds, and a public servant who devoted his life and career to activism and civil rights work,” said Chung. “I am so grateful to have gotten the chance to meet him this fall and to have the opportunity to honor his life’s work both through this fellowship and beyond by fighting for civil rights and racial justice, supporting and lifting up others, and channeling his bravery and perseverance throughout my career.”
“Harry continues to be a monumental inspiration to aspiring attorneys of color, reminding us that the heavy and challenging work of advancing civil liberties can be done with joyous spirit and a generous heart. He understood the value of community in this work, and truly embodied what it means to uplift as you climb,” Bolaños shared. “I am so thankful I had the opportunity to meet Harry this fall—he was just as legendary then as he will be remembered now. It is a profound privilege to be a Bremond Fellow, and I look forward to honoring Harry’s memory by mirroring his tenacity and spirit in the ongoing fight for racial justice.”
The Bremond Fellowship reflects the principles that made Harry such a special leader: a commitment to inquiry and analytical rigor, intellectual curiosity, and a relentless dedication to advancing the social good. Through the fellowship and the continued work of the Center, we are honored to help carry forward his enduring legacy.
Harry is predeceased by his adult daughter Stephanie and is survived by his wife, Peggy Woodford Forbes; daughter, Candace Bremond; his two stepdaughters, Maya Forbes and China Forbes; his two grandchildren and four step grandchildren; and his niece, Charisse Bremond Weaver. At his family’s request, any gifts in Harry’s honor may be made to the Museum of the African Diaspora; Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area; Brotherhood Crusade (a nonprofit organization started by Harry’s brother, Walter, in Los Angeles); or the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. A celebration of Harry’s life will be held in the coming months.
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