Relman Colfax
Relman Colfax PLLC is a Washington, D.C.-based civil rights law firm practicing nationally in fair housing, fair lending, disability rights, employment, education, and police accountability litigation and counseling, serving nonprofits, government entities, and Fortune 500 companies with $500M+ in cumulative settlements secured.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Relman Colfax does
Relman Colfax PLLC is a Washington, D.C.-based civil rights law firm founded in 1999 that operates a national practice focused on high-impact impact litigation and corporate counseling across fair housing, fair lending, disability rights, employment discrimination, education, police accountability, and public accommodations. The firm has secured more than $500 million in cumulative settlements over 25+ years, including the first reverse redlining jury verdict against Emigrant Savings Bank, a $28.5 million Walden University class action settlement, a $10.8 million Kennedy v. City of Zanesville verdict, and a precedent-setting disability housing settlement producing 2,800 accessible units in Chicago.
The firm is structured as a privately held professional limited liability company co-managed by Reed Colfax and Stephen F. Hayes, with additional partners Lila R. Miller, Michael Allen, Glenn Schlactus, and Zoila Hinson, and counsel Tim Lambert. The team draws on prior service at the CFPB, HUD, DOJ Civil Rights Division, federal appellate courts, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and Public Citizen. The firm maintains co-counsel relationships with the ACLU, National Fair Housing Alliance, Public Citizen, Democracy Forward, and Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights.
Relman Colfax generates revenue through contingency-fee arrangements on plaintiff-side impact litigation, hourly and fixed-fee corporate counseling engagements, and retainer-based independent monitorships and civil rights audits for corporate clients such as State Street, Upstart, and Facebook/Meta. Client acquisition is driven by case referrals, media coverage in outlets including the New York Times and Washington Post, conference presence at ABA, CBA, MBA, and NFHA events, and a direct online intake process, with no traditional sales infrastructure.
Relman Colfax firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Relman Colfax
- Legal name
- Relman Colfax PLLC
- Website
- https://relmanlaw.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Relman Colfax PLLC is a Washington, D.C.-based civil rights law firm practicing nationally in fair housing, fair lending, disability rights, employment, education, and police accountability litigation and counseling, serving nonprofits, government entities, and Fortune 500 companies with $500M+ in cumulative settlements secured.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Relman Colfax industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Civil Rights Legal Services
- NAICS
- Legal Services (5411), Human Rights Organizations (813311)
- SIC
- Services-Legal Services (8111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA)
Keywords
Where Relman Colfax is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Relman Colfax business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Legal Services Fees: Relman Colfax generates revenue through legal fees for civil rights litigation and counseling services. As a law firm, revenue is derived from client engagements including contingency fee arrangements in class action and impact litigation cases, as well as standard hourly or fixed-fee arrangements for counseling engagements with corporate clients.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Legal services provided to individuals and organizations facing civil rights discrimination |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Relman Colfax product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Relman Colfax PLLC is a national civil rights law firm delivering high-impact litigation, legal counseling, and strategic advocacy across fair housing, fair lending, disability rights, employment discrimination, education, police accountability, and public accommodations. The firm also provides civil rights counseling and independent civil rights audits (including racial equity audits) to Fortune 500 companies, federal agencies, and civil rights organizations. Revenue is generated through contingency-fee arrangements in class action and impact litigation, plus standard legal fee structures for counseling engagements.
Product overview
Relman Colfax PLLC is a premier civil rights law firm offering a unified portfolio of legal services centered on high-impact civil rights litigation and strategic counseling. The core offering comprises civil rights litigation (handling fair housing, fair lending, disability advocacy, employment discrimination, education, police accountability, and public accommodations matters) paired with civil rights counseling services for companies seeking compliance with equity principles. Additional services include racial equity audits and independent investigations for corporate clients. The firm does not offer technology products or software platforms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Civil Rights Litigation High-impact civil rights litigation services covering fair housing, fair lending, disability rights, employment discrimination, education, police accountability, and public accommodations matters, handled nationally through individual and class action lawsuits.
Quantifiable outcome
- $500+ million in settlements secured for clients
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Relman Colfax
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Relman Colfax technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Relman Colfax partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Farra & Wang PLLCcoreCo-counsel partnership on City of Baltimore v. The Agora Companies litigation. The firm collaborated with Farra & Wang PLLC representing Baltimore in consumer protection lawsuit against predatory marketing practices.
- Public CitizencoreCo-counsel with Public Citizen in litigation challenging CFPB rule changes that would eliminate fair lending protections. Public Citizen provides legal expertise in consumer protection and regulatory advocacy.
- Democracy ForwardcoreCo-counsel partnership in CFPB litigation challenging ECOA rule changes. Democracy Forward provides litigation support in administrative and regulatory matters.
- National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA)coreClient and co-counsel partner in fair housing litigation. NFHA is the country's only national civil rights organization dedicated solely to eliminating discrimination in housing and lending.
- National Student Legal Defense NetworkcoreCo-counsel in class action lawsuit against Walden University alleging reverse redlining. NSLDN is a nonprofit that defends student rights and provides legal representation in education matters.
- Access LivingcoreClient organization in Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago v. City of Chicago, challenging city's failure to enforce accessibility requirements in affordable housing. Access Living is a disability rights organization.
- State Street CorporationcoreState Street Corporation hired Relman Colfax to complete an independent civil rights audit examining business policies, practices, products, and services from a civil rights perspective. Report published May 30, 2023.
- Upstart NetworkcoreAppointed as independent fair lending Monitor to evaluate fair lending implications of Upstart's lending platform. Monitorship involves evaluating algorithmic decision-making in lending and issuing periodic public reports.
- Facebook (Meta)coreConducted a two-year Civil Rights Audit of Facebook along with civil rights leader Laura Murphy. Provided analysis on civil rights implications of company's policies and documented findings in three public reports.
- bekind comms LLCminorCommunications consultant firm led by Paris Kissel handling media inquiries and news relations for the firm. Facilitates introductions between media and legal experts.
- RileyCate, LLCminorCo-counsel in Indianapolis on Old National Bank redlining litigation. Firm is based in Fishers, Indiana.
- Greenberg Traurig LLPminorCo-counsel in Fairfield, Connecticut disability discrimination litigation representing Newport Healthcare.
- Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban AffairscoreCo-counsel on Equal Rights Center v. UDR tenant screening discrimination case. Long-standing partnership in civil rights enforcement litigation.
- Disability Rights TexasminorCo-counsel in Dallas Housing Authority litigation challenging cancellation of housing vouchers for people with disabilities.
- ACLU Foundation and ACLU Foundation of VirginiacoreCo-counsel in Virginia landlord discrimination case challenging criminal background screening policies. Long-standing partnership in civil rights litigation.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Relman Colfax competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ACLU Foundation: National civil rights and civil liberties organization with active impact litigation across housing, disability rights, and police accountability — co-counsel with Relman Colfax on landlord discrimination matters.
- Mehri & Skalet PLLC: Washington, D.C. plaintiffs' firm with a national employment discrimination, civil rights, and whistleblower practice; similar size, mission, and Fortune 500 corporate counsel posture.
- Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein: National plaintiffs' firm with civil rights, employment discrimination, and class action impact litigation practices; comparable in operating model of combining contingency litigation with complex civil rights matters.
- Southern Poverty Law Center: Civil rights organization pursuing impact litigation in housing, education, and immigrant rights; comparable mission and federal-court litigation posture, though structured as a nonprofit rather than a for-profit firm.
- NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund: Premier civil rights litigation organization with a national practice in racial justice, housing, and education discrimination; Reed Colfax's prior Skadden Fellowship at LDF and shared federal appellate practice makes this a direct peer.
- Altshuler Berzon LLP: San Francisco-based plaintiffs' and impact litigation firm with strong employment discrimination, civil rights, and constitutional practice; comparable in pairing impact litigation with progressive-side counseling work.
- Public Citizen Litigation Group: Nonprofit public-interest litigation firm focused on consumer protection, regulatory advocacy, and civil rights; co-counsel with Relman Colfax on NFHA v. CFPB and structurally similar in mission and federal court practice.
- Gupta Wessler PLLC: Boutique appellate and impact litigation firm focused on civil rights, consumer protection, and regulatory cases at federal circuits and Supreme Court; comparable in appellate practice to Relman Colfax's Second, Fourth, Eleventh, and D.C. Circuit work.
- Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC: Washington, D.C.-based plaintiffs' firm with a nationally recognized civil rights and impact litigation practice, including fair lending and housing discrimination matters; comparable in size, mission, and federal-court litigation profile.
Broad incumbents
- National Consumer Law Center: Nonprofit organization specializing in consumer protection and predatory lending litigation, often as co-counsel in fair lending and reverse-redlining cases analogous to those handled by Relman Colfax.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Relman Colfax social profiles
Digital presenceRelman Colfax financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Relman Colfax leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Relman Colfax funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Relman Colfax M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Relman Colfax
What does Relman Colfax do?
Relman Colfax PLLC is a national civil rights law firm delivering high-impact litigation, legal counseling, and strategic advocacy across fair housing, fair lending, disability rights, employment discrimination, education, police accountability, and public accommodations. The firm also provides civil rights counseling and independent civil rights audits (including racial equity audits) to Fortune 500 companies, federal agencies, and civil rights organizations. Revenue is generated through contingency-fee arrangements in class action and impact litigation, plus standard legal fee structures for counseling engagements.
Is Relman Colfax a public or private company?
Relman Colfax is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Relman Colfax founded?
Relman Colfax was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Relman Colfax based?
Relman Colfax is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Relman Colfax make money?
One revenue line is on record: legal Services Fees.
Who are Relman Colfax's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ACLU Foundation, Mehri & Skalet PLLC, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, Southern Poverty Law Center, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Altshuler Berzon LLP, Public Citizen Litigation Group, Gupta Wessler PLLC and Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC. National Consumer Law Center is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Relman Colfax have an API?
No public API is recorded for Relman Colfax.
What industry is Relman Colfax in?
Relman Colfax's product category is Civil Rights Legal Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAFAA, Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy. Its NAICS code is 5411 and its SIC code is 8111.