(Reuters) - Backers of a nationwide initiative by law firms, launched in the wake of George Floyd's death, to tackle systemic racism in the law are drafting paperwork to formalize it into an industry-funded nonprofit.

The Law Firm Antiracism Alliance since its launch in July quickly has grown to include 260 law firms in every state committed to using litigation and advocacy to overturn policies and laws that result in negative outcomes for people of color.

Now, the intiative - which held its first summit last month virtually - is preparing to adopt a more formal structure in the form of a nonprofit with a board and leadership team that can help direct the law firms' national efforts.

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom is working on setting up the nonprofit. Brenna DeVaney, Skadden's director of pro bono programs and one of the people leading the charge to launch LFAA, said she hopes it will be ready in the coming months.

Its goal will be to help "harness, direct and grow the work that is possible when we bring to bear the resources of law firms on a truly important issue," she said.

That would be a change for law firms which, despite long working on pro bono matters related to manifestations of racism in individuals' lives such as housing matters or criminal cases, have not always tackled the bigger-picture issues, supporters say.

Pro bono counsel at several law firms already were having discussions with the help of the Shriver Center on Poverty Law about how to bring a racial justice lens to pro bono when Floyd died in May in Minneapolis police custody, said Ben Weinberg, Dentons' pro bono partner.

Floyd's death prompted a group of pro bono lawyers, including current and former presidents of the Association of Pro Bono Counsel, to get together.

"We had to do something; it wasn't enough to issue statements," Weinberg said. "We thought about what we might do to get firms involved that would not just be the same old, same old."

Establishing a nonprofit with a board will be key to ensuring that the initiative, which will rely on volunteers, is sustainable and not a short-term project, Weinberg said.

"If you don't have infrastructure, something that exists independent of the good will of individual volunteers, it becomes all but impossible to generate an ongoing project that keeps going beyond a moment," he said.

No staffing is currently planned, though Weinberg said the "reality is that if it's going to be meaningfully substantive and helpful in the fight against racism, it's going to need staff eventually."

Any funding will come from law firms themselves, though DeVaney stressed that the LFAA should be treated as a "value add" and that firms should not re-direct financial support from other legal services organizations to it.