Batesmith, Alex, and Kieran McEvoy. “‘Closeted’ Cause Lawyering in Authoritarian Cambodia.” Law & Society Review 59 (2025): 463–495. doi:10.1017/lsr.2025.29.
In this article, the authors analyze how lawyers in Cambodia pursue social justice, human rights, and rule-of-law commitments while navigating an increasingly repressive authoritarian environment. Drawing from seven years of interviews with 37 Cambodian lawyers and human rights defenders, the authors introduce the concept of “closeted cause lawyering”—a form of intentional, morally motivated legal activism that must remain hidden for reasons of professional and personal survival. They show how Cambodian lawyers quietly advance their causes in three key sites: dignity-restoration work with clients; careful, strategic professionalism in the courtroom to uphold legality; and the cultivation of a moral community of like-minded lawyers. The article situates Cambodia within broader research on lawyering under authoritarianism across Asia, emphasizing the daily risks these lawyers face—surveillance, political intimidation, disciplinary sanctions, defamation charges, and imprisonment. While overt protest or public cause lawyering is nearly impossible, the authors argue that these hidden forms of legal resistance are vital to sustaining dignity, legality, and the hope of a future rule of law. They conclude by suggesting that, as authoritarian impulses grow even in established democracies, “closeted” cause lawyering may become increasingly necessary elsewhere as well.