This article examines whether lawyers should participate in legal proceedings that offer only the illusion of justice, potentially legitimizing a flawed system, or instead refuse involvement to preserve professional integrity.
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Farbman (2019), “Resistance Lawyering”
The article invites contemporary lawyers to learn from this integration of daily legal work and political struggle as a model for resistance within unjust systems.
Godsoe, Smith, Yaroshefsky (2022), “Can You Be a Legal Ethics Scholar and Have Guts?”
The article also offers a framework for action, including filing disciplinary complaints and embracing a more publicly engaged model of legal ethics scholarship.
Kroncke (2025), “Legal Complicity in an Age of Resurgent Authoritarianism”
This article critiques the ethical assumptions underlying liberal legal professionals’ engagement with authoritarian regimes, particularly through the lens of modernization theory, which once promised that economic development would naturally lead to democratization.
Petrigh (2024), “Counseling Oppression”
This article critically examines the role of public defenders in counseling clients within a carceral system, highlighting how the act of legal counseling can simultaneously reinforce systemic oppression and serve as a site for resistance and transformation.
Ashar (2007), “Public Interest Lawyers and Resistance Movements”
This article examines how public interest lawyers engage with and support resistance movements that challenge the economic, political, and social consequences of globalization and neoliberalism.
Halliday, Karpik, Feeley (2007), Fighting for Political Freedom: Comparative Studies of the Legal Complex and Political Liberalism
This book explores the global role of lawyers and the broader “legal complex” as central actors in the struggle for political liberalism.
Brown (1938), Lawyers and the Promotion of Justice
This foundational study examines the legal profession in the United States as part of a broader inquiry into the roles and responsibilities of established and emerging professions.
Ebuara (2016), “The Pivotal Role of a Lawyer in Combating Official Corruption in Nigeria”
This article examines how lawyers—as judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys—may contribute to sustaining corruption, while also exploring their potential role as agents of social change.
Ziv (2008), “Regulation of Israeli Lawyers: From Professional Autonomy to Multi-Institutional Regulation”
This article examines reforms in disciplinary procedures and liability toward third parties, offering insights into the future direction of lawyer regulation in democratic societies.