This page examines the politics within the legal profession and how it shapes who has the platform to speak out, who remains silent, and what actions are considered or dismissed. By exploring the internal dynamics, power structures, and ethical considerations, it sheds light on how these factors influence the decisions attorneys make, the causes they champion, and the cases they pursue. The politics of the legal profession play a crucial role in determining which voices are heard and which are marginalized, ultimately impacting the broader democratic process and the pursuit of justice.
Ma (2025), “Who are the Chinese Sǐkē (Diehard) Lawyers?—A Belated Clarification”
Qin Ma. “Who are the Chinese Sǐkē (Diehard) Lawyers?—A Belated Clarification.” China Law and Society Review, vol. 10, no. 1 (2025): 1-50. This article explores the emergence and evolution of Sǐkē lawyers, a distinctive group …
Imran and Munir (2018), “Defying Marginalization: Emergence of Women’s Organizations and the Resistance Movement in Pakistan: A Historical Overview”
Rahat Imran and Imran Munir. “Defying Marginalization: Emergence of Women’s Organizations and the Resistance Movement in Pakistan: A Historical Overview.” Journal of International Women’s Studies, vol. 19, no. 6 (2018): 132-156. This article examines the …
Dezalay and Garth (2011), “State Politics and Legal Markets”
Yves Dezalay and Bryant G. Garth. “State Politics and Legal Markets.” Comparative Sociology, vol. 10, no. 1 (2011): 38-66. This article critiques dominant literature on the legal profession for overlooking deeper structural and sociological questions, …
López (2025), “Critical Curriculum Design: Teaching Law in an Age of Rising Authoritarianism”
Rachel López. “Critical Curriculum Design: Teaching Law in an Age of Rising Authoritarianism.” Minnesota Law Review, vol. 109, no. 2 (2025): 81-111. This article examines how legal education in the United States contributes to democratic …
Aboueldahab (2023), “Transitional Justice as Repression and Resistance: Practices in the Arab World”
Noha Aboueldahab. “Transitional Justice as Repression and Resistance: Practices in the Arab World.” Journal of International Criminal Justice, vol. 21, no. 4 (2023): 701-717. This article analyzes how transitional justice in the Arab World operates …
Pils (2017), “From Independent Lawyer Groups to Civic Opposition: The Case of China’s New Citizen Movement”
Eva Pils. “From Independent Lawyer Groups to Civic Opposition: The Case of China’s New Citizen Movement.” Asian-Pacific Law & Policy Journal, vol. 19, no. 1 (2017): 110-152. This article explores how lawyers in authoritarian and …
Liu, Hsu, and Halliday (2019), “Law as a Sword, Law as a Shield. Politically Liberal Lawyers and the Rule of Law in China”
Sida Liu, Ching-Fang Hsu, and Terence C. Halliday. “Law as a Sword, Law as a Shield. Politically Liberal Lawyers and the Rule of Law in China.” China Perspectives, vol. 2019, no. 1 (2019): 65-73. This …
Fu (2018), “The July 9th (709) Crackdown on Human Rights Lawyers: Legal Advocacy in an Authoritarian State”
Hualing Fu. “The July 9th (709) Crackdown on Human Rights Lawyers: Legal Advocacy in an Authoritarian State.” Journal of Contemporary China, vol. 27, no. 112 (2018): 554-568. This article examines the 2015 crackdown on human …
Türem (2025), “Professional Liquidation in the Context of Autocratic Legalism: Lawyers, Class, and Status in Turkey, 2002–?”
Umut Z. Türem. “Professional Liquidation in the Context of Autocratic Legalism: Lawyers, Class, and Status in Turkey, 2002–?.” Law & Social Inquiry, First View (2025): 1-32. This article argues that discussions of autocratic legalism must …
Lei (2018), The Contentious Public Sphere: Law, Media, and Authoritarian Rule in China
Ya-Wen Lei. The Contentious Public Sphere: Law, Media, and Authoritarian Rule in China. Princeton, U.S.: Princeton University Press, 2018. This book explores how China’s authoritarian state, through law, media, and the Internet, has unintentionally fostered …
Haddad and Sundstrom (2023), “Foreign Agents or Agents of Justice? Private Foundations, Backlash Against Non-Governmental Organizations, and International Human Rights Litigation”
Heidi Nichols Haddad and Lisa McIntosh Sundstrom. “Foreign Agents or Agents of Justice? Private Foundations, Backlash Against Non-Governmental Organizations, and International Human Rights Litigation.” Law & Society Review, vol. 57, no. 1 (2023): 12-35. This …
Hendley (2022), “Legal Dualism as a Framework for Analyzing the Role of Law Under Authoritarianism”
Kathryn Hendley. “Legal Dualism as a Framework for Analyzing the Role of Law Under Authoritarianism.” Annual Review of Law and Social Science, vol. 18, no. 1 (2022): 211-226. This article reexamines Ernst Fraenkel’s concept of …
Van der Vet (2018), “‘When They Come for You’: Legal Mobilization in New Authoritarian Russia”
Freek Van der Vet. “‘When They Come for You’: Legal Mobilization in New Authoritarian Russia.” Law & Society Review, vol. 52, no. 2 (2018): 301-336. This article investigates how Russian lawyers respond to escalating state …
Moustafa (2014), “Law and Courts in Authoritarian Regimes”
Tamir Moustafa. “Law and Courts in Authoritarian Regimes.” Annual Review of Law and Social Science, vol. 10, (2014): 281–299. This article surveys emerging research on the role of courts in authoritarian regimes, challenging earlier assumptions …
Michelson (2007), “Lawyers, Political Embeddedness, and Institutional Continuity in China’s Transition From Socialism”
Ethan Michelson. “Lawyers, Political Embeddedness, and Institutional Continuity in China’s Transition From Socialism.” The American Journal of Sociology, vol. 113, no. 2 (2007): 352–414. This article examines how Chinese lawyers navigate professional challenges by developing …
Gallagher (2017), Authoritarian Legality in China: Law, Workers, and the State
Mary E. Gallagher. Authoritarian Legality in China: Law, Workers, and the State. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 2017. This book explores how authoritarian regimes may adopt democratic legal institutions to reinforce their rule, using China’s …
Chua (2012), “Pragmatic Resistance, Law, and Social Movements in Authoritarian States: The Case of Gay Collective Action in Singapore”
Lynette J. Chua. “Pragmatic Resistance, Law, and Social Movements in Authoritarian States: The Case of Gay Collective Action in Singapore.” Law & Society Review, vol. 46, no. 4 (2012): 713-748. This article examines how legal …
Wang (2024), “Embedded Supervision: China’s Prosecutorial Public Interest Litigation Against Government”
Yueduan Wang. “Embedded Supervision: China’s Prosecutorial Public Interest Litigation Against Government.” Regulation & Governance, (2024): 1-41. This study challenges the assumption that diminished institutional autonomy necessarily weakens legal oversight in authoritarian regimes. Focusing on prosecutor-led …
Wang and Xia (2024), “State-Sponsored Activism: How China’s Law Reforms Impact NGOs’ Legal Practice”
Yueduan Wang and Ying Xia. “State-Sponsored Activism: How China’s Law Reforms Impact NGOs’ Legal Practice.” Law & Social Inquiry, vol. 49, no. 1 (2024): 451–77. This study explores how attorneys and law-related NGOs navigate legal …
Trochev & Ellett. (2014). “Judges and their allies: rethinking judicial autonomy through the prism of off-bench resistance”
Trochev, A., & Ellett, R. (2014). Judges and their allies: rethinking judicial autonomy through the prism of off-bench resistance. Journal of Law and Courts, 2(1), 67-91. The social construction of judicial power is a complicated process, …
Wang (2020), “Pre-Empting Court-Civil Society Synergy: How China Balances Judicial Autonomy and Legal Activism”
This article examines the evolving stance of Chinese administrations towards judicial autonomy and legal activism over the past two decades.
Pei (2010), “Rights and Resistance: The Changing Contexts of the Dissident Movement”
This chapter explores how rapid economic growth and legal reforms in China have reshaped the dissident movement by creating new political and legal spaces for rights assertion.
Borsuk, Dinç, Kavak, and Sayan (2021), “Consolidating and Contesting Authoritarian Neoliberalism in Turkey: Towards a Framework”
This chapter examines Turkey’s transformation from a hopeful democratic state to a key example of democratic backsliding under the Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Berenson (2000), “Public Lawyers, Private Values: Can, Should, and Will Government Lawyers Serve the Public Interest?”
This article defends the notion that government lawyers have heightened responsibilities to serve the public interest, especially within the unique context of government litigation.
Ryo and Peacock (2021), “Represented but Unequal: The Contingent Effect of Legal Representation in Removal Proceedings”
This study investigates how the effectiveness of legal representation in immigration removal proceedings in the United States varies based on judicial and political context.
Billig (1985), “The Lawyer Terrorist and His Comrades”
This article explores the transformation of Horst Mahler, a young German lawyer, into a founding member of the Red Army Faction—a far-left terrorist group active in West Germany during the 1970s.
O’Brien (2023), “Neither Withdrawal Nor Resistance: Adapting to Increased Repression in China”
In the face of growing repression in China, some lawyers, along with pastors and NGOs, are navigating authoritarian constraints not through resistance but through strategic accommodation.
Roiphe (2019), “A Typology of Justice Department Lawyers’ Roles and Responsibilities”
This article examines the evolving role of U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyers under the Trump administration, amid increasing concerns over democratic backsliding.
Sampford (2003), “Get New Lawyers!”
This article explores the ethical dilemmas faced by legal advisors and political actors in high-stakes international conflicts, using the Kosovo war as a case study.
Pavone (2020), “Lawyers, Judges, And The Obstinate State: The French Case And An Agenda For Comparative Politics”
This article revisits the classic thesis of France as an “obstinate state,” known for the resilience of its centralized authority, by showing how lawyers and judges have quietly shaped political development in ways that challenge this narrative.
Liljeblad (2019), “The Independent Lawyers’ Association Of Myanmar As A Legal Transplant: Local Challenges To The Idea Of An Independent National Bar Association”
This article examines the establishment of the Independent Lawyers’ Association of Myanmar (ILAM), created through a 2014–2016 program by the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Initiative (IBAHRI).
Andreetta (2024), “A Broken Trust: Defence Lawyers and the Beninese State”
This article investigates how defense lawyers in Benin navigate a shifting political landscape marked by democratic backsliding and increasing judicial bias.
Mason and Cheesman (2023), “Land and Law Between Reform and Revolution”
This chapter explores how land law in Myanmar functions as a tool of governance, dispossession, and contestation, particularly during the semi-civilian government of the 2010s and in the wake of the 2021 military coup.
Chua (2022), The Politics of Rights and Southeast Asia
This book introduces the politics of rights as a socio-legal framework for understanding how rights are mobilized, contested, and reshaped in the culturally and politically complex region of Southeast Asia.
Barzilai (2015), “Can Government Lawyers Save Us? A Comment on Lawyering for the Rule of Law”
This article reflects on the global expansion of judicial review, emphasizing how courts—both in liberal and non-liberal democracies—strategically position themselves in shaping public policy.
Feely (2015), “An Introduction to Lawyering for the Rule of Law”
This article introduces a symposium on Yoav Dotan’s Lawyering for the Rule of Law: Government Lawyers and the Rise of Judicial Power in Israel, a landmark study of how state attorneys can both constrain and enable government power.
Benny, Veitch, Hualing, and Cullen (2020), “Pursuing Democracy In An Authoritarian State: Protest And The Rule Of Law In Hong Kong”
This article examines the Occupy Central (OC) trial in Hong Kong as a pivotal moment in the legal and political struggle against authoritarian backsliding.
Ipsen (2020), “Repeat Players, The Law, And Social Change: Redefining The Boundaries Of Environmental And Labor Governance Through Preemptive And Authoritarian Legality”
This article highlights how attorneys are central to these strategies, revealing the political role of legal professionals in reinforcing corporate power under weakened democratic institutions.
Prempeh (2000), “Lawyers and Liberal Democracy.”
This analysis revisits Alexis de Tocqueville’s reflections on the essential role lawyers play in sustaining liberal democracy, especially in guarding against the excesses of majoritarian rule.
Pereira (2003), “Explaining Judicial Reform Outcomes in New Democracies: The Importance of Authoritarian Legalism in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile”
This article investigates how the legacies of authoritarian legal systems influence the capacity of attorneys to drive judicial reform in emerging democracies, with case studies from Chile, Argentina, and Brazil.
Wang (2025), “The Legality Trap: Legal Cooptation Under Authoritarianism”
This study explores how legal advocacy in authoritarian China shapes environmental social movements by channeling their efforts into less radical, more state-aligned paths.
Cui (2016), “Does Judicial Independence Matter: A Study of the Determinants of Administrative Litigation in an Authoritarian Regime”
This article examines administrative litigation against the government in authoritarian regimes, using over twenty years of data from China’s tax collection cases.
Moustafa (2007), “The Politics of Domination: Law and Resistance in Authoritarian States”
This article argues that entrenched authoritarian regimes strengthen judicial institutions to consolidate power by attracting investment, enforcing bureaucratic discipline, maintaining elite coalitions, and legitimizing controversial reforms.
Lai (2025), Legal Resistance Under Authoritarianism: The Struggle for the Rule of Law in Hong Kong
This book examines the erosion of Hong Kong’s rule of law amid growing authoritarian control by China.
Collins (2022), “Legitimation Narratives, Resistance, and Legal Cultures in Authoritarian and Post-authoritarian Chile: Lawyers and Judges in the (Post)-Transition”
This chapter explores the role of law, lawyers, and legal activism in authoritarian and transitional contexts, using Chile’s experience as a case study.
Kroncke (2025), “Legal Complicity in an Age of Resurgent Authoritarianism”
This article critically examines the ethical and political assumptions that have shaped how liberal legal professionals, particularly in the United States, engage with authoritarian regimes.
Givens (2011), “Advocates Of Change In Authoritarian Regimes: How Chinese Lawyers And Chinese And Russian Journalists Stay Out Of Trouble”
In backsliding democracies, this research shows that lawyers remain key actors in the struggle for political change.
Xie (2022), “‘Lawyering Repression’ and Protest Demobilization Under Rule of Law Authoritarianism”
This article introduces a collection of studies that explore the surprising rise of protest and public dissent in contemporary China, despite its authoritarian and repressive political system.
Lee (2014), “Law as a Contested Terrain Under Authoritarianism”
This article reviews two recent books that examine the evolving role of law and legal activism under authoritarian rule in China and Hong Kong.
Stern and Liu (2021), “State-Adjacent Professionals: How Chinese Lawyers Participate in Political Life”
This article challenges the common view that Chinese lawyers are either dissident activists or politically disengaged professionals by focusing on a third category: lawyers who work closely with the state while still engaging in governance.
Stern and Liu (2020), “The Good Lawyer: State-Led Professional Socialization in Contemporary China”
This article examines how the Chinese state manages and shapes the legal profession in ways that support authoritarian rule, using mechanisms of professional socialization rather than relying solely on repression.
Southworth (2018), “Lawyers and the Conservative Counterrevolution”
Ann Southworth. “Lawyers and the Conservative Counterrevolution.” Law & Social Inquiry, vol. 43, no. 4 (2018): 1698–1728. This article analyzes how the conservative legal movement in the United States has successfully mobilized lawyers, organizations, and …
Southworth (2019), Lawyers of the Right Professionalizing the Conservative Coalition.
This article examines how conservative lawyers have strategically shaped the legal profession and political landscape in the United States, contributing to democratic backsliding by promoting ideologies that concentrate legal power within partisan movements.
Dorf and Chu (2018), “Lawyers as Activists: From the Airport to the Courtroom”
This article highlights the crucial role lawyers played in resisting authoritarian-leaning actions during a period of democratic backsliding in the United States, specifically under the Trump administration.
Abel (1985), “Lawyers and the Power to Change”
This article examines the marginalized yet politically potent fringe of the legal profession—lawyers who neither represent commercial interests nor serve as state functionaries, but who dedicate their practice to advancing the interests of the poor and disenfranchised.
Moliterno (2013), The American Legal Profession in Crisis: Resistance and Responses to Change
This work explores the American legal profession’s historical tendency to resist reform, particularly in moments of crisis that threaten its identity or institutional norms.
Sinnar (2017), “Human Rights, National Security, and the Role of Lawyers in the Resistance”
This article examines the role of lawyers in resisting democratic backsliding and authoritarian policymaking in the United States, particularly during the Trump administration.
Mortazavi (2017), “The Cost of Avoidance: Pluralism, Neutrality, and the Foundations of Modern Legal Ethics”
The article argues that the legal profession’s shift to “neutral partisanship” in 1969 undermines lawyers’ ability to uphold justice and democracy by suppressing moral and ethical engagement.
Dressel, Bonoan (2024), “Courts and Authoritarian Populism in Asia: Reflections from Indonesia and the Philippines
Björn Dressel and Cristina Regina Bonoan, “ Courts and Authoritarian Populism in Asia: Reflections from Indonesia and the Philippines.” Law & Policy, vol. 46, no. 3 (2024): 277–297. Summary: Authoritarian populism has been making a …
Trochev, Solomon (2018), “Authoritarian constitutionalism in Putin’s Russia: A pragmatic constitutional court in a dual state”
Alexei Trochev & Peter Solomon, “Authoritarian constitutionalism in Putin’s Russia: A pragmatic constitutional court in a dual state.” Communist and Post-Communist Studies, vol 51, no 3 (2018): 201-214. Summary: This article analyzes the successful adaptation of …
Cheh (2005), “Should Lawyers Participate in Rigged Systems: The Case of the Military Commissions”
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.
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.
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.
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.
Meiertöns (2014), “An International Lawyer in Democracy and Dictatorship–Re-Introducing Herbert Kraus”
This article illustrates the dilemma lawyers face in authoritarian regimes—balancing resistance and survival—and highlights their potential role in both confronting and later rebuilding the rule of law.
Ahmend (2012), “The Rule Of Law–A Substratum Of Justice: The Lawyers’movement And Its Impacts On Legal & Political Governance Of Pakistan”
This article explores how the lawyers’ movement in Pakistan serves as a critical force for restoring the rule of law and reinforcing judicial independence in a context of democratic backsliding.
Southworth (2005), “Professional Identity and Political Commitment among Lawyers for Conservative Causes”
This chapter explores the professional ideologies and levels of political commitment among lawyers who work for conservative and libertarian causes.
Woods (2005), “Cause Lawyers and Judicial Community in Israel: Legal Change in a Diffuse, Normative Community”
This chapter examines how cause lawyers in Israel played a crucial role in encouraging the High Court of Justice (HCJ) to challenge religious authorities, marking a shift from judicial coexistence to conflict.
Michalowski (1998), “All or Nothing: An Inquiry into the (Im)Possibility of Cause Lawyering under Cuban Socialism”
This chapter explores whether cause lawyering can exist within Cuba’s socialist legal system.
Shamir and Chinski (1998), “Destruction of Houses and Construction of a Cause: Lawyers and Bedouins in the Israeli Courts”
This chapter highlights how lawyers navigate a complex legal and political landscape, using the law both to resist state power and to assert the rights of a vulnerable community within an authoritarian-leaning framework.
Tam (2018), “Political Transition and the Rise of Cause Lawyering: The Case of Hong Kong”
This article analyzes how cause lawyering emerged and thrived in Hong Kong under authoritarian conditions.
Hajjar (2001), “From The Fight For Legal Rights To The Promotion Of Human Rights: Israeli And Palestinian Cause Lawyers In The Trenches Of Globalization”
This chapter examines how Israeli and Palestinian cause lawyers have helped build a human rights movement focused on the Occupied Territories.
Lee (2017), “Lawyers And Hong Kong’s Democracy Movement: From Electoral Politics To Civil Disobedience”
This article examines the pivotal role of Hong Kong lawyers in the pro-democracy movement.
Alford (2007), “Of Lawyers Lost And Found: Searching For Legal Professionalism In The People’s Republic Of China”
This article critically examines American assumptions about the development of the legal profession in China.
Ahmed and Stephan (2010), “Fighting for the Rule of Law: Civil Resistance and the Lawyers’ Movement in Pakistan”
The article examines how Pakistan’s grassroots lawyers’ movement leveraged nonviolent resistance and mass mobilization to restore judicial independence, highlighting civil society’s potential to drive democratic change under authoritarian rule.
Woods and Barclay (2008), “Cause Lawyers As Legal Innovators With And Against The State: Symbiosis Or Opposition?”
This article challenges the traditional view of cause lawyers as inherently oppositional and leftist actors standing against a singular, monolithic state.
Tam (2012), Legal Mobilization under Authoritarianism: The Case of Post-Colonial Hong
This article explores the dynamics of legal mobilization under authoritarian regimes, using post-colonial Hong Kong as a case study.
Lee (2017), “Beyond the ‘Professional Project’: The Political Positioning of Hong Kong Lawyers”
This article explores the political positioning of lawyers in Hong Kong, challenging conventional theories in the sociology of professions that focus on status and market control.
Alford (2010), “‘Second lawyers, first principles’: Lawyers, Rice-Roots Legal Workers, and the Battle Over Legal Professionalism in China”
This article explores the development and significance of these parallel legal personnel systems in China’s legal modernization.
Provost (2015), “Teetering on the Edge of Legal Nihilism: Russia and the Evolving European Human Rights Regime”
This article examines the fragile state of the rule of law in Russia, highlighting its complicated relationship with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) since Russia ratified the European Convention in 1998.
Roberts (2005), “After Government? On Representing Law Without the State”
This article includes a call for greater caution in representing non-state orderings as law, noting that traditional markers of legal authority, such as legislators and judges, remain largely tied to the state framework.
Cummings (2006), “Mobilisation Lawyering: Community Economic Development In The Figueroa Corridor”
This article reevaluates the relationship between cause lawyering and community mobilization, highlighting both the continuities and shifts from traditional CED practices toward more adversarial and politically engaged lawyering.
Sarat and Scheingold (1998), Cause Lawyering: Political Commitments and Professional Responsibilities
This book is a cross-national study of lawyers who devote themselves to serving political causes.
Baer (2019), “Democracy in Peril: A Call for Amici and Amicae Curiae and Critical Lawyering”
In the face of rising autocratic populism, this article underscores the vital role of critical lawyering in upholding the independence and integrity of constitutional courts, which are key pillars of democratic governance.
Graczyk (2024), “Postwar Convictions of Nazi Judges and Prosecutors for Their Activities in the Occupied Polish Territories (1939-1945)”
This article provides a synthetic overview of prior research into the postwar criminal convictions of lawyers, specifically judges and prosecutors, who operated in Nazi-occupied Polish territories.
Rogers (2005), “Power to Law: It’s Not as Bad as All That”
This book examines how legal practitioners can both enable and resist democratic erosion, depending on how they interpret, wield, or subvert the law.
Turner (2002), “Intentional Targeting of Regime Elites: The Legal and Policy Debate”
This article highlights the complex legal and ethical challenges attorneys face when addressing state-sanctioned actions like targeted assassinations especially in the context of national security and counterterrorism.
Arend (2002), “International Law and Rogue States: The Failure of the Charter Framework”
In backsliding democracies facing such state behavior—whether through repression, abuse of power, or militarized actions—attorneys play a critical role as defenders of legal order and democratic accountability.
Hsu (2019), “The Political Origins of Professional Identity: Lawyers, Judges, and Prosecutors in Taiwan’s State Transformation”
This article argues that moments of political upheaval shape the legal profession’s collective identity, showing how divergent experiences under authoritarianism in Taiwan led judges, lawyers, and prosecutors to develop distinct normative commitments based on their roles in resisting or navigating state power during democratization.
Kwong (2024), “The Legal Profession in Battle: Cause Lawyers Versus State-Embedded Lawyers in Hong Kong’s Democratization”
This article explores how the Hong Kong state counters cause lawyering by promoting “state-embedded lawyers” who defend regime stability, resulting in a polarized legal profession that mirrors broader societal divisions and reshapes public perceptions of the rule of law under mainland China’s influence.
Khalil (2023), “‘We Belong to the Streets’: Lawyers and Social Movements in Post-Revolution Egypt”
This chapter argues that in authoritarian and transitional contexts like Egypt, the evolving precarity of the legal profession transforms cause lawyers into adaptive, embedded actors who blend legal advocacy with grassroots activism to resist repression and support social movements.
Ignacio Fradejas-García and Kristín Loftsdóttir (2024), “Mobility Cause Lawyering: Contesting Regimes of (im)mobility in the Canary Islands Migration Route to Europe”
This article examines how cause lawyers and allied actors collectively resist restrictive EU migration policies during the Canary Islands crisis by strategically using legal and human rights tools to challenge exclusionary practices.
Crooke (2024), “Frustration and Fidelity: How Public Interest Lawyers Navigate Procedure in the Direct Representation of Asylum Seekers”
This study reveals how public interest lawyers strive to empower asylum seekers in Los Angeles despite facing significant challenges from a restrictive and politicized U.S. immigration system.
Abbas (2021), “Lawyers’ Movement For The Renaissance Of The Independent Judiciary In Pakistan”
The article highlights how Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry’s challenge to military dominance in Pakistan sparked a nationwide lawyers’ movement that ultimately restored judicial independence and reshaped the country’s constitutional landscape.
Myint (2014), Legal Hybridity: Rule of Law Under Authoritarianism
The article explains how authoritarian regimes like Singapore exhibit legal hybridity by using law both to strengthen control and to limit their own power, blending elements of rule of law and rule by law.
Marshall and Hale (2014), “Cause Lawyering”
Cause lawyering is a distinct form of legal practice shaped by the social and political context, particularly the dynamics between lawyers and their clients, which influences both its methods and the identities it produces.
Aral (2024), “International Lawyers as Hope Mongers: How Did We Come to Believe That Democracy Was Here to Stay?”
The article argues that current fears of democratic decline arise from unrealistic expectations rooted in Cold War-era progress narratives that presumed inevitable democratic consolidation.
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