This article examines the evolving role of U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) lawyers under the Trump administration, amid increasing concerns over democratic backsliding.
Structure of the Legal Profession
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).
Khan and Cheesman (2023), “Law, Lawyers and Legal Institutions”
For attorneys in backsliding democracies, this chapter offers a sobering reflection on the limits of legalism and the complex relationship between law, legitimacy, and power.
Rosenbaum, Hubbard, Sharp-Bauer, and Tushaus (2021), “The Myanmar Shwe: Empowering Law Students, Teachers, And The Community Through Clinical Education And The Rule Of Law”
This article explores the reform of legal education in Myanmar during a brief period of political opening, focusing on the role of clinical legal education (CLE) in empowering future lawyers under conditions of ongoing authoritarian legacy.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Pangaribuan (2024), “Navigating an Authoritarian Landscape: Criminal procedure and Defence Lawyers in Indonesia”
This article examines the challenges faced by defense lawyers operating within Indonesia’s authoritarian legal system.