Rethinking the Foundational Critiques of Lawyers in Social Movements

This Article argues that the current moment invites reconsideration of these critiques. The rise of new social movements—from marriage equality to Black Lives Matter to the recent mobilization against President Trump’s immigration order—and the response of a new generation of movement lawyers eager to lend support has refocused attention on the appropriate role that lawyers should play in advancing progressive social change. Rather than fall back on familiar critical themes, the time is ripe for developing a new affirmative vision

Rethinking the Foundational Critiques of Lawyers in Social Movements

This Article argues that the current moment invites reconsideration of these critiques. The rise of new social movements—from marriage equality to Black Lives Matter to the recent mobilization against President Trump’s immigration order—and the response of a new generation of movement lawyers eager to lend support has refocused attention on the appropriate role that lawyers should play in advancing progressive social change. Rather than fall back on familiar critical themes, the time is ripe for developing a new affirmative vision

An Ode to Rhode: In Principle and in Practice

This Essay is a tribute to Professor Deborah L. Rhode by Professor Scott L. Cummings and discusses her legacy through the impact of her scholarship and leadership on both legal ethics and the community of legal ethics scholars. It reviews Deborah’s findings on pro bono in principle and in practice, revealing a Janus face—one that is built on altruism but used to benefit individual interests. This Essay shares Professor Cummings’s own experiences with Deborah as an inspirational and courageous individual who spoke truth to power to elevate the interests of those with less power and the ideal of lawyers as a force to make society better