U.S. Civil and Human Rights Lawyers

What is the role of the individual in changing the legal system? To what extent, if any, can individuals transform legal norms? If transformation is possible, how do they go about it? What motivates them? Do these individuals understand themselves as having achieved their aims? This class examines these questions by exploring the work of “cause lawyers,” civil and human rights lawyers who engaged with the legal system for the purpose of changing it to better reflect their values and priorities. By studying works by and about cause lawyers and legal organizations, students will learn to identify overlooked sources of power in the U.S. and global legal system.