students understand the complicated relationship between law and activism. Now used in law school classrooms, clinics, and undergraduate courses, this text enriches students’ view of the legal profession and stimulates them to think broadly about the roles of lawyers who work for social change. In three parts – a system of lawyers, a system of law, and a system of politics – the book provides both historic perspective and a modern blueprint. Students will explore the meaning of rights and the ways in which movements and lawyers defend existing rights and mobilize for new rights claims. The second edition preserves the organization and coverage of the popular first edition, with new notes, citations to recent literature, and excerpts that address cutting edge issues. Revisions and additions include recent federal reforms that reduce the burden of student loan repayment, work toward a right to counsel in civil cases, "low bono" legal services, the economic crisis and recession, Hurricane Katrina, the impact of foreclosures on inner cities, and gains and challenges in the struggle for equality for sexual minorities. The campaign for marriage equality provides new opportunities to address effective methods for achieving social change and the impact of temporary setbacks on movements, tactics, and law. Sections of the book are suitable for use in courses on professional responsibility, community lawyering, law and social change, and clinical skills.

Hide more