Lawyering for Social Change (JURS-382) 3 credits
Lawyers have long played key roles in ushering in social change. From the early abolitionists to civil rights lawyers who lent their skills to the NAACP’s campaign against segregation, to those litigating today on behalf of prisoners, immigration detainees, children caught in a school-to-prison pipeline, victims of police shootings, and the disabled, lawyers have served as vital agents of social change.
This class is for students who wish to develop their skills as instigators of social change and desire to create a specific, individualized program to perform that role. You should have a pre-existing interest, if only an inchoate one, of a law-reform nature, that you would like to expand and clarify while in school so as to land running after you graduate.
This course is for students who can see themselves working as movement lawyers, whether in solo fashion, as members of a litigation team at a specialized agency or think tank, or part-time as pro bono attorneys while working at a conventional legal job at a firm or agency.
Experience shows that many students are attracted to the study of law because they want to make the world a better place. If you are such a person, this course may be for you. It will help you learn how to perform that role and push you to think specifically and clearly about how to carry it out once you graduate.
Possible areas include: global warming; civil Gideon (state-paid legal services in civil cases); immigrant rights; school finance reform; reducing government waste; debt relief for student loan holders; abolishing the death penalty; eliminating clerical immunity for pedophile priests; improving police-community interaction; stopping police shootings; civil rights for transgendered people; ending bullying in schools; improving fairness in social media; reducing the role of money in political campaigns; universal health care; reforming state constitutions; animal rights; reforming the drug laws; ending homelessness; and many others.
Objectives: Students will develop skills--oral, written, and practical--to instigate social change and create a ten page individualized Plan to bring it about in a well-defined area.
- Phase One of Course (Weeks 1-8): Students will read and discuss materials on the theory and practice of social reform, including works on how the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund planned and carried out a national attack on segregation; on how gay activists secured a wave of breakthroughs; and how lawyers on behalf of other causes have marshaled litigation, grassroots organizing, social media, public education, and lobbying to bring about social change. Short readings and TWEN postings accompany each class.
- Phase Two (Weeks 9-11) You will engage in intensive reading and research in the specific area you expect to target, and meet weekly with the instructors to discuss your readings and draft Plan. During this phase, you will create and read an individualized list of research tools--books, websites, articles, and government archives — that will equip you with the basic knowledge you will need to get started working as an agent for social change in your specific area. You will also integrate these materials into your emerging Plan, which will lay out what you plan to do in narrative form.
Your research should include sources for grants, scholarships, and nonprofit agencies, government offices, and litigation centers that can help support you in the early years of your practice. It may also include interviews with activists and others in a position to provide you with ideas, inspiration, solidarity, or other forms of aid.
- Phase Three (Weeks 12-14): Students will complete and circulate an action program (“Plan”) that will guide them in their early years as an attorney, and explain and defend their Plan to the rest of the class during a presentation, as well as give and receive constructive criticism and feedback. This Plan can serve as a basis for a detailed application for a post-graduate fellowship or grant. It can also be a “memo to myself” that you will consult from time to time as you go through life.
Grades: Your final grade will be determined based on your Plan, class participation, assignments, formal presentations, and group work.
Attendance Policy. The American Bar Association (ABA) requires that the Law School enforce an attendance policy, and we are required to follow it. Excuses for absences will be given only under the most extenuating circumstances. 100 percent attendance is a laudable and reasonable goal that is vital to establishing a community based on trust and a sense of mutual endeavor.
Recordings and Visitors. Because of the sensitive nature of the class, no visitors or recordings will be allowed.
ADA Accommodations: The Law School aims to meet the needs of students with physical, learning, and other disabilities and provides appropriate accommodations and services tailored to each person’s requirements. The administration and University Office of Disability Services work together to help such individuals achieve and maintain individual autonomy. Students with disabilities should contact the University Office so that staff can evaluate and accommodate their needs for support services.
Conduct: All students are expected to be honorable and to observe standards of conduct appropriate to a community of scholars. University policies, the Law School Honor Code, and other appropriate policies will be followed in the event of misconduct.
Diversity: The University is committed to providing an atmosphere of learning that is representative of a variety of perspectives. In this class, you will have the opportunity to express and experience cultural diversity. Individuality and creative expression are welcome. Take advantage of these opportunities in your own work, but also learn from the information, ideas, and experiences of others.
PREVIOUS STUDENTS HAVE DESCRIBED THE CLASS IN THIS WAY:
I want to mention how appreciative I am of you designing such a spectacular course. It is because of this class that I have become so much more passionate about criminal justice reform. . . The foundation was there before the class but the course really helped me see the entire vision and the end goal.
I like to look at my Plan once in a while, when things get hard, to remind myself why I chose to take this journey in the first place. Thank you for that opportunity and for teaching that class.
I feel like I gained some incredible analytical tools and new insights. You’ve both inspired me to try to make some real changes in the legal field.
I’m beyond excited to focus . . . on the pragmatic ways to sustain and snowball real outcomes of firm change.
It is so inspiring and heartening to know that we have your support as we try to make change throughout our careers. I gained so much practical knowledge. I know that having a course like this keeps students on the track of becoming public interest lawyers when they might otherwise be discouraged by law school.
I wasn’t expecting to be going into animal advocacy as I entered law school, even though the topic had been a passion of mine for a long time. It’s almost as if I was waiting for someone to say that I had permission to pursue that goal, and your class provided that permission.
