Stuart A. Scheingold

The study of cause lawyering has grown dramatically and is now an important field of research in socio-legal studies and in research on the legal profession. The Worlds Cause Lawyers Make: Structure and Agency in Legal Practice adds to that growing body of research by examining the connections between lawyers and causes, the settings in which cause lawyers practice, and the ways they marshal social capital and make strategic decisions. The book describes the constraints to cause lawyering and the particulars that shape what cause lawyers do and what cause lawyering can be, while also focusing on the dynamic interactions of cause lawyers and the legal, professional, and political contexts in which they operate. It presents a constructivist view of cause lawyering, analyzing what cause lawyers do in their day-to-day work, how they do it, and what difference their work makes. Taken together, the essays collected in this volume show how cause lawyers construct their legal and professional contexts and also how those contexts constrain their professional lives.--Provided by publisher.

"Why do some lawyers devote themselves to a given social movement or political cause? How are such commitments justified, given the ideals of disinterested professional service to which lawyers are (in theory, at least) supposed to adhere? What can we learn from such lawyers about the relationship between law and politics? Cause Lawyering is a varied and provocative collection of responses to these questions, featuring the work of several distinguished legal scholars. These essays explore the relationship between cause lawyering and the organized legal professions of many different countries: Brazil, England, Indonesia, Israel, South Africa, and the U.S., among others. They describe the utility of law as a resource in political struggles and, conversely, highlight the constraints under which lawyers operate when they turn to politics. Some provide broad theoretical overviews, others present rich case studies, and all will appeal to students and professionals interested in law and society."--BOOK JACKET.