Global Struggles, Local Practices: Cause Lawyering in Crises of Democracy

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract/Description

This panel examines the role of cause lawyering in promoting justice across diverse international contexts, with a focus on criminal and immigration law in the United States, Chile, and beyond. As part of this year’s annual meeting theme, "Criminology, Law, and the Democratic Ideal," the panel explores how lawyers navigate the intersections of law, social justice, and democratic values in their client advocacy. This may include (but is not limited to): confronting procedural delays, anticipating legal and policy changes, and brokering attorney-client relationships. Panelists use both quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the unique challenges faced by cause lawyers, such as systemic inequities, political resistance, and the impact of shifting legal landscapes.

Whether in immigration or criminal defense settings, attorneys often contend with narratives of threat and deservingness that influence procedural justice and legal relief. By exploring these experiences across multiple jurisdictions, the panel illuminates the possibilities and limitations of cause lawyering in advancing the democratic ideal of fairness, equality, and human rights. The discussions aim to offer a deeper understanding of how legal practice can serve as a vehicle for social change, particularly in contexts where marginalized communities are disproportionately impacted by the law.

Sub Unit

• Area VI. The Criminal Justice System / 46. Courts & Sentencing

Individual Presentations

• Does Client-Centered Representation Disrupt Mass Criminalization? An Analysis of Attorney-Client Relationships in a Southeastern Public Defender Office - Caity Curry, Hamline University

• Seeing “Down the Line”: Anticipating and Preventing the Collateral Consequences of Deportation via Affirmative and Defensive Legal Processes in the United States - Christopher Levesque, Kenyon College; Lilly Yu, RTI International

• Cause Lawyering under a Neoliberal Regime: The Case of Chile - Isabel Arriagada Gajewski, Old Dominion University

• Ghostwriters, Ghost Erasers: Lawyers, Resistance, and Progressive Penal Change in Brazil - Eduardo Gutierrez Cornelius, University of Minnesota

Chair

• Caity Curry, Hamline University

Discussants

• Caity Curry, Hamline University

• Eduardo Gutierrez Cornelius, University of Minnesota