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Beyond litigation: Policy work within cause lawyering organizations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2024

David L. Trowbridge Open the ORCID record for David L. Trowbridge [Opens in a new window]
David L. Trowbridge*
Affiliation:
Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA
*
David L. Trowbridge, Middle Tennessee State University Box 29, Murfreesboro, TN 37132, USA, Email: david.trowbridge@mtsu.edu
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Abstract

This article investigates why cause lawyering organizations choose policy work and how policy agendas are set. Interviews and documents from eight legal organizations in the LGBTQ movement reveal that policy work expands the scope of conflict, giving organizations not only more opportunities to act, but potentially providing greater autonomy to lawyers by allowing them to build their own opportunities. Furthermore, policy agendas are not simply tied to litigation and resources. Organizations balance perceptions of opportunity and need with resource availability. These perceptions are often informed by collaborations with state and local organizations, facilitating communication between groups, organizers, and activists at different vantage points. Thus, the nature of a legal organization's multidimensional strategy, which expands opportunities to reach their goals, may be shaping what those goals are. These findings contribute to our understanding of cause lawyering tactics and agendas.

Type
Articles
Information
Law & Society Review , Volume 56 , Issue 2 , June 2022 , pp. 286 - 308
Copyright
© 2022 Law and Society Association.

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Footnotes

How to cite this article: Trowbridge, David L. 2022. “Beyond Litigation: Policy Work Within Cause Lawyering Organizations.” Law & Society Review 56(2): 286-308. https://doi.org/10.1111/lasr.12605

References

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