ABSTRACT
The use of law, courts, and attorneys to defend and expand civil liberties has sometimes been referred to as "cause" lawyering. Individually, lawyers can, and do, contribute both resources and skills to the advancement of civil liberties and other causes. Lawyers themselves are only a portion of the movement, and they can advocate for legal strategies when they are appropriate or argue against them when the situation calls for a different approach. Cause lawyering brings legitimacy to the profession by demonstrating that its contribution is more than the technical, hired-gun imagery that often defines the profession in the modern media. Many social or political conflicts are increasingly being decided in judicial forums. As courts become more involved in the mediation of rights disputes, the role of lawyers in the process is certain to increase. Practitioners will be forced to balance professional responsibilities with personal or ideological ones.
