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The Client Is the Cause: Motivation, Activism, and Cause Lawyering Among Immigration Attorneys in the Trump Era

Maya Pagni Barak et al.

Law and Policy2025https://doi.org/10.1111/lapo.70009article
ABDC A
Weight
0.50

Abstract

What drives individuals to become immigration attorneys? Although much has been written about what motivates people to become lawyers broadly, little is known about the motivations and backgrounds of immigration attorneys. It has been suggested that immigration attorneys are “cause lawyers,” motivated by a desire to engage in immigration activism, advocacy, and reform. Drawing upon a national study of immigration attorneys conducted during Donald Trump's first presidential term, this paper explores the role of these and other established motivations for practicing law in the immigration context—including law school socialization, economic incentives and working conditions, and the social backgrounds, personal values and identities of lawyers. Interview findings reveal that immigration attorneys are not cause lawyers, at least not as traditionally defined in the sociolegal literature. Implications for the immigration bar and the future of immigration reform are discussed.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/lapo.70009

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@article{maya2025,
  title        = {{The Client Is the Cause: Motivation, Activism, and Cause Lawyering Among Immigration Attorneys in the Trump Era}},
  author       = {Maya Pagni Barak et al.},
  journal      = {Law and Policy},
  year         = {2025},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/lapo.70009},
}

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The Client Is the Cause: Motivation, Activism, and Cause Lawyering Among Immigration Attorneys in the Trump Era

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.