Crisis Lawyering

Shines a light on the emerging field of law dedicated to responding to and resolving the crises of the twenty-first century

In an increasingly globalized world, a complex and interlocking web of nations, governments, non-state actors, laws, and rules affect human behavior. When crisis hits-whether that be extrajudicial detention, unprompted deportation, pandemics, or natural disasters-lawyers are increasingly among the first responders, equipped with the knowledge necessary to navigate the regulations of this ever more complex world.

Crisis Lawyering explores this phenomenon and attempts to identify and define what it means to engage in the practice of law in crisis situations. In so doing, it hopes to sketch out the contours of the emerging field of crisis lawyering. Contributors to this volume explore cases surrounding domestic violence; dealing with immigrants in detention and banned from travel; policing in Ferguson, Missouri; the kidnapping of journalists; and climate change, among other crises. Their analysis not only serves as guidance to lawyers in such situations, but also helps others who deal with crises understand those crises-and the role of lawyers in them-better so that they may respond to them more effectively, efficiently, collaboratively and creatively.

Crisis Lawyering shines a light on the emerging field of law dedicated to responding to and resolving the complex crises of the twenty-first century.

About the Authors

Ray Brescia is the Honorable Harold R. Tyler Chair in Law and Technology and Professor of Law at Albany Law School. He is the co-editor of Crisis Lawyering: Effective Legal Advocacy in Emergency Situations (NYU Press, 2021), author of The Future of Change: How Technology Shapes Social Revolutions (Cornell University Press, 2020), and co-editor of How Cities Will Save the World: Urban Innovation in the Face of Population Flows, Climate Change and Economic Inequality (Routledge 2016).

Eric K. Stern is Professor at the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity at the University at Albany, SUNY. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Crisis Analysis and co-author of The Politics of Crisis Management: Public Leadership Under Pressure.