As globalization increases, and an interlocking web of nations, governments, nonstate actors, laws, and rules affect human behavior, lawyers are often among the first responders when crises hit and have a key and growing role in resolving them. Indeed, when crises occur, the need for lawyers to step in to help resolve and to craft solutions to problems resulting those crises create is acute. This book explores this phenomenon and attempts to identify and define what it means to engage in the practice of law during crisis situations. In so doing, it hopes to further define the contours of the e ... More

As globalization increases, and an interlocking web of nations, governments, nonstate actors, laws, and rules affect human behavior, lawyers are often among the first responders when crises hit and have a key and growing role in resolving them. Indeed, when crises occur, the need for lawyers to step in to help resolve and to craft solutions to problems resulting those crises create is acute. This book explores this phenomenon and attempts to identify and define what it means to engage in the practice of law during crisis situations. In so doing, it hopes to further define the contours of the emerging field of crisis lawyering. The discussion includes crisis management, professionalism, and legal ethics. What is more, it not only provides guidance to lawyers in such situations but also helps them understand crises better so that they can respond more effectively, efficiently, appropriately, and creatively. This volume strives to improve crisis and emergency responses by shining a light on the role of the law and the lawyers who help resolve crises. It offers insights into an emerging field of legal practice—what we call “crisis lawyering.”