Community Lawyering Manual

Building Democracy

Through Community Lawyering

A Guide for Training the Next Generation of Community Lawyers

Dedicated to building democracy at the local level to advance justice through a catalytic and inspirational community lawyer model.

View the Community Lawyering Manual

Copyright: Reserved under CCBY, 2024 by the Community Advocacy Center, Amato PLLC and the Citizen Advocacy Center. Made possible by a grant from the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation.

Disclaimer: The enclosed information is for educational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. The materials are meant to be suggestive as one way to operate a community lawyer organization based on the three decades of cumulative experience. If you are interested in starting a community lawyer organization or would like more information about what is in this manual, please contact the Citizen Advocacy Center at (630) 833-4080 or email cac@citizenadvocacycenter.org.

Democracy isn’t an abstract theory, and it’s not guaranteed. 

It’s an ongoing, collective effort—and it starts with you.