Introduction
In the book written by Rempel (2017), Advocacy in Practice: Creating a culture of social change in human services, section six is titled “Advocacy stories” and extends from pages 129 to 151. In addition, the book is published by Oxford University Press Canada and covers critical aspects of advocacy practice. I chose this chapter to learn not only the theoretical aspects of advocacy but also real stories from the practice of lawyers (Rempel, 2017). Moreover, I was also motivated by the fact that the attorneys who were invited to be interviewed work in various branches of the law.
I hope that their stories will provide me with an opportunity to form my own vision of the future practice. Furthermore, the chapter “Advocacy stories” presents the stories of attorneys working at the national level and the experiences of attorneys who practice international law. Accordingly, after reading the chapter, I will identify for myself the areas of law in which I can operate (Rempel, 2017). Further, I also want to learn about interesting cases of lawyers and their solutions, which may help me in the future. Therefore, it is essential to review the book’s sixth section and describe my impressions and the connection with my life.
Summary of the Content
It is essential to emphasize that in order to ensure confidentiality, the author does not mention the full names of the lawyers who participated in the interviews. The chapter begins with a description of Marry L., who explains that since childhood, she has been trying to solve the problem of gender and family (Rempel, 2017, p. 129). That is why Marry L. decided to focus on gender issues in her legal work. In addition, her husband was injured at work and died in the hospital, then, Marry L. became proficient in occupational health and safety, which is why she also worked in this field. The woman describes a meeting with a practicing lawyer and the experience she gained from him. Furthermore, Marry L. highlights the importance of organizing workers’ rallies to restore their rights (Rempel, 2017, p. 130). The next experience in the chapter is described by Cole G., who faced the problem of racial discrimination and dedicated his legal work to this issue. Moreover, the lawyer described the situation when crossing the border and the challenges faced by customs officers related to his self-identification as a woman.
The story of Elizabeth G. is also based on personal experience, as is the one of Cole G., but it clarifies why she engaged in human rights practice. Ali C., on the other hand, discusses her human rights activism and the creation of organizations that united national minorities (Rempel, 2017, p. 137). In addition, the other stories in the chapter are intended not only to highlight the personal experiences of the advocates and what motivated them to pursue the legal profession but also to describe the key events that have shaped their careers.
Strengths
The main advantage of this chapter is that the author briefly describes the basic tactics of lawyers. The story of Marry L. teaches the strategy of opposition and balance when meeting with clients, employees, or third parties (Rempel, 2017, p. 130). In other words, she alternated between an aggressive and direct attitude in one meeting and a friendly and cautious one in another. The author also notes that this tactic gives the lawyer an advantage because, at first, the woman could demonstrate that her interests were more important than others, and then she negotiated according to the rules of ethics. At the same time, the strong point of this chapter is that Vivene’s story motivates people to work persistently and efficiently to achieve significant results (Rempel, 2017, p. 140). This is because she started practicing immigration law immediately after graduation. This allowed her to start her own company later and create and implement policies in cooperation with the authorities. Hence, the strength of the chapter is that the advocates provided stories that motivated them to work to achieve significant outcomes, and they provided methods for achieving this.
Weaknesses
The case of Cole G. does not explain in detail the mechanism for protecting transgender rights, although this topic is relevant today. Furthermore, in general, the story of Cole G. does not provide valuable legal advice but rather tells more about the lawyer’s life story. The same applies to the story of Elizabeth G., as she spent most of the interview talking about her background rather than practical legal cases (Rempel, 2017, p. 138). Accordingly, I think that the weakness of the chapter is that it focuses on the personal experience of the advocates rather than their professional experience.
My Impressions
The advice of Marry L. is especially beneficial for me because she recommended a time management method that is often used in school, that is, a checklist form. This aroused my interest because, in this way, I can organize and prioritize my volunteer work, studies, and personal life. Meanwhile, I was also interested in Ali C.’s story because he described the activities that allowed him and his team to create organizations that were represented at the national and international levels (Rempel, 2017, p. 138). I think that the experience and motivation of Ali C. are valuable to me and challenge me to try to establish my own human rights organization that can work internationally in the future.
Additionally, there was a story in the book that resonated with me and surprised me a lot. Ken S. told how two federal agents visited his home to ask him about a business trip to Iran and a conference that he had attended (Rempel, 2017, p. 142). Thus, this case is both resonant and interesting because it shows the intrusion into the personal life of an individual who is also a lawyer and a well-known human rights activist. It is worth noting that I have new questions about transgender rights and their regulation at the national and international levels. Therefore, I plan to explore this topic in more detail because of the conflicts in legislation and its relevance.
Connection
It is essential to emphasize that since childhood, I have had a strong sense of justice, which later influenced my choice of profession. Nowadays, I am actively involved in activism to protect the environment from harmful waste. Therefore, the experience described in Meaghan’s sixth slurry is closely related to my own. As a child, Meaghan was concerned that stores did not use materials that were necessary for the life of koalas (Rempel, 2017, p. 147). The woman was later active in protecting the rights of employees and observing their rights and benefits in the workplace. Therefore, unscrupulous managers often fired the woman or assigned her more workload.
This situation correlates with my experience: while preparing for one demonstration, I proposed my strategy that could be improved and proposed to the authorities. Instead, my supervisor rejected it because he thought I was not experienced enough to make such suggestions, and later he removed me from the team. Consequently, just like Meaghan, I was discouraged from taking initiative that could have benefited other team members and society as a whole (Rempel, 2017, p. 147). In general, the experience described by many advocates provides me with the motivation I need to continue working and creating my own projects. Therefore, I will use their methods of negotiation and ways of creating non-governmental organizations to achieve my own goals.
Suggestion and Recommendation
Hence, my suggestion to the author of the book is to include more professional moments and legal cases relevant to law students in the next edition. This is because future advocates are interested in learning about the hidden aspects of law practice and complex cases that advocates solve with the help of their own experience. Furthermore, I recommend the author pay attention to such a branch of law as the medical sphere because the issues of biotechnology and organ donation are becoming increasingly relevant in the modern world. Accordingly, readers would be interested to learn about the experience of practicing attorneys in the field of medical law.
Conclusion
Thus, Chapter Six is entitled “Advocacy stories,” and the author presents attorneys working in various areas of law. The main emphasis is on the factors that influenced people to choose this profession and the personal conflicts that they encountered in the course of their work. In addition, practicing advocates describe methods of communication with state authorities and clients and how they created and developed organizations to protect people’s rights. Thus, the advocates’ stories aim to motivate readers to persevere in the face of initial failures and to work diligently to gain success.
Reference
Rempel, S. (2017). Advocacy in practice: Creating a culture of social change in the human services. Oxford University Press Canada.