But you don’t have to attend a protest to be a lawyer ally.
On the contrary, one of the most important acts of a lawyer ally can be done from the comfort of your own home — legal hotlines.
Legal hotlines are ways for protesters or lawyer allies at demonstrations to contact attorneys for representation or advice when arrests or violence may be happening.
Most of these hotlines are not staffed 24/7, but are organized before a known protest is about to happen.
Many times Jacqui has received calls as a protest is winding down from demonstrators wondering whether they’ve been given a real number and seeking advise or counsel in real time. She always tells them, “Yes, this is real. I’m a lawyer. How can I help you?”
Lawyer allies can also assist from their home or office by compiling all the lawyer ally videos taken at demonstrations and organizing them into digitized databases. However, it’s important to remember that sometimes arrests are made after police have seen this online footage of the protests, and these photos, videos, and the people in them should be well protected.