As two lawyers deeply immersed in the pro-democracy movement, Steve Silverman and Danny Miller have observed that while many lawyers are doing a tremendous job litigating the major issues of the day, much more needs to be done to activate and engage America's 1.3 million lawyers to engage in collective action if American democracy as we know it is to prevail.

Our ambitious goal is to organize and mobilize tens of thousands of American lawyers to engage in collective action (i.e. mass protests, strikes, boycotts) with other lawyers, faith and labor leaders, veterans, and other key civic pillars throughout our society,

Litigation and free and fair elections will obviously continue to be essential theories of change. But as all the studies on democratic backsliding say, in order to stand up to leaders with autocratic tendencies who feel emboldened to defy the courts, the legislature, and even the results of a free and fair election, civil society needs another way – people power – to force accountability. And that is where our new organization, Democracy Rising Collaborative, comes in.

Lawyers must learn how to wield their significant cultural and economic power outside of the courtroom to hold anti-democratic actors accountable and to collectively use their moral authority to mobilize the broader population to protect the American way of life. Our efforts will focus on organizing lawyers to engage in these collective action efforts, integrating lessons learned from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, Poland in 2020, and some recent efforts in the United States. Steve and I have been particularly inspired by the judges' march in Poland in 2020.

***Democracy Rising Collaborative does not attempt to influence legislation or participate or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.

Democracy Rising Collaborative

Mobilizing lawyers to engage in collective action to defend democracy and the Rule of Law.