10 Things Lawyers Can Do to End Human Trafficking

Here's a bad lawyer joke for you:

Q: How many lawyers does it take to make a difference in the fight against human trafficking?

A: One. You!

It's not even a bad joke. In fact, it's not a joke at all. Lawyers have a unique set of professional skills that are desperately needed in the human trafficking field. If you are a lawyer (or a law student), you have tremendous power to end human trafficking. Here are 10 things you can do to use your professional skills to fight trafficking:

1. Get trained. If you're not an expert on legal issues involved with human trafficking, don't worry. You can and should get trained before you start taking cases. LexisNexis offers a lot of comprehensive and free training resources online. A formal training will help you better prepare for cases and understand the issues at hand.

2. Help someone get certified. One of the biggest legal needs international trafficking victims have is help with the Department of Health and Human Services certification process and the accompanying documentation. Contact your local anti-trafficking NGO for opportunities to help victims get certified.

3. Take a civil case pro bono. Trafficking victims might have a whole host of civil legal needs in addition to their criminal case and/or immigration issues. The Trafficking Victims Protection Act has a civil cause of action, and victims' attorneys have successfully litigated cases in the past.  If your firm has a pro bono program or coordinator, consider suggesting a human trafficking caseload as part of that program.

4. Help out an anti-trafficking NGO. Anti-trafficking organizations have a number of legal needs, even if they don't provide direct legal services to victims. For example, social service organizations that provide counseling and other types of care may need administrative legal help, like with employment policy and lease agreements.

5. Write better policy. As a lawyer, you can do more than just advocate for better policy, you can create it! Volunteer to draft better policy or legislation at the state or local level.

6. Reach into the firm's pockets. If you work for a law firm, ask them to donate space, catering, or money to a local anti-trafficking organization. Sometimes, something as simple as allowing an NGO to meet in a conference room or host a training in the firm's space can go a long way to helping them help trafficking victims.

7. Reach into your own pockets. If you don't work for a firm or your employer is currently holding on to the purse strings for dear life, consider donating some of your personal funds. Not all lawyer pull down large salaries, but if you're lucky enough to be flush right now, consider sharing the wealth.

8. Volunteer at a clinic. More and more law schools are opening human trafficking clinics. Those that don't have specific trafficking clinics may serve trafficking victims via immigration clinics or employment clinics. Volunteer to supervise students and help train the next generation of lawyers who care about ending human trafficking.

9. Tell people about their rights. Often, trafficking victims are stuck in slavery because they don't know their rights or don't think the legal system can help them. You can help educate people at-risk for trafficking like migrant workers and women and girls in prostitution.

10. Join the movement. If you're committed to ending human trafficking and currently unemployed or looking for a different kind of job, consider working full-time on human trafficking legal issues. You can keep up to date on jobs in the movement here.

So now you know at least 10 ways that you can get involved with the anti-trafficking movement using your professional skills as a lawyer.  And if I missed something, please add it in the comments as a suggestion. There are 27 million slaves in the world today. So while you now have 10 ways to get involved, never forget that you also have 27 million reasons.

Photo credit: lanuiop