By: Lindsay-Cate Hadley
My placement has been nothing like I thought it would be. I assumed we would have specific clients, and that “advocacy” meant sitting in front of a client, hearing their story, and then committing to help them as best as possible. Standing in the gap, being a voice for the voiceless, all of that felt like something I had to do for a person with a problem right in front of me.
Working with the European Centre for Law and Justice challenged that assumption in a way I did not expect. The organization is a nonprofit focused on advocacy, but it does not take on individual clients. Instead, the work consists of researching and writing about problems across the world that intersect with Europe. The organization produces reports, contributes research to the European Court of Human Rights, submits third-party interventions, and works to influence the Court toward outcomes that support religious freedom, the right to life, and the protection of persecuted Christians.
At first, this made me question how I understood both advocacy and the role of the legal system. Without a single client to represent, I struggled to see where the traditional attorney-client relationship fit. Instead of direct representation, the work operates at the institutional level. It engages courts, legal frameworks, and international issues rather than individual disputes. This forced me to reconsider the assumption that meaningful legal work must always be tied to a single person’s case.
Over the last six weeks, though, this experience has reshaped my view of advocacy. I spend my days researching cases, analyzing articles and news sources, and learning the legal and cultural contexts of entire countries and issues. There is no single client, and yet I still feel like my work is important and that I am engaging actively in advocacy. Everyone in the organization approaches their work with seriousness and purpose. MY co-workers here have significant legal and academic backgrounds, and they have chosen to focus their advocacy on research, writing, and influence at the highest levels of legal decision-making.
Through its relationship with the Court, the organization is often asked to weigh in on key issues, which means it is, in many ways, speaking on behalf of Christians across Europe. No small task.
Another aspect that has shaped my understanding is that the organization is not tied to a specific country. Its focus is on faith and on advocating for Christians broadly, especially those facing persecution, restrictions on religious freedom, or challenges to expressing their beliefs. That broader focus shows that advocacy is not limited to representing individuals but can also mean representing communities, belief systems, and shared rights. Many people working here have such passion for countries like Azerbaijan, a country I had only heard spoken about negatively in the news. Here, they give the entire country such dignity. I really appreciate that.
Initially, I admit that I struggled to find meaning in this work. I viewed it as something closer to lobbying, and I have always hated politics. But after six weeks, my perspective has changed. I now see that this kind of advocacy is necessary, complex, and deeply impactful. It requires careful research, deep understanding of context and culture, and the ability to communicate ideas persuasively. It is not just individuals who need a voice and representation. It is also institutions, communities, and entire groups of people.
This experience has changed how I view my role as a future attorney. I no longer see advocacy as limited to direct client representation. Instead, I understand that attorneys can serve in multiple capacities when advocating, including shaping legal systems, influencing courts, and advocating for broader groups. Going forward, I want to remain open to both forms of advocacy and to recognize that both are valuable and necessary for a functioning legal system.
If I want to advocate for progress within the legal system, this experience has shown me that there are many ways to do so. I can contribute through research and writing, engage with policy and legal reform, and use the law not only to represent individuals but also to address systemic issues. Progress does not always happen in courtrooms with individual clients; sometimes it happens through the work that informs and shapes those courtrooms from the outside.
This post was written by a student at Regent University School of Law. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.