A Primer for Student Organizers on Building a Legal Support Network

“As we mark the first 100 days of the second Trump Administration—a period already marked by heightened repression and systemic targeting of student movements—MJF is releasing a new resource: “A Primer for Student Organizers on Building a Legal Support Network. We recognize the critical need for tools that not only address current threats but also build long-term infrastructure.”

April 30, 2025

As we mark the first 100 days of the second Trump Administration—a period already marked by heightened repression and systemic targeting of student movements—MJF is releasing a new resource: “A Primer for Student Organizers on Building a Legal Support Network.”

In recent weeks, student organizers and faculty across the country have reached out to highlight that the existing legal infrastructure is stretched thin, and in some cases, absent entirely. In response, MJF’s Legal Network has developed this guide to help student organizers build legal infrastructure. 

We recognize the critical need for tools that not only address current threats but also build long-term infrastructure. This guide also introduces a new MJF framework for developing legal defense networks—resources that can be adapted to a range of contexts involving lawfare and targeting.

Too often, students are told to “find a lawyer” without practical guidance on how to vet attorneys, understand the scope and limits of legal representation, or build collective legal infrastructure. This primer addresses those gaps, empowering students to take informed, strategic steps to protect themselves and their communities.

What’s Inside the Primer:

The guide is divided into four key sections:

1. Identifying Legal Needs: Understand the nature of the legal issues at stake—whether defensive (e.g., criminal defense, disciplinary proceedings), offensive (e.g., impact litigation), or advisory (e.g., protest rights, immigration).

2. Identifying and Vetting Attorneys: Learn how to evaluate lawyers and legal organizations—covering licenses, fees, communication styles, areas of expertise, shared values, and more.

3. Working with Your Attorney: Gain clarity on the consultation process, how attorney-client privilege works, and what to expect regarding legal documentation, discovery, and communication.

4. Leveraging Advocacy and Mutual Aid Alongside Legal Strategy: Understand how legal defense and organizing can work hand-in-hand. This includes building rapid-response teams, participatory defense, involving law students, incorporating mutual aid, and conducting legal risk assessments.

The primer also includes a curated resource list—directories for legal aid, guides on material support and denaturalization, and other resources focused on  mutual aid and public advocacy.

While this resource is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice, it provides vital starting points for any student coalition looking to build a legal support structure.  We invite you to circulate the primer widely within your networks. Now is the time to build the infrastructure our movements need by sharing information often being held by lawyers in a moment where we must raise the floor on legal awareness and infrastructure development—not just to defend against repression, but to shape the terrain where movements can win.