National Lawyers Guild

The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) was founded in 1937 as an association of progressive lawyers and jurists who believed that lawyers had a major role to play in reconstructing legal values by emphasizing human rights over property rights. From its inception, the Guild welcomed into its ranks all members of the profession without regard to race, gender or ethnic identity; it was the first national legal professional association to do so. Since its founding, the Guild has been instrumental in leading struggles for civil rights and civil liberties in numerous historic legal controversies. Areas of activity include: labor law, including preparation of materials for hearings of the National Labor Relations Board; support for the civil rights of communists, labor unionists and foreign born Americans, particularly in the post-World War II decade, and for the civil rights of African-Americans and of peace activists. The Guild defended many of the men and women who were subpoenaed by the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee and House Un-American Activities Committee. The Guild also defended many veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade who had fought against fascism in Spain during the Spanish Civil War and were subjected to political persecution in later decades. The Guild itself was charged, in the 1950s, with being a "communist front" organization, and spent many years in litigation vs. the U.S. Attorney General before obtaining relief. Lawyers playing prominent roles in the NLG or in relation thereto, and represented in the collection include Leonard Boudin, Herbert Brownell (U.S. Attorney General), Royal W. France, Ernest Goodman, Abe Isserman, Leo J. Linder, Victor Rabinowitz, Harry Sacher, and Leo Sheiner. The NLG also worked in cooperation with the International Association of Democratic Lawyers.

From the description of National Lawyers Guild records, 1937-1990 (bulk 1947-1985). (New York University). WorldCat record id: 476090001

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