More than 90 years after the Weimer Republic began collapsing leading to the demise of democracy in Germany and the horrors of the Holocaust, this tragic period of history still has stories to reveal and lessons to share. The Lawyers Without Rights project focuses on the rule of law and how one government starting in 1933 – the Third Reich in Germany – systematically undermined fair and just law through humiliation, degradation and legislation leading to expulsion of Jewish lawyers and jurists from the legal profession. As the rule of law comes under attack today in both developed and Third World countries, Lawyers Without Rights tragically portrays what can happen when the just rule of law disappears -- replaced by an arbitrary rule by law that sweeps aside the rights and dignity of selected populations. The story of the fate of Jewish lawyers in Germany is more than a historical footnote; it is a wake-up call that a system of justice free of improper political considerations remains fragile and should never be taken for granted.
Louisiana Old State Capitol
Baton Rouge, LA
Nov. 1-Dec. 21
The traveling exhibit, Lawyers Without Rights: Jewish Lawyers in Germany, now comes in three different formats. All are similar in content and have between 22-25 panels. Individual exhibits can be displayed on frames, hanging on walls or pop-ups from the floor. There is no charge to host, and we pay for transport. If interested in learning more about how you can bring one of the formats to your region, contact Bill Choyke, LWR coordinator, at the American Bar Association, or call: 202-662-1864.
Learn more about the ABA Task Force for Combatting Antisemitism.
From the Jewish Museum of Florida in Miami Beach, watch a special hour-long program, “Erosion of Rights: From the Holocaust to the Present – Can it happen here?” from Oct. 17, 2022, with panelists Consul General Andreas Siegel, German consulate, Miami; former ABA President and Cuban refugee Stephen Zack; American Jewish Committee Regional Director Brian Siegal; and former ABA President and moderator Hilarie Bass, president of the Bass Institute for Diversity & Inclusion.
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Lawyers Without Rights: The Fate of Jewish Lawyers in Berlin after 1933 is about the rule of law and how one government – the Third Reich in Germany – systematically undermined fair and just law through humiliation, degradation and legislation leading to expulsion of Jewish lawyers and jurists from the legal profession. As the rule of law comes under attack today in both developed and Third World countries, LawyersWithout Rights tragically portrays what can happen when the just rule of law disappears -- replaced by an arbitrary rule by law that sweeps aside the rights and dignity of selected populations. The story of the fate of Jewish lawyers in Berlin and all of Germany is more than a historical footnote; it is a wake-up call that a system of justice free of improper political considerations remains fragile and should never be taken for granted. 
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"Not only will Lawyers Without Rights be an enduring work of scholarship; it also couldn't be more timely."
“I am proud that Villanova Law hosted this powerful exhibit, which provides a critical window into a dark time in legal history. By ensuring that our students better understand our profession's past failures, we can help guide them as they strive to create a more just world today.”
--Mark C. Alexander, dean, Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law
Current affairs remind us that the rule of law is fragile. Lawyers particularly have an obligation to stand up and speak out when the rule of law is under attack; when just and fair law that treats everybody equally is replaced by unjust law — even when enacted by governments. Starting in 1933, few German lawyers sounded the alarm when the Nazis enacted a series of laws designating German Jews as less than full citizens and implemented occupational bans that over five years barred all Jewish lawyers and jurists from the legal profession. This engaging program explored why silence is not an option when the rule of law is under attack.
For information on the Lawyers Without Rights: Jewish Lawyers in Germany under the Third Reich, or to learn how to bring the exhibit to your community, contact Bill Choyke, LWR Coordinator, at the American Bar Association, or call: 202-662-1864.
Louisiana Old State Capitol
Baton Rouge, LA
mid-October-mid-December
More than 70 years after its horrors unfolded, the Holocaust still has stories to reveal and lessons to share. This exhibit begins to provide a portrait of the fate of Jewish lawyers in Germany — stories that speak to how the Nazis purged Jewish lawyers as one of the early steps to attack the rule of law in their country.
Four lawyers from the Washington area, all descendants of attorneys purged from the practice of law by the Nazis in the 1930s, shared their stories at a “Family Remembrances” program in conjunction with the Lawyers Without Rights exhibit at the German-American Heritage Museum in downtown D.C.
Munich lawyer Dr. Michael Siegel (1882-1979) had complained to Munich Police Headquarters in early 1933, when one of his clients was taken into 'protective custody'. He had the legs of his trousers cut off and was led through Munich's inner city streets barefoot with a board around his neck that read: "I will never complain to the police again!"
The Official Anti-Jewish Acts Project, a compendium of worldwide antisemitic laws and regulations going back to 410 BCE, has made available this list of laws targeting Jews just in Nazi-era Germany. Various professions, such as lawyers, journalists, writers, doctors, and athletes, are identified in this period account of official legal documents.
