The Life of a Movement Lawyer: Lewis Pitts and the Struggle for Democracy, Equality, and Justice

Born in 1947, and raised in rural South Carolina, Lewis Pitts was ignorant of civil rights movements underway across the country. As a directionless, white college student, he committed to military service and was destined for Vietnam. However, five years later after undergoing an intellectual and moral awakening, being discharged as a conscientious objector, and graduating law school Pitts began an unlikely forty-year career as a crusading social justice attorney.

Deeply researched, The Life of a Movement Lawyer: Lewis Pitts and the Struggle for Democracy, Equality, and Justice chronicles how Pitts positively impacted thousands of lives, including during his time embedded in grassroots movements to end nuclear proliferation, seek justice for Greensboro Massacre victims and survivors, restart local government in Keysville, GA, preserve Gullah culture on Daufuskie Island, SC, and end corruption in Robeson County, NC.

This compelling biography is essential reading for aspiring public interest lawyers and will appeal to students of history and anyone interested in social change.