Movement Law Lab

What Movement Law Lab does

Movement Law Lab is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal organization, operating as a fiscally sponsored project under NEO Philanthropy, Inc., that connects legal expertise with social justice movement organizing. Founded around 2018 and headquartered administratively in New York, NY, the organization serves frontline social justice movements and movement lawyers across the United States and internationally (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Uganda, South Africa, Tunisia, Spain). It does not sell products or services; all resources, trainings, talks, and blog content are provided free of charge to movements and participating lawyers. The organization has 13 employees and operates as a service-and-advocacy entity rather than a technology company.

The organization's core offerings include legal research, advocacy strategy, campaign support, and movement lawyering training, delivered through in-person trainings (Legal Mass Defiance Training, Negotiating with Power, Campaign Strategy), webinars, an international symposium program, and the 'Dispatches on Democracy' analytical content series published via Convergence Magazine. Its flagship initiative is the Global Network of Movement Lawyers (GNML), a transnational coalition of movement lawyers active in more than a dozen countries, coordinated in partnership with ESCR-Net, INCLO, the People's Vaccine Alliance, Oxfam International, and Médecins Sans Frontières. Leadership includes Director of Movement Partnerships Joey Mogul, Associate Director Ruby-Beth Buitekant, Director of Global Programs Meena Jagannath, and Global Programs Manager Felipe Mesel.

Movement Law Lab is funded through donations and grants channeled via its fiscal sponsor NEO Philanthropy, which provides administrative, financial, and compliance infrastructure; it has no disclosed funding rounds or commercial revenue. Its go-to-market is community-led, relying on movement partnerships, network relationships, content publishing, and global coalition work rather than commercial sales motions. The organization has demonstrated measurable impact in international legal forums, including a landmark August 2023 UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination decision finding that wealthy nations' refusal to support the TRIPS waiver on COVID-19 vaccines constituted racial discrimination, supported by over 44 UN Special Procedures letters and 100+ organizational signatories.

Name

Movement Law Lab

Legal name

Movement Law Lab

Website

https://movementlawlab.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Movement Law Lab is a 13-employee nonprofit legal organization, fiscally sponsored by NEO Philanthropy, that provides legal research, training, and coalition advocacy to social justice movements and coordinates the Global Network of Movement Lawyers across more than a dozen countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Movement Lawyering and Social Justice Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal & Compliance (EDAAAPAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Legal & Governance Professional Development (EDAGANAK), Rule of Law, Justice & Corrections Support in Conflict Settings (BPADAFAI)

Keywords

• Movement lawyering services
• Social justice legal support
• Legal advocacy training
• Democracy defense programs
• Global movement lawyering

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Fiscal Sponsorship: Movement Law Lab is fiscally sponsored by NEO Philanthropy, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity that provides administrative, financial, and compliance infrastructure. Donations and grants flow through NEO Philanthropy, which handles legal status, banking, and donor management on behalf of the organization.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Movement Law Lab is a nonprofit legal organization that provides legal resources, strategic advocacy support, and training to social justice movements and progressive lawyers. It coordinates the Global Network of Movement Lawyers (GNML) for transnational advocacy before UN human rights mechanisms, delivers in-person and virtual trainings (such as Legal Mass Defiance Training, Negotiating with Power, and Campaign Strategy), and publishes analytical content through its blog and the Dispatches on Democracy series.

Product overview

Movement Law Lab is a nonprofit legal organization focused on movement lawyering, not a technology product company. It provides legal resources, training, and strategic support to social justice movements. The organization does not offer technology products, software platforms, or digital services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Legal Mass Defiance Training In-person training program for lawyers and organizers covering legal frameworks and strategy for mass-defiance campaigns, provided free of charge by Movement Law Lab.
• Negotiating with Power Training program for lawyers and organizers on negotiating strategically with power holders in the context of social justice campaigns, delivered in person by Movement Law Lab.
• Campaign Strategy Training program for lawyers and organizers on legal strategy and campaign design for social justice movements, delivered by Movement Law Lab.
• Movement Partnerships Direct partnership program through which Movement Law Lab provides legal research, advocacy strategy, campaign support, and on-the-ground legal support (such as legal observers at mass actions like the 2024 DNC) to frontline social justice movements.
• Global Network of Movement Lawyers (GNML) Transnational coalition coordinated by Movement Law Lab connecting movement lawyers across more than a dozen countries, enabling coordinated legal advocacy before international human rights mechanisms such as the UN CERD and UN Special Procedures (including on COVID-19 vaccine inequity and the TRIPS waiver).
• Dispatches on Democracy Series (Blog and Convergence Magazine Partnership) Original analytical content series published on Movement Law Lab's blog and in Convergence Magazine, providing intellectual infrastructure for progressive movement lawyering on topics including global oligarchic power, judicial accountability, and protest rights.

Quantifiable outcome

• Movement Law Lab coordinated coalition advocacy resulting in a landmark UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) decision finding that global north states' refusal to support the TRIPS waiver constituted racial discrimination.
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Labá - direito, espaço & política (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 July 2024Labá at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro co-hosted the international symposium 'Movement Lawyering in Times of Rising Authoritarianism' with Movement Law Lab and Terra de Direitos in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from July 3-5, 2024. The symposium convened movement lawyers, researchers, activists, and students from around the world.
• Terra de Direitos (Brazil)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 July 2024Terra de Direitos, a Brazilian human rights organization, co-hosted the July 2024 symposium on movement lawyering in Rio de Janeiro alongside Movement Law Lab and Labá/UFRJ. The organization contributed to discussions on land, housing, climate struggles, and democratic resistance in Brazil and globally.
• ESCR-Net (International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMovement Law Lab coordinates the Global Network of Movement Lawyers (GNML) in partnership with ESCR-Net. Together they led the COVID healthcare equity coalition, submitting petitions and urgent appeals to UN human rights mechanisms and coordinating international advocacy for equitable access to COVID-19 healthcare technologies.
• International Network of Civil Liberties Organizations (INCLO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINCLO is a key coalition partner in the GNML-led COVID healthcare equity work. INCLO contributed to petitions before UN mechanisms, urgent appeals, and advocacy efforts aimed at achieving equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines, tests, and treatments.
• People's Vaccine AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMovement Law Lab and the Global Network of Movement Lawyers participate in the People's Vaccine Alliance (now called People's Medicines Alliance) as part of a broad coalition advocating for waiver of intellectual property protections on COVID-19 healthcare technologies to enable global equitable access.
• Oxfam InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOxfam International is part of the coalition coordinated by Movement Law Lab's GNML and ESCR-Net for COVID healthcare equity advocacy. Oxfam contributed to UN submissions and public advocacy calling on wealthy nations to support the TRIPS waiver and sharing of vaccine technology.
• Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMSF is a coalition partner in the COVID healthcare equity campaign led by Movement Law Lab's GNML, contributing medical expertise and advocacy to the effort to achieve equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines and healthcare technologies through UN human rights mechanisms.
• Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS, Argentina)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCELS, a leading Argentine human rights organization founded in 1979, contributed to the GNML symposium and written symposium on movement lawyering in times of authoritarianism. CELS lawyers provided analysis on Argentina's experience with democratic erosion and legal resistance strategies.
• Centro de Estudos Legais e Sociais (CELS, Argentina)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCELS (same organization as above, listed in multiple languages/forms) is a key international partner of Movement Law Lab's Global Network of Movement Lawyers, providing expertise on legal strategies against authoritarian governance in Latin America and contributing to the written symposium.
• UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD)majorOthersGNML coordinated a coalition that submitted a petition to the UN CERD, resulting in a landmark August 2023 decision finding that wealthy nations' refusal to support the TRIPS waiver on COVID-19 vaccines violated international anti-discrimination obligations. CERD issued findings recognizing structural racism in global vaccine distribution.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Advancement Project: Racial justice legal advocacy and organizing support organization that bridges legal strategy with grassroots movement campaigns. Directly comparable in pairing lawyers with movement partners to drive structural change.
• International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH): International federation of 192 human rights organizations coordinating advocacy before UN mechanisms and global fora. Comparable to Movement Law Lab in transnational human rights advocacy and coalition coordination, though at a larger scale.
• Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law: National civil rights legal organization engaging in impact litigation, policy advocacy, and voter protection. Comparable to Movement Law Lab in its civil rights orientation and movement-aligned legal work, though more litigation-centric.
• ESCR-Net (International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights): International network of over 300 organizations and activists working on economic, social, and cultural rights, including coordinated UN submissions and coalition advocacy. Direct partner of MLL and closely comparable in network coordination and UN mechanism work.
• INCLO (International Network of Civil Liberties Organizations): Network of independent civil liberties organizations across the Global North and South focused on rights protection and accountability. Direct MLL coalition partner on COVID healthcare equity and closely comparable in transnational civil liberties advocacy.
• EarthRights International: International human rights and environmental legal organization that uses strategic litigation, UN mechanisms, and movement partnerships to hold corporations and governments accountable. Comparable to Movement Law Lab in its transnational legal strategy and movement lawyering orientation.
• National Lawyers Guild: National membership organization of progressive lawyers and legal workers committed to movement lawyering. Comparable as a parallel network/membership model for left lawyers, with similar training, network-building, and movement-support functions.
• Southern Center for Human Rights: Public-interest law firm focused on civil and human rights in the U.S. South, including death penalty, criminal justice, and movement support. Comparable to Movement Law Lab in its grassroots legal advocacy posture and movement-aligned legal strategy.
• Center for Constitutional Rights: Long-standing movement lawyering organization using international human rights mechanisms and domestic litigation to support social movements. Directly comparable to Movement Law Lab in mission, methodology, and constituency (movement lawyers and organizers seeking sophisticated legal strategy).
• Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights: International human rights organization that combines legal advocacy (litigation, UN engagement) with movement partnership. Comparable to Movement Law Lab in integrating legal tools, international mechanisms, and movement-building.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/movementlawlab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Movement Law Lab