“…I draw from Gerald López’s definition of the ‘rebellious lawyer’: They must know how to work with (not just on behalf of) women, low­ income people, people of color, gays and lesbians, the disabled, and the elderly. They must know how to collaborate with other professional and lay allies rather than ignoring the help that these other problem-solvers may provide in a given situation. They must understand how to educate those with whom they work, particularly about law and professional lawyering, and, at the same time, they must open themselves up to being educated by all those with whom they come in contact, particularly about the traditions and experiences of life on the bottom and at the margins.”

“[T]he cross­ pollination of ‘rebellious’ lawyering into the medical field could have far reaching normative effects on the provision of legal and medical services to people with HIV/AIDS, specifically by increasing trust within individual doctor ­patient relationships. As discussed in Part III(D), supra, in the context of health services to people with HIV/AIDS, especially members of marginalized populations, such as low ­income people and communities of color, the role of trust in clinical interactions has a significant impact on treatment adherence and health outcomes.”

“The medical legal partnership within a neighborhood center serves to amplify the voice of the marginalized. Instead of speaking on behalf of people with HIV/AIDS, the medical and legal communities speak with affected communities in a way that merges together Gerald López’s concept of ‘rebellious lawyering’ [and] ‘rebellious doctoring.’ This partnership ­between lawyers, doctors, and affected communities ­­ has potential to become an important tool for improving individual and community health beyond the HIV/AIDS context, and indeed will be relevant anywhere health intersects with poverty.”

Cited from Amy Killelea, COLLABORATIVE LAWYERING MEETS COLLABORATIVE DOCTORING: HOW A MULTIDISCIPLINARY PARTNERSHIP FOR HIV/AIDS SERVICES CAN IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR THE MARGINALIZED SICK, 16 Geo. J. on Poverty L. & Pol’y 413 (2009).

Amy Killelea is the Associate Director of the Health Care Access Program at the National. Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD).

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