What We Do
Research on Law and Society
Since its inception, the Legal Agenda has conducted analytical research on legal and judicial developments in the Arab region from a critical and multidisciplinary perspective. Our work examines how laws are produced and applied and the relationship between law and social change. This research follows the methodological requirements of social sciences to produce reliable work on courts, judicial decisions, the legislative process, parliamentary debates, legal practices, the legal professions, and various other topics.
Specialized Alternative Media
The Legal Agenda has three different media publications, namely The Legal Agenda–Lebanon, The Legal Agenda–Tunisia, and The Little Agenda magazines, in addition to its website. Via these platforms, the Legal Agenda contributes to public debate with the results of its research, investigative journalism, and watchdog activities. Our aim is to provide access to reliable and accurate information free from the influence of governments and corporations. We began publishing our magazine in Lebanon in 2011 and in Tunisia in 2015 to cover legal and social issues in Arab countries from a multidisciplinary perspective. In 2015, we published the first issue of The Little Agenda, which aims to introduce children to legal thinking and rights issues.
Advocacy and Strategic Litigation
Through strategic litigation and advocacy activities, the Legal Agenda promotes legal and social change via the courts and public institutions. Since 2011, we have filed or supported more than 50 strategic litigation court cases in Lebanon to improve rights related to labor, disability, sexual and gender-based violence, asylum, human trafficking, free speech, the environment, public property, and other areas. We have also published a series of model legal pleadings that provide legal arguments and supporting research for judges and lawyers to use in human rights court cases. In addition, the Legal Agenda is engaged in many advocacy campaigns alongside its partners in Arab countries, including campaigns to promote the independence and transparency of the judiciary.
The Judicial Observatory
In 2014, the Legal Agenda established the Civil Observatory for an Independent and Transparent Judiciary in Lebanon, which monitors and analyses court cases, trials, and judicial policies concerning the various actors in the justice system, such as judges, lawyers, litigants, and judicial assistants. The observatory sheds light and provides commentary (both positive and negative) on judicial policies and practices, enhancing public debate around the judiciary and its accountability. The observatory aims to promote judicial independence and transparency in a practical manner and enable marginalized groups to turn to the judiciary to secure their rights.
The Parliament Observatory
In 2019, the Legal Agenda launched the Parliament Observatory in Lebanon, which monitors and analyzes legislative activity and practices and works to ensure access to legislative information and improve the legislature’s work. The Parliament Observatory aims to promote participatory democracy and good governance as preconditions for a climate conducive to political and socioeconomic development in Lebanon