I have a piece in the current edition of the American Bar Association’s Human Rights Magazine (with free access), entitled “The Lost Art of Organizing Civic Groups” (Nov. 5, 2025).

The main points:

• Democracy relies on participation in autonomous civic groups, but engagement has declined due to the erosion of unions, grassroots political organizations, and participatory religious communities. 
• Many Americans lack the organizational skills needed to sustain civic groups, especially in today’s fast-paced, informal culture, but there are tools and legal guidance that can support new organizers. 
• Lawyers and community leaders must help rebuild the infrastructure of civic life to preserve democratic values.

I thought the last point was worth making to an audience of lawyers, because they have useful training to help groups with documents and policies. Some groups may need official legal advice.

At the same time, many of the most important documents are less formal and do not require a lawyer. The Civic Helpdesk on this website can draft many documents for you.