218. Attorney Elizabeth “Paige” White: “Movement Lawyering” and Representing Clients in Civil Rights, Criminal Defense, and High-Impact Cases

In this episode of The Legal Lens podcast, Angela Reddock‑Wright sits down with Attorney Elizabeth “Paige” White, a Washington, D.C.–based criminal defense and civil rights lawyer, to trace her journey from service‑oriented parents and an early sense of right and wrong to becoming a public defender, working with Attorney Ben Crump, and taking on high‑impact cases. Paige talks about how law school reshaped her view of the criminal legal system, why she left her initial dream of prosecution for public defense, and how working with Attorney Crump on cases like the Tyre Sampson and ASTROWORLD cases, along with excessive force and police‑brutality, hair‑relaxer mass tort, and class‑action sexual‑harassment litigation with other firms and her own firm, convinced her that one case can change a community and even the underlying policies that drive systemic change. She also reflects on what “movement lawyering” means today and offers practical encouragement to young Black lawyers who want to use the law in service of real change. Key Topics Covered Paige’s upbringing with parents rooted in service—her mother a university president at a HBCU and her father a Navy surgeon—and how that instilled in her a call to help others. Her shift in law school from wanting to be a prosecutor who “wears the white hat” to seeing the deep flaws in the criminal legal system and choosing public defense instead. Meeting and later working with Attorney Ben Crump, learning how civil‑rights litigation operates both in court and in the court of public opinion, and collaborating on cases involving preventable tragedies like Tyre Sampson’s death and the ASTROWORLD disaster. Her pioneering work in being a part of the firm that filed the first hair‑relaxer mass‑tort complaint and bringing class‑action sexual‑harassment claims, and how these cases fit into a broader vision of “movement lawyering” that pushes lawyers to stop “upholding capitalism” and instead fight alongside communities for structural change. 🔗 Connect with Angela: InstagramFacebookLinkedInVisit Angela's Website