Becoming a Restorative Lawyer

What if the courtroom isn't the only way to pursue justice?

In Becoming a Restorative Lawyer, attorney and scholar Brenda Waugh invites readers to reimagine the very foundation of legal practice. Drawing from decades in the field, she offers a powerful critique of the adversarial legal system, which too often prioritizes winning over understanding, resolution over repair.

Her vision is different: a return to the human heart of justice.

Rooted in the principles of restorative justice, Waugh redefines the lawyer's role as a facilitator of connection, dialogue, and accountability. Through personal narrative, deep reflection, theory, and practice-based insight, she challenges legal professionals-and all justice-seekers-to rethink what justice means, and to begin practicing law in ways that center healing, dignity, and human connection.

More than a critique, this book introduces a new approach to lawyering-one that includes methods, skills, and techniques grounded in restorative principles. It's not a how-to; it's a why-now-an urgent call to transform how we think about and practice justice.

The book features original photography by Howard Zehr, a pioneer of the restorative justice movement. His images serve as visual metaphors, drawing the reader into moments of pause and deeper understanding-reminding us that how we see justice shapes how we seek it.

Becoming a Restorative Lawyer is for attorneys, law students, judges, mediators, paralegals, social justice advocates, and anyone ready to imagine-and practice-a more healing form of justice.

What might justice look like if it were designed to heal?