Lawyers as Strategists

This chapter places labor lawyers center stage, examining their role in advancing labor rights litigation at the ECtHR. The analysis shows how ideologically driven lawyers – often working with limited resources – led international litigation efforts on behalf of unions in the UK and Turkey. Drawing on interviews and case law analysis, it traces how these lawyers identified the ECtHR as a viable target within a broader landscape of international legal institutions and crafted litigation strategies. The chapter conceptualizes this process across three phases: an initial probing phase in the 1990s, marked by uncertainty and experimentation; an expansion phase in the 2000s as the ECtHR signaled growing receptiveness to labor rights; and a post-2010 backlash phase, during which the Court’s authority came under strain. By tracing these developments, the chapter underscores how lawyers bridged local struggles and international legal arenas, expanding the scope of human rights protections while adapting litigation strategies to shifting political constraints at home.