Activists

A large part of Joe Welch’s law practice involves the representation of activists, protesters, and criminal cases that have a political angle. He is a longtime member of the National Lawyers Guild and NORML, having served on the boards of the St. Louis chapters of both organizations. He also teaches a CLE (continuing legal education) for other attorneys, students, legal workers and jailhouse lawyers about defending protesters.

His clients have been involved in the

  • Ferguson uprising/Justice for Mike Brown protests
  • Occupy St. Louis
  • Occupy the Midwest
  • Cannabis legalization movement
  • Peabody Coal protests
  • Foreclosure resistance movement
  • Justice for Isaiah Hammett movement
  • Anthony Lamar Smith/Jason Stockley protests
  • Civil War monument protests
  • Anti-trump protests
  • Breonna Taylor protests
  • Palestine liberation protests
  • Washington University protests
  • He also represents

  • Medical cannabis patients
  • Religious cannabis users
  • Politicians running on marijuana legalization platforms
  • Black Lives Matter supports
  • Transgender rights activists
  • Veterans fighting for their right to use medical cannabis
  • Civil rights activists
  • Anarchists
  • Environmental activists
  • Palestinian rights activists
  • Members of the “Wash U 100” arrested on 4-27-2024
  • The indigent and oppressed
  • Joe Welch represents many of these clients for a reduced fee, low bono, or completely pro bono basis. Often activists are not responsible for paying their own attorney fees and enlist the help of other activists or organizations to pay for their defense.