When we imagine courtrooms, what we see in our minds’ eyes are fair halls where truth, fairness, and justice reign. But take a closer look, and you’ll notice something quite opposite: a system biased in favor of the deepest pockets. Large businesses in America today aren’t playing by the rules; they’re writing the rules themselves.
As a high school student who runs a youth-centered podcast on law and corporate power, called Law of the Empire, I’ve seen how overwhelming the legal system can feel, especially for young people. It often seems like the courtroom is a place where ordinary citizens don’t stand a chance against billion-dollar corporations. But the truth is, understanding how this imbalance works is the first step toward changing it.
Corporations don’t just fight lawsuits–they make the whole legal landscape. Consider the resources they have at their disposal: entire battalions of high-priced lawyers, lobbyists who influence policymakers, and spin campaigns that push their perspectives. Everyday people who bring suits against corporations can find themselves matched up against a defendant who can draw out cases for years, until plaintiffs get fed up and settle for less than they deserve.
A prime example of this is the spread of mandatory arbitration clauses in everything from employment contracts to cell phone plans. Such clauses preclude individuals from seeking the courts to sue and instead channel conflicts into private arbitration, where corporations have a notorious advantage. In 2015, The New York Times called arbitration “a rigged game,” where the odds are virtually certain that consumers and workers will lose.
This is less about contracts between people than it is a shift in power. By removing people’s ability to go to court, corporations remove their accountability and remake the rules in secret. Furthermore, business lobbying has a huge effect on legislation that ultimately suppresses workers’ rights, encourages monopolies, and erodes consumer protection. When legislation is introduced to make corporations pay for environmental degradation or workplace disasters, for example, lobbying groups come racing in to gut or kill the bill.
And even when laws are passed, enforcement is another story. Regulators lack the funds and staff, but corporations have the finest attorneys money can hire to contest each fine, each penalty, each ruling. The result? Laws that sound good but rarely yield significant change. This is the vicious cycle: the courtroom becomes less a theatre of justice and more of a circus where money gets to vote.
It’s easy to dismiss these issues as “adult concerns,” but the truth is that teenagers are already grappling with these issues. Global warming suits propped up by big corporations’ law firms?
That’s what our future hangs in the balance. Wage theft cases that disappear in arbitration? That affects the jobs many of us will be having soon.
The world of law seems distant, yet it is shaping the chance, freedom, and destiny of tomorrow’s generation. If we close our ears, we might be left with a system so tilted in favor of corporate interests that change seems an impossible dream.
The silver lining: Change is possible, and it starts with knowing. Here are some ways youth can resist corporate domination in the courtroom:
- Educate Ourselves: The lawyer jargon sounds ominous, but the better we understand contracts, lawsuits, and lobbying, the less powerful corporations are. Podcasts, youth-oriented law studies, and even social media tutorials are uncovering these topics.
- Use Our Voices: Whether through writing, podcasting, or organizing, young people can shift the narrative. Public pressure is something lawmakers hear, and when a generation gets up in arms, they listen.
- Support Reform: The proposals of prohibiting forced arbitration clauses or illuminating corporate lobbying transparency are on the table. By backing the leaders and institutions pushing for these reforms, we create more balance.
- Hold Companies Accountable: We consumers have power. Where we spend our money and making noise when companies get too big for their britches, can shift corporate behavior.
- Think Long-Term: We are going to be the next lawyers, judges, and policymakers. Even if that is not your ambition, understanding how the system works means we are not going to get silenced or pushed out.
The one most important thing is this: the boardroom and the courtroom are in the same universe. What goes on in corporate boardrooms, with respect to profit margins, environmental policy, or relations between management and employees, does not stay there. It spreads out and influences laws, contracts, and even the courtroom. And when the system is stacked, the people who lose most are usually those who have least.
But history also has taught us that young people can recreate entire systems. The civil rights movement, the climate strikes, and youth advocacy for gun reform all teach us that when young people organize, things change.
The courtroom does not necessarily have to be skewed, but it does not necessarily have to stay that way. Corporations can be rich, strong, and influential, but we have something equally as precious: the resolve that justice must be greater than who can afford to hire the biggest lawyer. If we acknowledge how the system is skewed and will not accept it as it is, we can begin to struggle for a future in which the courtroom lives up to its promise: a place where truth, fairness, and accountability are more valuable than money or connections.
It’s a system that won’t be fixed overnight. But it will happen, if we demand it.
About the Author
Reyna Jain is a driven and socially conscious student at Barrington High School, Chicago, passionate about the intersection of corporate law, public service, and global affairs. She is the Founder and Host of Law of the Empire Podcast, where she simplifies complex topics in corporate law, business ethics, and international policy for young audiences. With hands-on experience in research collaboration with scholars from Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania, Reyna combines academic curiosity with a commitment to ethical leadership and inclusive innovation. Beyond her legal interests, she is also a creative contributor and model with The Rock Agency, reflecting her multifaceted approach to learning and leadership.
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