In ACLU cases, the attorneys represent the clients free of charge. ACLU cases are handled by staff counsel and by volunteer attorneys, who are in private practice and volunteer their time for ACLU cases. The ACLU generally files cases that affect the civil liberties of large numbers of people, rather than those involving a dispute between two parties. This involves both the right of individuals to religious beliefs and the separation of church and state. For example, reproductive rights.
Lawsuits can affect a large number of people in two ways.
First, we sometimes challenge a policy or practice which directly impacts upon many people. Second, a lawsuit brought on behalf of one person can have a larger impact on others in the long run when it establishes or expands legal protections. For example, a lawsuit challenging drug testing of one employee, if successful, could set a precedent for thousands of workers in the future. We tend to take cases which do not involve complicated disputes of fact, but prefer to take cases where the issue is a question of law. An example of a factual dispute is an employment discrimination case where the employer claims he fired the employee because of poor job performance and has credible evidence to support that claim.