The founding members of the Law & Society section of the Austrian Sociological Association, Julia Dahlvik The advocate for social justice in Bangladesh has changed a lot in recent decades. The persistent authoritarian regimes in Bangladesh in 1971-1990 severely affected the independence of important institutions such as the judiciary. When democratic transition was imminent in 1990, lawyers played an important role in consolidating the independence of the judiciary and the leadership of the democratic movement. This article examines their contributions to the development of PIL and argues that although social justice advocates have become powerful actors during the democratization process, their traditional role has been largely marginalized due to the significant politicization of the Bar Association and the rise of others in this push, including an increasingly activist judiciary and a vibrant NGO community. In this changed space, however, social justice advocates are embracing new models of practice to improve access to justice for largely impoverished citizens. With these claims, the article argues for a specific historical, contextual, and cultural understanding of social justice advocates in developing countries such as Bangladesh. Kalindi Kokal, Shirish N Kavadi, Satyajeet Mazumdar, Aqseer Sodhi.