Deborah Rhode, a law professor at Stanford University, sums up the history of the movement in the United States: “Public interest advocates have saved lives, protected fundamental rights, established critical principles, transformed institutions, and ensured substantial benefits to those who need them most. In virtually every major American social reform movement of the past half-century, public interest advocates have played an important role. [29] It is not a body of law or an area of law. Rather, it is the clientele they represent. Instead of serving powerful economic interests, it defends the interests of those otherwise underrepresented or vulnerable, particularly those living in poverty. It has evolved to encompass a wider range of activities, usually the field of non-lawyers such as civil rights, civil liberties, women`s rights, consumer rights, environmental protection, etc. [1] Nevertheless, a common ethic for public interest lawyers in a growing number of countries remains “fight for the little guy”. [2] At the end of the communist period in the early 1990s, the national legal systems of Central and Eastern Europe were still in their infancy. The main source of legal authority for the new human rights groups came from outside the region: the Council of Europe with its European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights.
[3] Public interest lawyers also fight for the oppressed. They are trying to bring about a change in policy and defend civil liberties. These professionals fight for environmental protection, consumer rights and other causes for the betterment of society. With the generous support of ABE and its insurance participants, the ABA improves access to justice and provides vital legal services to individuals and families in need. ABA FJE is grateful for the current grant of nearly $3.7 million from ABE and their unwavering generosity for nearly 60 years. This investment helps support critical legal projects and programs that are important to the profession and the public. Both inside and outside government, public interest advocates work on environmental issues, predatory lending, debt collection issues, and more. Their work may include litigation before the courts, practice within or before government agencies, efforts to shape agency laws and rules, and the preparation of reports and documents designed to push for reform. And, of course, these experiential learning opportunities are complemented by courses related to the law of the common good.
To name just a few examples: corporate compliance and human rights, children and the law, environmental law, housing discrimination law, indigenous peoples` rights, mental health law, non-profit organizations, sexual violence and law reform, and special education law – among many others. Public interest law (公益法) is an accepted term in China, where basic institutions that support the rule of law are still emerging. China does not have a common law system in which lawyers are supposed to play a key role in “legislation”. Nevertheless, a small but effective community of lawyers has gained acceptance of litigation in the public interest as a legitimate means of resolving social problems and promoting a harmonious society, and non-State actors have significantly improved the implementation of the rights of migrant workers, women, children and persons suffering from environmental degradation. For example, public interest lawyers in China have filed lawsuits to successfully challenge sexual harassment in the workplace and the involuntary detention of healthy people in psychiatric hospitals. [5] For example, public interest lawyers work on a variety of civil rights issues, including issues of discrimination based on race, ethnicity or sexual orientation; Sexuality; the rights of persons with disabilities, whether physically or mentally disabled; or issues related to human rights violations. Public interest lawyers also represent people at risk of eviction and homelessness, fighting for fair wages or receiving government benefits, and struggling with workplace issues.