What is Public Interest Law? 

"Public interest law does not describe a body of law or a legal field; the term was adopted to describe whom the public interest lawyers were representing, rather than what matters they would work on. Instead of representing powerful economic interests, they chose to be advocates for those living in poverty. The term has grown, however, to encompass a broader range of activities of lawyers and non-lawyers working toward civil rights, civil liberties, women's rights, consumer rights, environmental protection, and 'fighting for the little guy'; - that is, representing vulnerable segments of society." - Edwin Rekosh, Executive Director of the Public Interest Law Institute

mission

The Public Interest Law Institute (PILI) is an international NGO that advances human rights around the world by stimulating public interest advocacy and developing the institutions necessary to sustain it.

Public interest law encompasses activities such as campaigning, strategic litigation, legal aid, clinical legal education, legal literacy and other public education programs. PILI's approach is to develop and support the diverse array of organizations, programs and individuals involved in these activities and united by a common sense of mission: strengthening the use of law as an instrument for achieving social justice. In doing so, public interest law activities apply principles of human rights, democracy, open society and the rule of law.

history

PILI was founded in 1997 with the support of the Ford Foundation as the Public Interest Law Initiative in Transitional Societies at Columbia University. In 2002, PILI moved its headquarters to Budapest, Hungary to be closer to the region where it was working to advance public interest law. In February 2007, PILI separated formally from Columbia University and became a fully independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization and adopted a new name: the Public Interest Law Institute (PILI). PILI continues to collaborate closely with Columbia University, operating a human rights fellowship program for ten students a year within the Law School, where PILI's Executive Director teaches. PILI receives generous support from the Ford Foundation and a variety of public and private donors.

In addition to its Budapest headquarters, PILI maintains offices in New York, Moscow, and Belgrade (Serbia), and a presence in Beijing (China) and Samara (Russia).

Programs

PILI pursues its mission through five core programs:

Legal Aid Reform
Improving state-supported legal aid systems in order to enhance access to justice for socially vulnerable, poor and disadvantaged people.

Legal Education Reform
Fostering new generations of more effective and socially oriented lawyers by making legal education more practice-oriented, with an emphasis on clinical legal education.

Promoting Pro Bono
Institutionalizing pro bono practice by law firms and individual lawyers in order to leverage private sector resources for the public good.

NGO Advocacy
Building the advocacy capacity of civil society organizations.

Public Interest Law Fellowships
Assisting the professional development of future public interest leaders.