Law in the public interest.

• Author: Doyle, Marilyn

In this issue of LawNow, the Special Report focuses on Public Interest Standing in courts and other tribunals. That got me thinking about public interest law in general. The Career Development Office of the University of Toronto says:

Public interest or social justice law has been described as legal work on behalf of individuals, groups, and causes that are underserved by the for-profit bar. Within the broad scope of its definition, public interest practice includes work done by legal clinics, boards, agencies, commissions, and all levels of government, as well as private practice firms and lawyers who define the majority of their clients as public-interest or social justice causes. Under this definition, law in the public interest can encompass numerous areas of the law: criminal law, civil rights, consumer law, family law, international law, environmental law, human rights and more. This article begins by presenting some examples of organizations dedicated to law practiced in the public interest followed by a few interesting projects in this domain.

First it is important to emphasize that this is by no means an exhaustive or even thorough examination of organizations involved in public interest law. It is merely an attempt to give a taste of the wide variety of work being done by lawyers, law students and other parties interested in how the law can support a better world.

In the area of criminal law, the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted (AIDWYC) has a mandate to identify, advocate for, and exonerate individuals who have been convicted of a crime they did not commit and to prevent wrongful convictions through legal education and reform.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association was constituted to promote respect for and observance of fundamental human rights and civil liberties, and to defend, extend, and foster recognition of these rights and liberties. Their program areas include education, fundamental freedoms, public safety, national security and equality.

There are two national organizations advocating for the interests of consumers in some overlapping areas. The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) provides legal and research services on behalf of consumer interests, and, in particular, vulnerable consumer interests, concerning the provision of important public services. It has done work related to online transactions, energy, financial services, telecom, and privacy. The Canadian Internet Policy & Public Interest...