ABSTRACT
Over the past few decades, an ever-growing number of city law offices have begun to develop public interest case dockets that vindicate not only their own corporate interests, but also broader public interests in economic, environmental, public health, and civil rights. This chapter argues that our nation should bolster civil law enforcement by inviting and encouraging city law offices to enter the fray. It describes city law offices and their typical functions and describes how a handful of cities have recently engaged in public interest litigation. The chapter examines the cultural, legal, and financial barriers to 'cities seeking justice', and suggests changes that would enable willing cities to develop or expand their capacities to bring public interest cases. The economic crisis also triggered city claims against lenders for race discrimination in violation of the Federal Fair Housing Act. The federal and state governments could most directly incentivize cities to engage in public interest litigation by making grants to cities.
