ABSTRACT
Public interest lawyers have increased society's recognition of the rights of minorities, women, consumers, poor people, and other disadvantaged segments of society. They have played an important role in the evolution of laws protecting the environment and making the workplace safer. Public interest law is the name given to efforts to provide legal representation to interests that historically have been unrepresented or underrepresented in the legal process. A "public interest law organization" describes traditional civil rights and civil liberties organizations as well as firms that provide representation to consumers, environmentalists, and workers concerned about health and safety. Public interest groups have been tagged "liberal" because they were originally identified with causes generally regarded as such. Public interest law can no longer be thought of as a monolithic movement dedicated to any one political agenda. Nurtured by an outpouring of foundation funding and stimulated by the emergence of a variety of new social movements.
