Public Interest Law Center
 | |
| Founded | 1969 |
|---|---|
| Type | Nonpartisan |
| Purpose | Public interest litigation |
| Location | |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Jennifer R. Clarke, Executive Director |
Employees | 12 (2016) |
| Website | [1] |
The Public Interest Law Center, founded in 1969, is a nonprofit law firm based in Philadelphia. The Public Interest Law Center works primarily in the greater Philadelphia region occasionally taking on issues on a national scale.
The Public Interest Law Center's project areas include Education, Voting, Employment, Environmental justice, Healthcare, Housing and Community Services and Voting.
History
[edit]Founded by Edwin D. (Ned) Wolf, The Public Interest Law Center's history dates back to 1969,[1] rooted in the Philadelphia chapter that was one of seven local affiliates of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.[2] In its early years, the Public Interest Law Center's initial mission was to dismantle specific aspects of institutional racism by targeting discriminatory policies and practices.[3]
Project Areas
[edit]The Public Interest Law Centers aims to use high-impact legal strategies to both promote and protect the marginalized through project areas including Education, Voting, Employment, Environmental Justice, Healthcare, Housing and Community Services and voting.
A full list of The Public Interest Law Center's litigation can be found on the organization's website. [2]
Notable former associates
[edit]- Gilbert F. Casellas, former board member — Chairman of OMNITRU
- Thomas Gilhool, former staff attorney — Former Pennsylvania Secretary of Education
- Jordan Konell, former intern — 2015 Rhodes Scholar[4]
Thaddeus Stevens Awardees
[edit]The Public Interest Law Center annually presents the Thaddeus Stevens Award to either individuals or organizations whose actions best correspond with its social mission.
- 2000: William T. Coleman, Jr[5]
- 2010: Governor Ed Rendell; Hon. Doris Smith-Ribner; Sec. Donna Cooper
- 2011: Jerome Balter
- 2012: Dechert LLP
- 2013: DLA Piper LLP; Thomas B. Schmidt III
- 2014: Pennsylvania State Conference of NAACP Branches; William H. Ewing; Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP
- 2015: School Funding Lawsuit Clients; H. Laddie Montague, Jr.
Awards
[edit]- 1978: The Delaware Valley Council on Services for the Handicapped's Annual Award for Outstanding Service to the Handicapped Community
- 1997: Citizen's Committee on Public Education in Philadelphia's John N. Patterson Award for Excellence in Education
- 1997: The Barristers' Association of Philadelphia's Cecil B. Moore Community Service Award
- 1999: National Down Syndrome Congress' Education Award
- 1999: The Michigan Academy of Pediatrics' Special Recognition Award
- 2009: Inglis Award for Continuing Excellence
- 2006: Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics' Special Recognition Award
- 2012: Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center's Be The Change Award for Extraordinary Work Protecting Pennsylvanians' Right to Vote[6]
- 2015: The Barristers' Association of Philadelphia's Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for Outstanding Service to the Community[7]
- 2015: NAACP's Juanita Jackson Mitchell Award[8]
References
[edit]- ^ "History & Mission | Public Interest Law Center". www.pilcop.org. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ^ "Part of a Network". Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
- ^ "History & Mission". Public Interest Law Center. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
- ^ "City man is Rhodes Scholar". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 24 November 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
- ^ "May Law Center Update" (PDF). May 1, 2000.
- ^ "PBPC Celebrates 5th Anniversary | The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center". pennbpc.org. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
- ^ Epps, Joanne A. "Martin Luther King Breakfast with the Barristers' Association". Temple University Beasley School of Law. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
- ^ "Law Center Honored to Receive NAACP Award | Public Interest Law Center". www.pilcop.org. Retrieved 2016-07-27.