By coincidence, our discussion of the development of libertarian public interest law is happening at the same time as the publication of this interesting interview with Institute for Justice President and co-founder William "Chip" Mellor. IJ is, of course, the libertarian public interest firm that litigated Kelo v. City of New London, Norwood v. Horney, and other important property rights and economic liberties cases. Of relevance to our discussion is Chip's emphasis on the way in which IJ deliberately chooses cases that can make an impact outside the courtroom as well as within it (a point I noted in this post):

All of our cases are deliberately designed as platforms to educate the general public about the importance of what may seem to be unique or even arcane issues and why those issues affect many, many people beyond the particular case, both in terms of the situation and also in terms of the constitutional principle involved.

My main complaint about the interview is that Chip didn't get a chance to discuss the fact that he, like me, is a huge Red Sox fan. Clint Bolick, the other co-founder of IJ, is a Yankees fan. As a general rule, however, there may be some correlation between rooting for the Red Sox against the Evil Empire of the Bronx and support for libertarian legal causes.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST WATCH: As I have noted in the past, I have done a great deal of pro bono work for IJ over the years.