Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest (ACLPI)

Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest (ACLPI)

514 West Roosevelt Street
Phoenix, AZ 85003
Phone: 602-258-8850
Fax: 602-258-8757

The Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest was founded in November by two Phoenix lawyers-Herb Ely, who in 1984 was honored by the American Bar Association with its first Pro Bono Award, and Bruce Meyerson - to fill a void in public interest law in Arizona. When the center was first established, it had no staff but a commitment from several local law firms to donate office space. Speeches by Ralph Nader, contributions from members of the Board of Directors, Volunteers in Service to America, and Rockefeller Family Fund grants, however, enabled the Center to grow. By August 1977 it was designated as the protection and advocacy agency in Arizona to represent the disabled. Two years later it received a grant from the City of Phoenix to do advocacy work on behalf of residents of nursing homes.

Originally founded as a litigating group, the center's chief goals are the representation of (1) consumer interests, (2) the rights of disabled persons, particularly in the areas of education and employment, (3) the interests of Arizonians in a clean and healthy environment, and (4) the rights of the homeless and unemployed, especially those in boarding and care homes.

The center has approximately 2,800 members whose dues account for 11 percent of its nearly one-half million dollar annual operating budget, 67 percent from government funding and the remainder from miscellaneous sources. It is a 501(c)(3) organization. The center employs 3 attorneys and a total staff of 12. In addition, it uses the assistance of about five student interns a year. To facilitate their work, two projects involving developmental disabilities and environmental issues were created.

The center handles cases at all levels. For example, it routinely files Freedom of Information Act requests to insure government compliance with environmental regulations. It has also sponsored two cases all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The first "challenged the election of the Board of Directors of the Salt River Project based on a one-acre, one vote standard." The center narrowly lost on a 5 to 4 vote. Two years later, however, in Arizona Governing Committee v. Norris (1983), Executive Director Amy Jo Gittler persuaded the Supreme Court that women had the right to receive the same pension benefits as men upon retirement.

It has no forum preference, with state versus federal filing depending upon the nature of the cases, which typically come from telephone calls and referrals. In these activities, the center most frequently cooperates with other organizations that work for the disabled to ensure representation of interests that would otherwise go unrepresented.

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