Mission Statement
The Consumer Protection Policy Center’s mission is to harness the power of the law to institute positive social change by educating the next generation of leaders – public interest lawyers and government officials – and ensuring that our government adheres to its core mission of protecting its citizens.
Vision Statement
We work to protect and advance a reality where every citizen is protected by a government that is ethical, accountable, and transparent.
Our Approach
We protect underlying democratic values through advocacy and education, creating systemic and far-reaching change at the state level, and advocating before all three branches of government for those who do not have the leverage to advocate for themselves – consumers, the poor, and children – and other diffuse interests such as the environment and future generations.
We particularly focus our attention on state regulatory agencies because they are increasingly important, and are highly susceptible to unmonitored abuse by those with a profit-stake interest in the outcome of their decisionmaking; in fact, we are often the lone public interest advocates appearing before these agencies.
We push the government to develop inclusive policies, and urge government leaders to serve the public and not monied special interests. As an independent academic institution at the University of San Diego School of Law, we train future public interest lawyers to do the same.
- Student Opportunities
- Advocacy and Education Projects
- A Voice for Consumers
- Accomplishments
In addition to its advocacy program, CPPC has an academic component, training the next generation of public interest lawyers at the University of San Diego School of Law, where CPPC law student interns study California agencies that regulate business, professions, and trades, and experience first-hand the influence special interests exert upon them. CPPC’s former students have gone on to become such community leaders as judges, city attorneys, legislators, consumer advocates, and public interest lawyers.
Robert C. Fellmeth
Our Founder
From his early days as one of the original “Nader’s Raiders” investigating the Federal Trade Commission, to his work as a prosecutor and visionary founder of the Center for Public Interest Law and the Children’s Advocacy Institute, Robert C. Fellmeth has spent a lifetime advancing justice, protecting the vulnerable, and shaping future advocates. Since joining the University of San Diego School of Law in 1977, he has inspired generations of students through his teaching and leadership in children’s rights, public interest law, and regulatory reform. In this video, colleagues and former students share how Bob’s work transformed lives—and government itself.
A Message From Ralph Nader
Fellmeth launched his public interest career as one of the original “Nader’s Raiders,” a group of young advocates organized by Ralph Nader in the late 1960s. In 1968, Fellmeth co-authored The Nader Report on the Federal Trade Commission, a groundbreaking critique that spurred federal reform. He helped raise foundation support and led teams of law students and professionals in producing landmark reports and books—Vanishing Air, Water Wasteland, Chemical Feast, among others—that laid the groundwork for major consumer and environmental legislation. He directed pivotal studies of federal agencies and Congress, culminating in the bestselling Who Runs Congress? and a six-volume analysis of Congressional committees. These efforts helped catalyze structural reforms and shaped the modern public interest movement. Listen to Ralph Nader discuss Bob and his phenomenal career of advocacy and reform.
Centers for Public Interest Law
Celebrating 45 Years of Advocacy, Education and Reform
In 2025, the Centers for Public Interest Law (CPIL) marked a major milestone—45 years of fearless advocacy, education, and reform. This special event also honored the retirement of CPIL’s founder, Robert C. Fellmeth, whose visionary leadership has shaped generations of public interest lawyers and policies protecting children, youth, and consumers. This celebration captures the legacy of Bob and the profound impact of CPIL’s work. Watch the full event and join us in honoring a lifetime of public service and principled advocacy.