USD Law Celebrates the 45th Anniversary of Centers for Public Interest Law and Retirement of Robert C. Fellmeth

Friday, February 7, 2025TOPICS: Faculty and Staff

Schapiro, Fellmeth, D'Angelo Fellmeth

On Sunday, February 2, friends, family, and colleagues gathered at the University of San Diego (USD) campus to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Centers for Public Interest Law (CPIL) and the retirement of its founder and executive director Robert C. Fellmeth, Price Professor of Public Interest Law.

Inside a packed room at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice, Ed Howard, the Children’s Advocate Institute Senior Counsel/Senior Policy Advocate, gave opening remarks and then handed it over to Dean and C. Hugh Friedman Professor of Law Robert Schapiro for the welcome. Dean Schapiro remarked that USD Law graduates are exceptionally well prepared to step into practice greatly due to the experiential learning opportunities they have from the faculty and legal experts at CPIL. For 45 years, students have benefited from Bob’s vision. ”Bob believed that law schools should be doing something in terms of ‘changing the law, improving the law, measuring the law, and reporting on the law.’ He therefore founded USD's Centers for Public Interest Law in 1980… and the rest is history.”

In 2021, CPIL was rebranded as the Consumer Protection Policy Center (CPPC), to reflect the Center’s commitment to the representation of consumer interests. And, in recognition of the two other public interest organizations that Bob launched, the Children’s Advocacy Institute (CAI) and the Energy Policy Initiatives Center (EPIC), the acronym CPIL was recast as the umbrella name for his Centers for Public Interest Law.

The hour-long program proceeded with eloquent tributes to Fellmeth and the three centers and institutes that comprise the CPIL. Each section included a video of highlights and accomplishments from over the years as well as reflections from the administrators Marcus Friedman ʼ21 (JD), Jessica Heldman ʼ04 (JD), and Scott Anders, alumni Rob Kelter ʼ87 (JD), Hon. Mari Parlade ʼ97, ʼ02 (JD), and Joe Kaatz ʼ11 (JD) and Price Philanthropies Foundation Chairman/President Robert Price about the critical work and advances made as a result of Bob’s mentorship. Sentimental anecdotes of how the speakers' lives will forever be changed had the audience applauding and wiping away tears. View the program here.

Fellmeth’s former student Debbie Rider, ʼ84 (JD) Assistant Dean, Law School Development & Alumni Relations, closed out the program with a thank you to Fellmeth, Julie D’Angelo Fellmeth, and all of the supporters, staff, and alumni of the CPIL centers and institutes. Rider emphasized, “We are charged with pressing on, carrying out the work and inspiration of Bob and Julie Fellmeth – to continue protecting the rights of children, by serving as watch dogs for public agencies, by upholding the foundation of CPIL, CAI, CPPC and EPIC.”

The Nancy D’Angelo and Jane Fellmeth Public Interest Advocacy Endowment, named in honor of Bob and Julie’s mothers, provides a lasting source of funding to support research, public education, impact litigation, and advocacy efforts at the state and federal levels. Your contribution to the Endowment ensures that CPPC and CAI continue their vital work to protect vulnerable populations for generations to come. If you would like to make a gift in honor of Bob Fellmeth and CPIL, please click here.

Upon the conclusion of the formal program, attendees gathered outside at the beautiful Garden of the Sea for a champagne reception. Amy Harfield, CAI National Policy Director, started the toasts, and several friends, colleagues, and family members took advantage of the opportunity to show their gratitude for Fellmeth and CPIL

All of the videos from the event are available here:

Changemaker Heroes Video

— USD News Center