Advancing justice and democratic values across Canada
PILI is an independent and apolitical non-profit legal association that deploys strategic litigation and
advocacy as vehicles for advancing access to justice and Canada's core liberal democratic values.
Leadership dedicated to the public interest
PILI is led by President and Founder Lawrence David and Vice-President Jeffrey Orenstein.
PILI's non-profit litigation and advocacy is informed by its founders' extensive experience and expertise in constitutional litigation, complex civil proceedings, class actions, and appellate advocacy across Canada.
Our mission
PILI initiates and intervenes in public and private law litigation impacting the public interest. Operating in Canada's common law and civil law traditions in both English and French, PILI deploys strategic litigation as a vehicle for advancing access to justice, the rule of law, and contributing to the development of the next generations of public interest advocates.
Our history
PILI was founded in 2024 by Lawrence David, a litigator and law professor at the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Law and by Jeffrey Orenstein, one of the most prolific class action litigators in Canada.
The impetus for PILI's establishment lies in the need for an independent, apolitical, and non-partisan non-profit legal association devoted to advancing the public interest holistically and not from the vantage point of specific constituencies.
Collaboration with other organizations and lawyers
PILI is always pleased to collaborate with other public interest organizations as well as with lawyers by providing strategic advice, general guidance, and support in the context of interventions and strategic litigation before Canadian courts. Contact PILI for more information.
PILI's collaboration with law students
PILI is privileged to count on resourceful law students from the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Law as research assistants interested in public interest litigation. Students involvement includes Directed Research Projects and the Dean's Legal Writing and Research Fellowship.
Law students' involvement with PILI is part of PILI's commitment to public interest litigation as a vehicle for legal education and to fostering the next generation of public interest lawyers and advocates.