Arthur H Bryant

Arthur Bryant is a nice Jewish boy who decided he wanted to become a public interest lawyer when he was 14 years old. So, he went to Swarthmore College, Harvard Law School, and that’s what he did. The National Law Journal has twice named him Arthur of the 100 Most Influential Attorneys in America. He has won major victories and made new law fighting for consumers’ rights’ workers’ rights, civil liberties, civil rights, clean air, clean water, food safety, corporate and government accountability, the poor and powerless, and access to justice for all. He is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, and Who’s Who in the World.

Arthur spent the past 35 years helping build and lead a national public interest law firm – Public Justice, – that works with lawyers nationwide to bring cases that will make a difference. He joined Public Justice as its sole Staff Attorney in 1984; became Executive Director in 1987; Chairman in 2014; and Chairman Emeritus in 2019, his 35th anniversary with the organization. When Arthur became Executive Director, the group had two staff (Arthur and the receptionist), a small office in Washington DC, fewer than 25 annual members, a $275,000 budget, and very few cases on its docket. It now has 43 staff (including 23 attorneys), offices on both coasts, over 2,700 members, a $7.5 million budget, and, over the past 30 years, has been involved in a broader range of cutting-edge, high-impact cases than any public interest organization in the country – including two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court last year, both of which it won.

That was the perfect capstone to Arthur’s decision that it was time to re-enter private practice. He is now opening a West Coast Office in Oakland for Bailey & Glasser, created by a close friend he met the first week in law school, and more dedicated than ever to fighting for justice.

Arthur has been honored by, among others, the American Association for Justice, the American Bar Association, Harvard Law School, Mass Torts Made Perfect, the Consumer Attorneys Associations of Los Angeles and San Diego, the Iowa Association for Justice, the New Jersey Association for Justice, the Pennsylvania Association for Justice, the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association, and the Western Trial Lawyers Association. The Oregon Trial Lawyers Association has named its public service award the Arthur H. Bryant Public Justice Award.