Mission

Common Good is a non-profit, non-partisan legal reform coalition dedicated to restoring common sense to America. By conducting polls, hosting forums, and engaging with leaders in health care, education, law, business, and public policy from across the country, Common Good is developing practical solutions to restore reliability to our legal system and minimize the impact of legal fear in American life.

What We Do

Common Good was formed in 2002 to restore the freedom to take responsibility. Making choices for the common good is impossible if everyone is tied up in red tape. Reclaiming responsibility requires a basic shift—where law sets boundaries for free choice instead of dictating choices for the lowest common denominator. For over nine years, we have built broad support behind the need for new legal and government structures that will allow Americans at every level of responsibility to act sensibly.

We have developed practical solutions to bring reliability and balance to law in healthcare, education, and civil justice, as well as in areas such as children’s play and public employment. Our proposal for specialized health courts has been endorsed by every legitimate healthcare constituency, as well by leading editorial pages and current and former government officials, including President Obama.

Our Start Over campaign, launched in May 2011, aims to influence the 2012 election by organizing public support for structural overhaul of government and law. Only people, not rules, make things happen.

Common Good’s Founder and Chair is Philip K. Howard, a lawyer, civic leader, and author of The Death of Common Sense and Life Without Lawyers. The organization’s Advisory Board includes leaders from many areas of society, including former government officials Senators Howard Baker, Bill Bradley, George McGovern, and Alan Simpson, and Governors Jeb Bush and Tom Kean.

Common Good is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with operations in New York City and Washington, DC.