legal foundation type 501 c 3 founded 1977 headquarters 150 lincoln street boston massachusetts area served new england website http nelfonline.org the new england legal foundation nelf is a not for profit public interest foundation whose mission is promoting public discourse on the proper role of free enterprise in american society and advancing free enterprise principles in the courtroom . nelf challenges intrusions by governments and special interest groups which would interfere with the economic freedoms of u.s. citizens and business enterprises in new england and the nation . its ongoing mission is to champion individual economic liberties traditional property rights properly limited government and balanced economic growth throughout the six state new england region . 1 nelf does not charge attorney s fees for its legal services . its operating funds are provided through tax deductible contributions made by individuals businesses law firms and private charitable foundations who believe in nelf s mission . 2 contents 1 mission 2 cases 3 references 4 external links mission edit the new england legal foundation is the only non profit public interest law firm in the new england region addressing policy and constitutional concerns related to free enterprise . its mission is promoting public discourse on the proper role of free enterprise in our society and advancing free enterprise principles in the courtroom . nelf s approach is non partisan and is based on the premise that while the free market should not be left entirely unregulated it usually provides the greatest opportunity for the greatest number when left free from unwarranted intrusion . 2 cases edit nelf handles precedent setting cases that involve business financial and economic issues . the most common subject areas on its docket are government regulation property rights taxation and employment law . as a public interest law firm communicating with the courts nelf does not attempt to change the law but only aids the court in interpretation . nelf challenges unwarranted government intrusion on the free market by seeking redress in the courts . 3 nelf deals with cases that involve economic or commercial questions and does not become involved in social issues . it selects cases based on their likelihood of creating precedent that will have policy and or constitutional impact for the business community and society as a whole therefore promoting the public good . nelf selects cases in which it can make policy legislative history or empirical arguments which are not featured or at least not emphasized in the parties briefs . 2 references edit sheri qualters 2012 . panelists debate impact of citizens united in recent election . nlj.com . retrieved december 20 2012 . a b c nelf . nelfonline.org . retrieved march 28 2012 . commonwealth of massachusetts 1996 . new england legal foundation vs. city of boston & another . . masscases.com . retrieved march 28 2013 . external links edit new england legal foundation s website nelf 2010 annual report organizational profile national center for charitable statistics urban institute coordinates 42 21 04 n 71 03 31 w 42.3510 n 71.0585 w 42.3510 ; 71.0585 retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title new england legal foundation & oldid 743310403 categories organizations established in 1977non profit organizations based in bostonlibertarian organizations based in the united stateslegal advocacy organizations in the united stateshidden categories coordinates not on wikidata navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout wikipediacommunity portalrecent changescontact page tools what links hererelated changesupload filespecial pagespermanent linkpage informationwikidata itemcite this page print export create a bookdownload as pdfprintable version languages add links this page was last modified on 9 october 2016 at 02 06 . text is available under the creative commons attribution sharealike license ; additional terms may apply . by using this site you agree to the terms of use and privacy policy . wikipedia is a registered trademark of the wikimedia foundation inc. a non profit organization . privacy policy about wikipedia disclaimers contact wikipedia developers cookie statement mobile view