Class action avenger: a good idea from Ted Frank

ATL has a cool interview with Ted Frank about his cool new public interest law firm that is planning to represent consumers unhappy with class action settlements.
Of course the problem with contesting these settlements is that nobody has the economic incentive to do so.  But Ted has been

approaching a variety of philanthropists and philanthropic organizations, and I so far have received a very generous grant that should provide funding for the first few months. Of course, I'm happy to hear from anyone wanting to make a tax-deductible contribution.

It would be nice if there were enough money in this good work to attract private investors.  The problem is that the suits with the bad settlements may not have been any good in the first place.  Take away the excessive fees, as Ted is trying to do, and you decrease the incentive to bring the cases in the first place.  But if nobody can easily internalize the benefits, you need to have some kind of charitable or public financing.

So here's to Ted, and the people who fund him.