The article analyzes the problem of understanding public and private interests at the present stage of development of public relations regulated in Russia by private law. Based on the conducted research, the author concludes that the opposition of public interest to private is unreasonable, since its carrier is a specific individual. Public and private interest in private law are a single whole in cases of high public importance, characteristic of relations related to the provision of actions at their discretion, especially in connection with the establishment of rights to things, the results of intellectual activity, the protection of personal non-property rights. At the same time, one should not underestimate the importance of private interest, the legal form of which is necessary to concretize its provision in a strictly defined sphere of public relations related to meeting the needs of one person by the actions of another, in particular, in contractual, as well as legal relations related to participation in civil law communities, including corporate ones. Such an approach to the correlation of private and public interests makes it possible to expand and clarify their understanding, highlighting civil law values and values of civil law communities, general and special civil law interests, as well as general and special interests of civil law communities, the interests of individual individuals.