Pro Bono Honors Pledge Program - Suggested Placements
Environmental Law & Policy
- Action on Smoking and Health (ASH)
- Americans for Democratic Action (ADA)
- American Rivers, Inc.
- Appleseed Center - DC Center
- Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL)
- Center for Study of Responsive Law
- Chesapeake Bay Foundation
- Clean Water Action
- Defenders of Wildlife
- Earthjustice
- Environmental Defense
- Friends of the Earth
- Government Accountability Project
- Indian Law Resource Center
- Migrant Legal Action Program (MLAP)
- National Audubon Society
- National Trust for Historic Preservation
- National Whistleblower Center
- Natural Resources Defense Council
- Nature Conservancy
- Oceana
- Public Citizen Critical Mass Energy Project
- Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
- Public Justice
- United States Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG)
- Wilderness Society
- Wildlife Advocacy Project
- World Wildlife Fund
Action on Smoking and Health (ASH)
ASH is a nonprofit charitable trust primarily involved in advocacy in the area of nonsmokers’ rights. ASH cannot handle cases involving individual rights, but will sue government agencies to protect the rights of nonsmokers and provide testimony on such issues.
Contact: Velma Dessuit, Office Manager, 202-659-4310 or ashlegal@cs.net
Americans for Democratic Action (ADA)
ADA is the nation’s oldest, liberal, independent political organization. It focuses on economic, military, foreign, social, and environmental issues, and maintains a political action committee (ADA/PAC). It publishes a weekly legislative newsletter for liberal activists and a quarterly newsletter.
Contact: Valerie Dulk-Jacobs, 202-785-5980 or valeriedj@adaction.org
American Rivers is a non-profit conservation organization. Its mission is to protect and restore America’s rivers and to foster a river stewardship ethic.
Contact: Finette Jones, Director of Administration, 202-347-7550 or fjones@americanrivers.org
http://www.americanrivers.org/
The DC Appleseed Center for Law and Justice is a nonprofit organization dedicated to solving important public policy problems facing the Washington, DC metropolitan area. To advance this mission, DC Appleseed organizes volunteers, including attorneys and other experts, who work in teams to analyze and develop solutions to problems facing the region. Depending on the problem being addressed, DC Appleseed’s projects involve working with broad coalitions, issuing reports, participating in regulatory proceedings, bringing lawsuits, managing public education campaigns, and meeting with and/or testifying before governmental decision-makers. We are a local organization, working exclusively on a broad array of the biggest public policy problems facing the National Capital area, including healthcare, voting representation, education reform, environmental concerns, jobs, and housing.
Contact: Wayne Turner, 202-289-8007 ext.18 or wturner@dcappleseed.org
Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL)
The Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL) is a non-governmental organization (NGO), founded in 1991 by a group of prominent human rights defenders in Latin America and the Caribbean. CEJIL's principle objective is to achieve the full implementation of international human rights norms in the member States of the Organization of American States (OAS) through the use of the Inter-American System for the Protection of Human Rights and other international protection mechanisms. CEJIL’s mandate is fulfilled through work in three program areas: the Legal Defense Program, the Training and Dissemination Program, and the Campaign to Strengthen the Inter-American System.
Contact: Daniela Montana, Office Manager, 202-319-3000 or dmontano@cejil.org
Center for Study of Responsive Law
The Center for Study of Responsive Law is a nonprofit Ralph Nader organization that supports and conducts a wide variety of research and educational projects to encourage the political, economic and social institutions of this country to be more aware of the needs of the citizen-consumer. The Center publishes a variety of reports on a number of public interest issues.
Contact: info@csrl.org
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is actively involved in influencing public policy and legislation on environmental issues. The foundation also litigates on issues involving clean air, water, and land use.
Contact: Melissa Peters, 410-268-8816 or mpeters@cbf.org
Clean Water Action is an organization of 1.2 million members working to empower people to take action to protect America's waters, build healthy communities and to make democracy work for all of us. For 36 years Clean Water Action has succeeded in winning some of the nation's most important environmental protections through grassroots organizing, expert policy research and political advocacy focused on holding elected officials accountable to the public.
Contact: Kathleen Aterno, 202-895-0420 or dcjobs@cleanwater.org
http://www.cleanwateraction.org/
Defenders of Wildlife is a North American conservation nonprofit dedicated to the protection of all native wild animals and plants in their natural communities. Our programs encourage protection of entire ecosystems and interconnected habitats while protecting predators that serve as indicator species for ecosystem health. Defenders' staff is composed of a variety of wildlife experts, including a legal team with a successful record at the forefront of wildlife law and legal advocacy.
Contact: Aviva Horrow, 202-682-9400 or ahorrow@defenders.org
Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund handles matters relating to environmental issues.
Contact: Howard Fox, 202-667-4500
http://www.earthjustice.org/index.html
Environmental Defense handles environmental public law cases, including matters related to environmental statutes, federal implementation of laws and citizens’ enforcement actions.
Contact: Cheryl Pickard, 202-387-3500 or jobs@edf.org
Friends of the Earth primarily does legislative advocacy on the national and international levels, but also participates in some legal cases.
Contact: Brian Dunkiel, 202-783-7400
Government Accountability Project
The Project focuses on whistleblowers within the area of employment law litigation, particularly when government or corporate employees are victims of retaliation for whistleblowing. Cases are selected, in part, based on the public interest component and potential to advance whistleblower rights. The Project will also provide referrals.
Contact: Dylan Blaylock, 202-408-0034 or dylanb@whistleblower.org
http://whistleblower.org/template/index.cfm
The Indian Law Resource Center handles state and federal litigation and human rights cases dealing with issues such as land rights, treaty rights, self-government and human rights of American Indians and other indigenous peoples.
Contact: Keli Lovejoy, 202-547-2800
Migrant Legal Action Program (MLAP)
For more than 30 years, the Migrant Legal Action Program (MLAP) has provided legal representation and a national voice for migrant and seasonal farmworkers. MLAP works to enforce rights and to improve public policies affecting farmworkers' working and housing conditions, education, health, nutrition, and general welfare. The program works with an extensive network of local service providers, including organizations in the fields of migrant education, migrant health, job training, Head Start, and migrant legal services. MLAP staff provides technical assistance and training to these service providers, as well as undertaking high level policy advocacy at the state or local level. Students would undertake research and writing in support of the program's work.
Contact: Roger Rosenthal, 202-775-7780 or rrosenthal@mlap.org
The National Audubon Society handles conservation, wildlife protection, environmental law and public land issues.
Contact: John Echeverria, 202-861-2242
National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation advocates and litigates in the areas of historic preservation law, land use law, constitutional issues (takings, First Amendment), non-profit issues, and tax law. Contact: Kimberley Herter, 202-588-6035 or law@nthp.org
http://www.preservationnation.org/
The Center handles cases related to employee whistleblowing, First Amendment issues, civil rights issues, environment and atomic energy matters, and government incorporated accountability.
Contact: Estelle Kohn, Deputy Director, 202-342-1903
http://www.whistleblowers.org/
Natural Resources Defense Council
NRDC is the nation's most effective environmental action organization. We use law, science and the support of more than one million members and online activists to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all living things.
Contact: Rae Roach, 202-289-6868
The mission of the Nature Conservancy is to preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive.
Contact: Jonathan Rotter, 703-841-4593 or jrotter@tnc.org.
Oceana campaigns to protect and restore the world’s oceans. Our teams of marine scientists, economists, lawyers and advocates win specific and concrete policy changes to reduce pollution and to prevent the irreversible collapse of fish populations, marine mammals and other sea life.
Contact: Emily Ulmer 202-467-1919 or eulmer@oceana.org
http://oceana.org/north-america/home/
Public Citizen Critical Mass Energy Project
Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program works to protect citizens and the environment from the dangers posed by nuclear power and seeks policies that will lead to safe, affordable and environmentally sustainable energy. We also advocate creation of an agricultural and food distribution system that guarantees safe, wholesome food produced in a humane and sustainable manner, and work to protect the world's fragile water resources from commodification, privatization, and mass diversion.
Contact: Lori Wallach, 202-546-4996 or abradbery@citizen.org
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) is a national, nonprofit service organization dedicated to assisting federal, state and local resource professionals who fight to uphold environmental laws and ethics within their organizations. PEER protects public employees who protect our environment. When a public employee contacts PEER for help regarding an environmental or ethics violation within their organization, PEER becomes the face of the controversy and protects the identity of the public employee who brought the issue to light. PEER also provides free legal services to public employees who suffer adverse actions as a result of taking a stance to uphold environmental laws and ethics within their organizations.
Contact: Christine Erickson, Staff Counsel, 202-265-7337 or cerickson@peer.org; Paula Dinerstein, Senior Counsel, pdinerstein@peer.org
Public Justice is a national public interest law firm that marshals the skills and resources of trial lawyers to create a more just society. Through creative litigation, public education, and innovative work with the broader public interest community, we: protect people and the environment; hold accountable those who abuse power; challenge governmental, corporate and individual wrongdoing; increase access to the courts; combat threats to our justice system; and inspire lawyers and others to serve the public interest.
Contact: Adele P. Kimmel, 202-797-8600 or akimmel@publicjustice.net
United States Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG)
U.S. PIRG focuses on research and advocacy in a wide range of areas including consumer rights, product safety, credit issues, banking reform, environmental issues, energy policy and good government issues.
Contact: Rick Trilsch, 202-546-9707 or uspirg@pirg.org
The Wilderness Society is an advocacy organization working to protect America’s wild public lands, including our national parks, wildlife refuges, and forests.
Contact: Ben Beach, 202-833-2300 or ben_beach@tws.org
Public interest law firm involved with environmental litigation and advocacy on behalf of wildlife under the protection of the Endangered Species Act. The firm is in need of volunteers to assist with litigation, review of policy documents, legislative briefings and congressional staff education.
Contact: 202-518-3700 or wildinfo@wildlifeadvocacy.org
Known worldwide by its panda logo, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) leads international efforts to protect endangered species and their habitats. Now in its fifth decade, WWF works in more than 100 countries to conserve the diversity of life on earth. With nearly 1.2 million members in the U.S. and 4 million worldwide, WWF is the world's largest privately financed conservation organization.
WWF directs its conservation efforts toward three global goals: saving endangered species, protecting endangered habitats and addressing global threats such as toxic pollution, over-fishing and climate change. From working to save the giant panda and bringing back the Asian rhino to establishing and helping to manage parks and reserves worldwide, WWF has been a conservation leader for more than 40 years.
Contact: Margaret L. Ackerly, 202-293-4800
