Earthjustice

Earthjustice
Founded1971; 53 years ago (1971)
Founder
  • Phil Berry
  • Fred Fisher
  • Don Harris
Type501(c)(3) non-profit
FocusEnvironmentalism, Public health
HeadquartersSan Francisco, California, United States
Area served
Within the United States and internationally
MethodLitigation
President
Abigail Dillen[1]
Employees
Approx. 300[2]
Websiteearthjustice.org
Formerly called
Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund; Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund

Earthjustice (originally Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund) is a nonprofit public interest organization based in the United States dedicated to litigating environmental issues. Headquartered in San Francisco, they have an international program, a communications team, and a policy and legislation team in Washington, D.C.,[3] along with 14 regional offices across the United States.

The organization was founded in 1971 as the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund, though it was fully independent from the Sierra Club. The name was changed to Earthjustice in 1997. This was thought to better reflect its role as a legal advocate which represents hundreds of regional, national and international organizations. As of September 2018, the group has provided free legal representation to more than 1,000 clients ranging from the Sierra Club, World Wildlife Fund, American Lung Association, as well as smaller state and community groups, such as the Maine Lobstermen's Association and the Friends of the Everglades.[4]

Earthjustice is a nonprofit organization, meaning the legal service they provide is free for their clients. Funding for the organization comes from donations. It does not receive any funding from corporations or governments. In 2021, Earthjustice made $154 million in total revenue and $100 million in total expenditures.[5] As of 2021, Earthjustice has full-time staff of about 170 attorneys[6] in 14 offices across the United States, and 14 public-interest lobbyists[7] based in Washington, D.C. They are involved in 630 active legal proceedings.[8] The current president of Earthjustice is Abigail Dillen,[9] an environmental attorney who first joined Earthjustice in 2000 and was previously Vice President of Litigation for Climate and Energy.[10][11]

  1. ^ "New Earthjustice Prez's Game Plan". Law360. 2 July 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  2. ^ Our Team
  3. ^ "Offices". 25 October 2019.
  4. ^ Earthjustice Clients and Coalitions
  5. ^ Earthjustice Financial Statements
  6. ^ Earthjustice litigation staff
  7. ^ Earthjustice Policy & Legislation staff
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Earthjustice Names Abigail Dillen as New President
  10. ^ "Abigail Dillen". Earthjustice. 2010-04-08. Retrieved 2021-05-17.
  11. ^ "People: Dillen named new president of Earthjustice." InsideEPA. 28 June 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2018.