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    Preparing tomorrow’s advocates to defend our natural heritage

    Earthrise Law Center maximizes its impact through the work of talented and committed law students. While Earthrise’s staff attorneys retain ultimate responsibility for case prosecution, students play a vital role at Earthrise by participating in all phases of the clinic’s work. Students draft pleadings and motions, formulate arguments and strategy, and participate in client contacts.

    In addition to receiving invaluable hands-on experience, students earn law school credit for their work with Earthrise. The environmental clinic class supplements student casework by providing additional instruction on the practice of environmental law. The class meets once per week. Class topics include informal discussions about current projects, lectures on aspects of environmental practice, and contact with local practitioners.

    The environmental community reaps benefits from increasing the pool of law school graduates with substantial real-world experience and training. Earthrise students and externs are, literally, tomorrow’s advocates for our natural heritage. Many Earthrise alums now lead the charge in working to preserve and protect the environment as attorneys in public interest, government, and private practice.

Interested in Joining Earthrise Law Center? Apply Now! 

Earthrise welcomes Lewis & Clark rising 2L and 3L law students to apply to join our clinical training program. The application period for the 2016-2017 school year is now open! Please click here to download the application form. Application documents are due on May 20th and announcements will be made on June 7th. 

Clinical Training Program

Students enrolled in Earthrise Clinic during the school year work 10-12 hours per week on actual environmental cases and administrative issues under the supervision of the clinical professors of the Earthrise Law Center. The clinic represents a broad spectrum of environmental organizations seeking to prevent or reduce pollution and protect wildlife, habitat, and ecosystems.  

The matters selected by Earthrise Clinical Professors provide students with the opportunity to work on environmental litigation with the same depth, complexity, and potential impact, and for the same clients, as the leading environmental advocacy law firms in the country. The close one-on-one and small group relationships fostered by our 1:3 faculty to student ratio encourages strong student development in fundamental lawyering skills, including, among others:

  • Problem Solving
  • Legal Analysis and Reasoning
  • Communication
  • Legal Research
  • Factual Investigation
  • Organization and Management of Legal Work

Examples of student work during their Earthrise year:

For many Earthrise students, the skills and confidence they develop in the course of the year enables them to make an immediate impact for their clients as a new lawyer. Please see our Alumni Accomplishments for information on what our alumni are doing now.

Tomorrow’s Advocates Program

Earthrise Law Center’s Tomorrow’s Advocates program enables select Lewis & Clark law students to work full-time for Earthrise during the summer months. The application period for Summer 2016 is now closed. Applicants will be notified by February 29th.

Alumni Accomplishments

We surveyed our alums about their professional lives and memories of Earthrise. They are an impressive bunch! Read the summary report.

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