September 18, 2012

New Name for Law Clinic Reflects Growth at Lewis & Clark’s Environmental Law Clinic

PEAC is now known as Earthrise

     Earthrise Law Center is the new name for Lewis & Clark’s environmental law clinic, formerly known as PEAC, the Pacific Environmental Advocacy Center.  The new name reflects the clinic’s growth and reach.

      Over the years, the law school’s environmental clinic has been the lead law firm in significant, precedent-setting environmental cases. The clinic’s reputation for quality pro bono legal representation has spread well beyond the Pacific Northwest.  The clinic now has a branch office in Massachusetts, and current cases in more than a dozen states across the country. This combination of national-level legal work and real-world education is a proven, positive force for environmental protection and preservation. In recognition of the clinic’s historic successes and new national outlook, the clinic has adopted the new name Earthrise Law Center.

    The first image ever recorded of Earth from space is called “Earthrise.” Shot in 1968 from Apollo 8, this photograph of the planet rising from behind the lunar horizon shaped the course of the environmental movement, by revealing Earth as the fragile and finite planet that it is, a home in need of care and worthy of protecting. In Carl Sagan’s words, “the Earth is where we make our stand.” At Earthrise, those ideals become a reality through teaching and advocacy.

      Earthrise Law Center began as the Pacific Environmental Advocacy Center. The clinic was founded sixteen years ago by Professors Craig Johnston and Dan Rohlf. Today, with a staff of nine, the clinic provides free and reduced rate legal services for nonprofit conservation organizations, ranging from local grassroots groups such as Neighbors for Clean Air to national groups such as the Sierra Club. Since 1996, we have given hands-on, real world training to more than 200 law students, many of whom have gone on to work for conservation organizations, and assisted nearly 70 nonprofit organizations in approximately 200 legal matters.