Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide - ELAW

I have been an active participant (volunteer lawyer, followed by Board member, followed by Board Chair) and supporter of ELAW for many years because I have seen firsthand the value and impact of their work, worldwide. They empower lawyers and scientists in other countries who otherwise would lack a community of support and knowledge. They get things done! They use simple techology and lots of expertise to help our partners win cases. They make a difference.

Below, photos from a 2007 trip to Honduras and Guatemala, in which lawyers from different countries shared advice and knowledge and spoke to a conference of Honduran attorneys.

The Environmental Law Alliance full of incredibly kind people who clearly care about what they are working towards. I have been volunteering there for over a year and have had only exceptionally positive experiences with them thus far.

My wife and I have been proud to support ElAW for over twenty years, finding that its work at the intersection of environmental protection and social justice represents a great opportunity to make an impact at both preserving the natural world AND honoring and supporting developing world communities who are too often overlooked and underrepresented in the environmental movement writ large.

ELAW utilizes a leverage model that allows it to make significant impact around the world while remaining highly efficient. ELAW will not make the headlines, preferring to shine the spotlight on its partners working on the ground, but we are confident that our gift to ELAW has a multiplier effect that is hard to duplicate with our other philanthropic giving.

I was able to work with ELAW this past summer and saw how dedicated every staff member was in advocating for environmental justice issues across the world. The demand-driven structure allows for scientists and attorneys alike to support grassroots movements in different countries, while not stepping on domestic experts' toes. The compassion and drive of everyone in this organization is motivating and I would not change my experience for the world.

I got to know ELAW since 2018 by a simple enquiry email. What followed was a caring and kind experience, from openness to my inquiry to taking me as an legal intern for the summer 2021. My respect for ELAW has grown over the years and I am awed by the work they do especially in environmental justice and building capacity; and their high level of expertise! I love how ELAW works with a passion to assist various attorneys in their requests for support. Most importantly, I love the diversity in their organization as well as having a spirit of inclusion and well being. Though it is was a remote experience for me, the entire staff were with me through the entire period and were beneficial to me gaining practical experience to build from my LL.M in Environment and Natural Resources attained at the University of Oregon. I am profoundly grateful to have met and interacted with the ELAW team!

I had an amazing experience as a science intern for ELAW in Fall 2020. Even though the internship was virtual due to the pandemic, I was able to help with meaningful projects and learn interesting new skills. The folks at ELAW are clearly passionate about their work. My internship advisor/mentor not only provided feedback on my work within the organization, but also gave me guidance on my grad school applications. I would certainly recommend ELAW to everyone!

I worked on a design project with Karen. It was a great experience. I only have wonderful things to think and say about ELAW! I'm proud to be introduced to their non-profit and mission.

I was an ELAW fellow in 2018 but I got to know this organization much earlier when I started working for my NGO in Ukraine – International charitable organization “Environment-People-Law” (EPL) - in 2008. First, I heard from my colleagues about specific cases when ELAW’s assistance was particular helpful. Gradually, I learned about various directions and aspects of cooperation between EPL and ELAW and was really amazed by the work ELAW is doing.
ELAW plays an exceptional role in development and professional performance of many environmental organizations worldwide as it provides multifaceted assistance for institutional development and solution of specific environmental problems addressed by various environmental NGOs.
Particularly valuable is the possibility to communicate with colleagues worldwide and be able to get access to similar experiences from various countries. When our experts deal with a specific issue and have a specific question, they write to ELAW and get plenty of help from colleagues worldwide. This builds an exceptional feeling of belonging to a big environmental community and certainty that expert support is always available in any situation.
EPL and ELAW have been cooperating on various issues including environmental impacts of hydro power plants and windmills construction, protection of cetaceans, environmental effects of wars, air pollution. When EPL was working on a litigation case that later became the first for Ukraine won environmental case in the European Court of Human Rights, ELAW helped EPL to conduct analysis of water samples as Ukraine has difficulties with independent certified laboratories that can do reliable laboratory testing results of which can be used in court.
ELAW fellowship program is really amazing in terms of sustainable effects it brings. Every year EPL staff members come for a fellowship to strengthen their professional skills in some particular area and to improve their English. Individual fellowship programs are tailored specifically for the needs of each fellow and it is astonishing that any staff member, including director, project managers, environmental scientists, lawyers can learn many useful practical things that substantially change their professional capacity.
Because I perform the function of development director being engaged into strategic planning process, fundraising and project management, my fellowship program was focused on these issues and I had a possibility to learn how these aspects are addressed in ELAW and other US NGOs. Importantly, I had a possibility to meet in person with current and potential funders of our work and this was a particularly valuable experience. It is quite different to talk to your funder directly after you have been communicating and submitting reports online for years. As a result of this direct communication with funders, EPL got a new big project from United Nations Democracy Fund and the project is implemented jointly with ELAW.

I have been volunteering with various groups (35 thus far) over the past 2 years on a project basis. My project with ELAW was one of my more rewarding ones for a couple different reasons. First, Karen’s engagement & collaboration helped keep the project focused. Also, it was clear that the project actually yielded results that are being used to help the organization.

I started working as an environmental lawyer in 1994 in Hungary and already the next year, in 1995 I was brought to the US to meet ELAW people and learn this profession. I am still an environmental lawyer, and after 24 years, ELAW brought me back to the US in 2019, to meet fellow defenders from all over the world again. And I met a number of people from ELAW who were there 24 years ago!

These guys are the most dedicated defenders of environmental rights I have ever seen! Their work is not only highly useful, but simply indispensable, irreplaceable! Without ELAW, we would be so much poorer, our environment would be in so much worse shape. They are just great!

ELAW will remain a special organization in my life as a human and environmental rights defender. You sponsored my Fellowship where i learnt how to apply and use science to support and explain legal causes. This will remain a permanent positive mark in my profession as a lawyer and as a public rights defender. I also appreciate your expert support to AFIEGO in the review of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment(ESIA) reports concerning our advocacy efforts to stop social and environmental oil risks and threats in Uganda.

I wish you the best.

ELAW is doing an outstanding job in helping environment advocates and organizations around the world in pursuing justice and protecting the environment. I've spent 2 weeks with the ELAW team in Eugene as an ELAW fellow for 2020. Thanks to the efforts of the ELAW staff and volunteers, I've enjoyed my stay in Eugene. This fellowship was an amazing opportunity for my personal development. It opened new horizons for me regarding public interest environmental law and connected me with some exceptional people that fight for a better world.

I am completing my spring and summer internship at ELAW and I could not have better things to say about this organization. They are truly driven to working with their partners to advocate for tangible change. While being so focused on the large projects going on, they never ceased to check in with me and give me feedback. This work environment was always encouraging and the staff truly wants to help the people around them to learn and succeed. Even given the global pandemic, no one ever faltered from the larger mission and vision of working towards environmental change. Due to this incredibly positive internship, I cannot wait to continue on my own path and apply to law school to one day work for an organization as phenomenal as ELAW!

After the pandemic hit and I saw my peers lose their summer internships en masse, I had no idea what to expect for my internship with ELAW. Luckily, the staff at ELAW flawlessly transitioned to remote work, and provided the most fulfilling and welcoming work experience I have ever had. I was immediately put on real cases for which my work was actually valued—with helpful oversight from staff attorneys who were always ready to answer questions and offer advice. Everyone at ELAW was incredibly accessible, and the sense of camaraderie has followed me even after the internship. At the end of my ten weeks with ELAW, I was amazed at all I had accomplished and how comfortable I felt with the staff. I can only imagine how amazing it is to be on staff!

I have been a community member volunteer at ELAW for several years. Why? Because it’s inspiring, interesting, and the people are great to work with. The kind of work that ELAW does, promoting environmental justice and working with their international alliances to make a cleaner, safer world is inspiring. I have the chance to meet international visitors from diverse countries and learn about legal and scientific issues as well as learn about new cultures and share our culture. The staff is dedicated, hard working, and welcoming. ELAW enriches our community and the world in so many ways. It is an honor to be part of it.

ELAW builds my capacity on advocating for the right to clean air. I get various legal arsenal and technicalities that very useful on challenging bad public policy on air pollution control. Additionally, ELAW successfully manage the network of environmental advocates around the world that very helpful on updating what is happening on environmental advocacy around the world. Kudos to the works that ELAW did, do and will do in the future!

I was a volunteer for my fall term of school and had a great time working here. Such a great group of people doing amazing work that benefits the world, all with so much passion. I really enjoyed my time here and all the variety of tasks I was able to partake in.

I am currently finishing up my internship at ELAW as a senior at the University of Oregon studying Marine Biology and this has been a really great experience for me! This internship allowed me to put the degree I am about to get to work and understand how it would help me with my career path. This was also great because I got to meet with lawyers and see how their work is impacting many environmental projects. ELAW has a great very relaxed and kind atmosphere in which to work which was so wonderful and has helped me make decisions about which career path I want to choose for my future. I am very grateful to have had such an impactful and wonderful internship at ELAW before I graduate university.

ELAW has been a great resource for us to fight for our environmental cases. The lawyers and scientist immediately response to our request which makes it easy for us to win our cases. We really appreciate support extended my ELAW team to support specially lawyers from developing country like Nepal.

ELAW does incredible work that makes an enormous difference. ELAW provides a unique service, scientific expert testimony that is admissible, to environmental lawyers around the world. This service continually helps these lawyers win crucial environmental cases that they otherwise would lose. Case by case this is an enormous contribution that makes a critical difference. ELAW scientists and lawyers are invaluable to the health of our planet.

Our collaboration with ELAW is very productive. In 2018, an ELAW lawyer prepared for us a review of the U.S. legislation regarding reclamation and restoration of natural areas after placer gold mining. We used this review as an example of how to regulate such activities at the legal level. This will help us to improve practice of such restorative work in our country.
Currently I am a fellow of ELAW and studying at the American English Institute. During my fellowship I am working with ELAW experts to prepare a review of oil spill prevention and preparedness requirements for oil tankers in the U.S.

E LAW is consistently the best possible resource for public interest environmental lawyers in the world. The provide prompt friendly and supportive advice of the highest quality. They have been doing so for the Legal Resources Centre and its clients in South Africa since 1996.
Yours faithfully
Angela Andrews

I have spent two weeks at ELAW as a legal fellow and I had the opportunity to learn about climate litigations and coal phase out from the staff attorneys and scientists. This helped me immensely in my work for an environmental NGO in the Czech Republic. ELAW is very professional and well organised and provides great help to environmental lawyers all around the world! Thank you!

This is an amazing nonprofit organization that works to protect the natural environment and the millions of people around the world who rely on, and benefit from, natural resources and ecosystem services. Using the tools of law, combined with good science and sound economics, ELAW has an amazing record of partnering with local legal advocates to achieve successes against powerful interests in dozens of countries around the world (https://www.elaw.org/celebratingvictories). The metaphor of the triumph of David over Goliath comes to mind when hearing about their many successes over more than 25 years (https://www.elaw.org/elaw-25-years-25-wins).

ELAW does amazing work to combat climate change and environmental devastation, recognizing that poor and remote populations suffer the most and have limited voice.

As a small environmental NGO, the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) has benefitted significantly from our close working relationship with ELAW for well over a decade. JET's environmental advocacy work would simply not be possible without their valuable support. By providing JET with the scientific and legal expertise and international perspective , ELAW has given us the tools we need to carry out our mission to protect Jamaica's natural resources. By including our organization in their international network of environmental advocates and lawyers and their annual meetings, ELAW has created a space in which JET and others can exchange expertise, ideas, experiences, and victories for environmental conservation. ELAW has also provided training for JET staff in the past, facilitated project funding for our work and assisted in our recent transition in JET leadership. The ELAW team truly goes above and beyond to respond to the needs of its network of partners.

ELaw does great work supporting environmental advocacy throughout the world.

ELAW does amazing work supporting environmental advocates around the globe with the best available science and legal precedents to protect the planet and all of its life. Please join me in supporting this critical work.

They do fantastic work that is making a difference for people and the environment around the world.

These folks do amazing things for the underdogs fighting the good and needed fights around the world.

Elaw operates at the intersection of social justice and environmental protection in a way that few environmental organizations do. And it does do with an incredibly efficient model that leverages a small budget and staff into a very high level of impact in the world.

Proud to have been a supporter for twenty-five years!

It helps to interact with a wide network of highly knowledgeable and passionate people. We’ve solved issues that would have otherwise been impossible.

ELAW has provided valuable consultation on pesticides, logging, biodiversity in forests, hydropower plants, captured dolphins, waste management, climate change, and much more.

During my time at ELAW, I learned so much about international environmental politics, and development. I was inspired to change my academic focus from pre-law to political ecology and natural resource economics. Working at ELAW motivated me to pursue my interest in the Peace Corps.

Support from ELAW is an invaluable asset. Having access to ELAW's expertise has increased my capacity as a lawyer, and helps share our strategies for challenging coal.

I have volunteered often with ELAW, and have experienced first hand the amount of dedication and versatility that they offer. Everyone is helpful and passionate about their work which is consistently successful and thorough. I have learned so much through the various projects I have been involved in and the guidance I have received while working at this non-profit. ELAW is a truly organized and committed non-profit who excels in environmental work.

As scientists, we appreciate the importance of bringing science together with law to protect communities and the planet – ELAW does this effectively all over the world.

I love ELAW and am honored to be able to contribute to their work. It brings me hope to know there are people fighting the good fight for the planet.

ELAW is a nonprofit that is adamant about promoting environmental justice on a global scale by using science and law. As a volunteer, my career and personal interests were met while completing work for the organization. Volunteering at ELAW exposed me to the importance of science in formulating just, factual, and influential policy.

I worked with ELAW this summer and had an all-around excellent experience in their office! The staff is professional, hard-working, and welcoming. The entire team showed an endless dedication to supporting communities around the world that are fighting for responsible environmental policies. I cannot rate this organization highly enough!

I volunteered at ELAW this year and it was an amazing experience. Everyone who works there is incredibly welcoming, respectful, and intelligent. They make the effort to get to know you and give you the opportunity to get to know them. I was constantly inspired and impressed by all staff members and I am thankful for the opportunity.

As a professor of environmental law for 40 years, I have long been impressed by the dedication and creativity of ELAW. I helped found ELAW more than 25 years ago, with local public interest advocates in 9 countries as the co-founders.

Most notable about ELAW is the concern each staff member shows for support of empowerment of local advocates around the world. The staff is the most stable and caring of any organization I have ever known. And it shows in results. Public interest lawyers and scientists in their home countries are achieving remarkable victories -- all with the support of the ELAW staff.

ELAW is unique. Other environmental law organizations in the United States who try to work internationally do not have the unremitting focus on LOCAL empowerment that ELAW has. ELAW does not dominate; it facilitates. And in the process, environmental law advocates in more than 70 countries grow their expertise and experience. They are the ones who will be available to the citizens in their countries for decades to come. They never leave. ELAW helps them be great.

I have followed ELAW from its inception and I am so impressed with its core mission - an alliance of independently operating public interest attorneys in countries around the world - and the way it meets that mission - with amazing intelligence, integrity, concern for the health of the world's environment (and each other) and good humor

I've always admired ELAW and the work they do for the global environmental community. I started off as a translation volunteer and was offered to intern for them. I have learned so much during my time here, not only about environmental advocacy, but about legal processes, nonprofit administration and grant funding. The staff here love what they do and are very respectful.

It’s been years since I first heard the amazing job that ELAW does to protect the environment around the world. I now have the honor to volunteer as a summer legal intern, and it has been one of the best experiences of my life. The staff is extremely nice, welcoming, and very passionate about environmental protection. I worked with different environmental law issues and it was very inspiring to contribute to support environmental lawyers in their fight for a healthy environment in every corner of the world. Go ELAW!

I am volunteering with ELAW this summer and have been amazed by the work that they do here. The staff is friendly, passionate and dedicated to addressing environmental injustice across the globe. By combining legal and scientific expertise, ELAW successfully helps partners across the globe build stronger cases to protect the environment. This experience has been incredibly educational and inspiring!

I have been interning with ELAW this summer and have experienced first hand, the dedication and passion for environmental protection that each member of the staff holds. I am truly grateful to have this experience with such an important organization that does everything in its power to support grassroots environmental efforts across the globe.

I volunteered with ELAW for their annual meeting and was blown away by how welcoming and friendly all of their staff and affiliates were. They provide an important service to our community, as well as globally by advocating for environmental protection. I feel really lucky to have had the opportunity to help host environmental lawyers and activists from all over the world and to have contributed, albeit minutely, to such an important cause.

I had a great time volunteering with ELAW. Everyone was so kind, helpful, and instructive to me, and I learned a lot while getting involved! The people I met were dedicated and hard working individuals. I would definitely volunteer again in the future. They do amazing and important work.

After spending several years working within tourism and recreation industries abroad, I came back home to Oregon hoping to become involved with a non-profit dedicated to environmental protection.
A friend of mine pointed me in the direction of ELAW, and I have had the privilege to assist a phenomenal group of people who are dedicated in every way to environmental justice for people all over the world. It's truly incredible to see the changes that are taking place throughout the world through legal precedent and activism, and the role that ELAW plays in the movement towards a healthier and safer earth.

I started volunteering with ELAW in early 2017 after recently moving to Eugene. They were enormously welcoming and encouraging, and have allowed me to work on a number of interesting projects. ELAW is able to build productive relationships between the scientists and lawyers they work with, making international efforts to protect the environment all the more effective. ELAW is driven by a group of experienced and hardworking people who are passionate in their advocacy for the environment.

I have been volunteering with ELAW since August 2016, and I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here so far. Since the very first day, I have encountered countless friendly faces and dedicated, inspiring environmental activists. I can tell that by merely being surrounded by all of the important work being done here at ELAW, my time spent helping out will have been extremely worth while and enriching!

I started volunteering with ELAW in early October 2016. So far, I've already worked on several projects that are different in subject matter, but all have the potential to contribute greatly to addressing environmental issues around the world. I have had a great experience working here and seeing the commitment that everyone has to fostering positive change.

I am a volunteer for ELAW and have been volunteering with them for four years. This is an impressive organization with internal cohesion and productive exchange of ideas. It is an organization that helps to promote conservation advocacy strategies world-wide by means of a productive exchange of ideas with other countries. The aim of ELAW is to help others achieve the skills and means to advocate for environmental change in their respective countries. It is a very dedicated group of people who work hard for environmental change.

I am currently volunteering at ELAW. In the short time I have been here, I can already say that it is one of the best places I have volunteered. Everyone here is so incredibly dedicated to what they do and truly care about their work. In the 25 years ELAW has been around, they have done so many great things helping environmental activists around the world, and I am certain many great things lay ahead in the future!

I first came to ELAW's work while doing due diligence on a funding request. I had the opportunity to visit the staff and meet a number of the international partners, and I was hooked. This organization does a lot with a little, and leverages the peer to peer connections among its members to greatly magnify its impact. A few years back, I was asked to serve on ELAW's board of directors and happily accepted. The more I dive into the work, the more impressed I am.

As an ELAW Director, I know ELAW does great, high impact work. Climate change may be the most pressing issue of our time, and ELAW is on the front lines helping defeat coal around the world.

I first learned about ELAW's work when ELAW Director, Bern Johnson, gave a presentation to my Intro to Environmental Studies: Social Sciences class during my first term at UO (Fall 2013). Although I wasn't able to start volunteering immediately, ELAW's work immediately piqued - and held - my interest and I began volunteering in May 2016. I have found the experience to be incredibly rewarding, challenging and eye-opening. It is an honor to work with such a passionate and dedicated staff, and to know that I am contributing to the work of a far-reaching, worldwide network of environmental activists, lawyers and scientists. ELAW's work is truly making the world a better place. https://elaw.org/

I was ELAW's Summer 2016 Legal Intern. I first learned about ELAW when US Staff Attorney Jennifer Gleason gave a presentation to my Environmental Science class at the University of Oregon when I was a freshman. I was immediately inspired by ELAW’s work and began volunteering. The experience gave me a passion for environmental justice and was a big factor in my decision to apply to law school. Working at ELAW as a law student was incredibly rewarding. I learned so much and it was a pleasure working with the dedicated and talented attorneys and staff.

I had the privilege of volunteering with ELAW for about six months during my undergraduate career at the University of Oregon. ELAW is exceptional in many respects: first, their work is incredibly far-reaching. Their Fellowship Program, for example, allows environmental professionals from all corners of the world to come to their Eugene office to receive valuable training and mentorship. Second, ELAW does an outstanding job of incorporating the greater Eugene community through fundraising events, internship programs, volunteer opportunities, and so much more. What makes ELAW truly outstanding, however, is the staff. Each and every staff member is helpful, insightful, smart, passionate, and dedicated to the cause.

ELAW has been responsible for helping BELPO establish a website and I have been part of the group building it. It has been a fascinating experience for me. I have learned about environmental issues in Belize and also how to handle the administrative functions for a web site. With oil now spilling in the Gulf and threatening livelihoods and ecosystems the US Supreme Court needs to take a serious look at a recent Supreme Court case in Belize. A Dutch vessel ran aground on the Belize Barrier Reef and destroyed an irreplaceable and pristine acre. The Government of Belize established that the Reef is living and not property, and the Chief Justice set damages higher as a result. See what I mean about what I am learning? It's also fun to use my visual and logical skills to develop the site. In addition, the office manager, Lauren Ice, is a gem and makes me feel at home and valued in my role in the organization.