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The burdens of climate disruption are borne disproportionately by those least responsible for them: poor and marginalized communities.  Frequently, these communities already contend with environmental pollution, resource depletion, and unequal access to land.  The best and most equitable responses to the climate emergency begin with these people, and they need legal support to do the work. 

What We Do

Climate Defense Project (CDP) offers free, comprehensive, movement-aligned legal support to climate justice and anti-extractive campaigns, and to community-led efforts that intersect with these issues.   We support front-line communities, connect attorneys with experts and community members, and provide direct representation to people engaged in civil disobedience, direct action, and other forms of nonviolence.

Our ethos as lawyers is to be on tap, not on top; to reject harmful hierarchies and center movements instead of ourselves; to be zealous and skilled advocates; to balance urgency with efficacy and care; to engage generously in information-sharing and collaboration; to value creativity and a willingness to advance novel legal theories; and to bring to our practice anti-racist, anti-colonizer, anti-carceral, and anti-capitalist values.

Co-founders Alex and Ted met in law school, where they led the filing of a fossil fuel divestment lawsuit against Harvard.  Two years later, in 2016, CDP began.  In 2023, Claire, Kira, and Jonathan joined CDP to support land and water defenders in Minnesota, New England, Appalachia, and elsewhere.  Our attorneys are currently licensed to practice in Colorado, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, and Washington State. 

Meet the Team

Meet the Board

Here is CDP’s Form 1023 application for tax-exempt status as a 501(c)(3) organization and our IRS exemption letter.