The Chesapeake Legal Alliance is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to using the law to improve the quality of the Chesapeake Bay.

2011 Annual Report for the Chesapeake Legal Alliance

Chesapeake Legal Alliance is pleased to present our 2011 Annual Report. We hope you will find it informative and share our excitement with the progress we have made in developing our capacity to play a role in restoring and protecting the Chesapeake Bay through the provision of pro bono legal services.

With the opening of our Annapolis office and addition of two full time staff members, the Chesapeake Legal Alliance has developed into a viable resource for individuals, community groups and organizations seeking legal assistance in protecting the Bay. We are proud to report that the number of our volunteer lawyers grows steadily and we have provided legal expertise to over forty individuals and organizations. Our goal for the coming year is to further increase the number of matters we are involved in throughout all six states, and the District of Columbia, that comprise the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Recent scientific studies find signs of gradual Bay recovery and reductions in pollutants that cause dead zones in the Bay. The Environmental Protection Agency and other regulators are in the midst of implementing the most ambitious regulatory program in decades aimed at Bay restoration. The time is ripe to build on this progress by enforcing and strengthening the laws and programs in place to protect the Bay and empowering those who work on behalf of the Bay watershed with legal representation.

We hope that you will consider making a tax-deductible contribution to support us in our work to achieve these objectives. Please see our Donations webpage to make a donation using PayPal.

2011_Annual_Report.pdf

The Chesapeake Legal Alliance is a not-for-profit network of lawyers who contribute their time and professional skills to representing environmental organizations, citizens’ associations, and individuals in efforts to improve the health of the Chesapeake and its tributaries.

For Lawyers

Great Blue Heron We are always looking for lawyers and law firms who are concerned about the Chesapeake Bay and are looking for opportunities to make a difference by doing pro bono work directed toward preserving and improving the unique resource that is the Chesapeake Bay. We need lawyers to work on a wide variety of matters, including litigation in state and federal courts, representation of citizens’ groups in zoning cases and other administrative proceedings, drafting and supporting changes in laws and regulations designed to improve the quality of the Chesapeake, and any other matter in which legal services may be employed in service of defending and improving the quality of the Bay and its watershed.

For Organizations and Individuals

We find volunteer lawyers to provide legal assistance in all types of matter in which the health and quality of the Chesapeake Bay are at stake. This includes everything from suits to enforce the federal Clean Water Act, to efforts to change state regulations, to participating in local zoning cases that may affect the Bay.

To learn more, please call us at (410) 216-9441 or email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Please click the button below to receive our newsletter reporting on legal developments in protecting the Chesapeake.

Great Blue Heron photo courtesy of Diana Hromish (www.lunareye.net)