Vision & Mission

The Chesapeake Legal Alliance (CLA) is dedicated to protecting and restoring the Chesapeake Bay and the health of its communities.

Our Vision:  We envision a Chesapeake Bay with clean water, thriving and healthy communities, and abundant native ecosystems.

Our Mission: Our mission is to provide free legal services to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay and its communities.

CLA’s goal is to effect systemic and permanent improvement in Chesapeake Bay health through improved compliance and enforcement of existing laws, and the development of more effective laws, regulations, and policies. CLA is the only organization solely dedicated to providing free legal services to hundreds of citizens, community groups, local governments, and environmental advocates working to protect the Chesapeake Bay and its communities.

CLA leverages the legal talents of our staff with those of volunteer attorneys. Together, we enable Bay advocates to defend the Bay using legal tools that would not otherwise be available without CLA’s free legal services. CLA handles almost 100 legal projects each year, and our staff and volunteer attorneys include some of the most experienced attorneys in their fields, with backgrounds in land and water pollution, environmental permits, enforcement & compliance, hazardous land cleanup, contracts, public health, and corporate and non-profit management.