You: You’re a relentless freedom fighter with a belief that human innovation, technology, and free enterprise can overcome scarcity and solve major global challenges. You reject the idea that humanity is doomed to live within strict limits of natural resources (“limits to growth”) and instead embrace the vision that progress, creativity, and human flourishing can continually expand what’s possible; moreover, you believe fundamentally in individual liberty and property rights. You’re a seasoned litigator and leader; you are driven to take on government overreach, shape bold legal strategies, and set landmark precedents. You thrive in the courtroom, leading a team, and you know how to prepare and win high-stakes cases. You’re also a mentor—dedicated to elevating your colleagues and building the strongest environmental law team in the country.
Them: Bureaucrats, regulators, and agencies that twist environmental and natural resources law into a tool for unjustified control, delaying projects, violating individual liberty, and stifling innovation. They have virtually unlimited money and expansive power—but we know that with strategic litigation, sharp legal minds, and an unwavering commitment to liberty, even Goliath can be beaten.
Us: We are Pacific Legal Foundation—the nation’s first and leading public interest law firm dedicated to defending individual liberty and limited government. Our Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) Practice Group envisions and works toward:
- recognition that we live in a world of plenty, a planet where basic human needs—food, water, energy—are abundant and accessible to all;
- sustainable advancement—we know abundance can be achieved without depleting or destroying the environment;
- empowered individuals and communities that solve problems, recognizing that top-down control and heavy-handed government planners have not and cannot solve the problems we face;
- a shift in mindset—we seek to transform cultural attitudes from fear and pessimism (about overpopulation, climate crisis, etc.) toward a mindset of proactive problem-solving and confidence in human capability; and
- a better approach to environmental and natural resources law—defending property rights, challenging regulatory abuse, and ensuring that environmental policy respects the Constitution and protects the market’s ability to solve the problems we face as a nation.
