Environmental Law Clinic

Professor Mike Chappell, with the Spokane River in the background.

The Environmental Law Clinic provides representation to not-for-profit environmental programs in the Inland Northwest.

Though it may represent any deserving environmental group, its work focuses on the health of the Spokane River.

Like most urban waterways, the Spokane once served as a lifeblood for indigenous people. Over the years, however, it has been abused in countless ways.

In 2008, Spokane's Center for Justice applied for and received Riverkeeper status. Spokane attorney Rick Eichstaedt became the official Spokane Riverkeeper and the Clinic became his legal representative - and the representative of other Waterkeeper Alliance affiliates in the area.

For Clinic students, the river is now more than a scenic setting; it's also a legal laboratory, an opportunity to apply class work to real-world legal challenges.

The Clinic may represent other environmental groups that require free legal services, but its priorities will always be aligned with the mission of the Spokane Riverkeeper.