Our goal is to educate the scientific community about the legal system, their rights, and their responsibilities. When scientists understand the legal issues surrounding their work, they’re able to better protect themselves against intimidation, media smear campaigns, and other forms of harassment.
We often collaborate with public universities, scientific societies, and other partners to raise awareness of our programming and ensure that it reaches scientists who may be at risk of ideologically motivated litigation or other attacks.
We offer:
Please contact us if you’d like to partner with us on a project or arrange for a workshop for your group.
Our programming prepares attorneys to defend researchers and protect the scientific endeavor. We also serve as a clearinghouse for information related to legal action taken against scientists, which can inform strategies for — and outcomes of — future cases.
Initiatives for attorneys and law professors include:
Open records laws are valuable tools for government transparency, enabling the public to seek documents related to state and federally…
Our Activism & Advocacy Toolkit helps scientists understand how they can safely speak out for science.
Our Climate Litigation Toolkit explains the best practices for safely and effectively engaging in climate litigation and other scientific consulting work.
The free legal resources in our Political Action Toolkit explain the best practices for safely and effectively engaging in political advocacy.
The 23rd annual AAG Department Leadership Workshop will help members respond effectively to challenges and understand the opportunities and constraints geography departments may face in the coming years. CSLDF attorneys will take part in the session "Safeguarding Academic Freedom," during which we will bring our unique perspective as a legal organization that supports researchers to complement the department-based viewpoints of our fellow panelists.
The 2026 midterm elections are fast approaching, and the stakes are higher than ever. AGU's Science Votes the Future webinar series will help attendees feel confident leading up to the election and at the ballot box. CSLDF will provide a primer on safely exercising our First Amendment rights in anticipation of the midterm elections. We will discuss how federal employees and those working with federal funds can responsibly engage in advocacy and activism, and how to do so in a current political climate in which many bedrock rights are under threat.
This interdisciplinary conference will examine the evolving field of climate change attribution science and its implications for law, litigation, governance, and policy. Join physical scientists, public health researchers, economists, social scientists, legal scholars, and legal practitioners as we explore these and other topics.
We need lawyers and firms to assist us on a pro bono basis by advising scientists. Send us a message to start a conversation.
Our attorneys are happy to talk with journalists about our work and topics at the intersection of climate and the law.
Science is under sustained attack. Your support help us fight for scientists and defend scientific integrity.