Earthrise Law Center is the largest environmental law clinic in America. Earthrise’s 1:3 teacher-student ratio provides for an intensive apprenticeship experience and our attorneys, as clinical professors, also serve as members of the Lewis & Clark Law School faculty, teaching substantive law classes and contributing both directly and indirectly to important extra-curricular experiences for students in environmental advocacy.
Tom Buchele
tbuchele[at]lclark[dot]edu503-768-6736
Clinical Professor of Law
Tom anchors Earthrise’s legal practice as the senior coordinator of environmental initiatives. Prior to joining Earthrise, Tom was the director of the environmental law clinic at University of Pittsburgh for seven years, staff attorney at the Environmental Law & Policy Center of the Midwest, and a partner in the Chicago office of the prestigious national law firm Jenner & Block, where he focused on complex commercial and natural resources litigation. A distinguished graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University and the University of Illinois College of Law, Tom leads Earthrise’s land management and natural resource practice, including mining, oil and gas issues. In his spare time, Tom is an excellent gardener and baker, and enjoys canning, hiking and exploring tidepools up and down the Oregon coast.
Kevin Cassidy
cassidy[at]lclark[dot]edu 781-659-1696
Senior Staff Attorney
In January 2011, Kevin opened Earthrise’s East Coast office (Massachusetts) to better position the clinic to participate in environmental litigation of national scope and importance. Prior to joining Earthrise, Kevin was a Senior Trial Attorney in the Environmental Crimes Section of the United States Department of Justice. In his eight years as an environmental crimes prosecutor, Kevin was co-lead counsel for several significant prosecutions, including the 2007 trial of Southern Union Company in Rhode Island for hazardous waste crimes. He received a BA from the University of Connecticut and a JD from Lewis & Clark Law School. Kevin is admitted to practice in the states of Massachusetts and Oregon (inactive), the U.S. Courts of Appeals for Ninth, Seventh and First Circuits, and federal district courts in Massachusetts, Illinois and the District of Columbia. Spending time outdoors with his wife and two young daughters is Kevin’s favorite pastime, especially at the beach where he can squeeze in a little saltwater fly-fishing.
Lydia Dexter
lydiadexter[at]lclark[dot]edu 503-768-6654
Legal Fellow
Lydia joined Earthrise as a Legal Fellow in the Fall of 2023 after graduating from Lewis & Clark Law School (JD 2023, cum laude) where she focused on environmental law and its intersection with Indigenous Peoples’ issues and federal Indian law. Lydia moved to Oregon following her graduation from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a Bachelors’ of Journalism in Advertising & Public Relations and Spanish. During law school, Lydia served as the President of the Native American Law Student Association and was the first solo Editor-in-Chief of the Animal Law Review. She also gained experience working for Earthrise as a clinic student and summer law clerk, as well as dedicating two years to the Native American Law Student Association Moot Court team. In her free time, Lydia enjoys going for long walks around Portland, crafting, and spending time with her cat, Soup.
Zach Nacev
znacev[at]lclark[dot]edu 503-768-6825
Legal Fellow
Zach joined Earthrise as a Legal Fellow in the Fall of 2024. He graduated from Lewis & Clark Law School (JD 2024, summa cum laude) where he focused on environmental law. During law school, Zach worked as a clinic student and summer law clerk for Earthrise and was the Submissions Editor for the Lewis & Clark Law Review. He also served as a Teaching Fellow for the Lawyering Department his 2L year and as the Senior Teaching Fellow his 3L year. Prior to law school, Zach worked as a high school teacher, largely in Racine, Wisconsin. He also holds a Master of Arts from the University of Chicago (MA 2017) where he studied Latin American history and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Swarthmore College (BA 2013). In his free time, Zach can be found at farmers’ markets around Portland, playing and watching soccer, and spending time with his family.
Dan Rohlf
rohlf[at]lclark[dot]edu 503-768-6707
Professor of Law & Of Counsel
As one of Earthrise’s founding members and previous Clinic Director, Dan holds the Of Counsel position. In addition to working on Earthrise cases and supporting the law school’s growing LLM program, Dan focuses on biodiversity management and conservation, sustainability, and the intersection between science and law. A graduate of Colorado College and Stanford Law School, Dan is admitted to practice in Oregon, the federal district of Oregon, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. In his spare time, Dan loves to run, cycle, and spend time with his wife and kids.
Karen Russell
karenrussell[at]lclark[dotedu 503-768-6851
Budget and Financial Administrator
Karen joined Earthrise in the summer of 2017 after a 3-year stint as an Accountant and then as Contracts Manager at Moovel North America, a software company dedicated to facilitating mobility in urban settings. Karen also teaches Water Law as an Adjunct Professor at Lewis & Clark Law School and an Environmental Law and Policy course at Lewis & Clark College. Since 2006 Karen has worked as a Nonprofit Consultant advising organizations on all aspects of nonprofit organizational management, with a focus on financial management and accounting. From 1990 to 2006 Karen worked in a variety of roles at WaterWatch of Oregon. As Interim Executive Director Karen was responsible for all aspects of fundraising, budgeting, staff management and working closely with the organizations board of directors. As Senior Staff Attorney Karen was a constant presence before the Oregon Water Resources Department, pushing the agency at every opportunity to reform long-held water policies that ignore the needs of fish and other instream users. Karen has drafted numerous bills to reform Oregon water law and analyzed the environmental impacts of all water bills considered by the Oregon Legislature. Karen is a graduate of the University of Washington (BA 1985) and Lewis & Clark Law School (JD 1990) and is a member of the Oregon and Washington State Bars. Karen is highly regarded within and beyond the environmental community for her knowledge, experience and environmental advocacy. Karen enjoys telemark skiing, hiking, kayaking, canoeing, knitting and reading books the old fashioned way.
