After his time at CLIPI, Sutherland became the executive director of the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund (now Earthjustice) in 1977. Under his leadership, the organization grew into a nationwide firm of 35 lawyers across seven states and Washington, D.C., representing environmental organizations in significant cases such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill and efforts to protect the northern spotted owl in the Pacific Northwest. Sutherland passed away in 1991, and in his honor, Earthjustice established the Rick Sutherland Fellowship Fund to support socio-economically disadvantaged lawyers pursuing public interest environmental law careers.