Impact at CLIPI
After graduating from UCLA Law School, Sutherland served as an associate at O'Melveny and Myer for 5 years before co-founding CLIPI. He co-led CLIPI's Century Freeway litigation during its early years. He also represented numerous environmental groups like the Sierra Club in seeking to preserve California’s wild lands.
In 1977, Sutherland left CLIPI to become the executive director of the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund (now Earthjustice). Under his leadership, the organization grew into a nationwide firm 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. In his honor, Earthjustice established the Ric Sutherland Fellowship Fund to support socio-economically disadvantaged lawyers pursuing public interest environmental law careers.
