Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm that believes all people and communities should have access to the tools of change, and that everyone has the right to make decisions about the air, water, and land where they live, work, and play. Incorporated in 2013, they serve the Appalachian Basin (statewide in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia) and aim to involve all people and communities in environmental decision-making, including historically underserved groups. They do this through fostering equal access to environmental justice through legal representation, providing training to lawyers at the beginning of their careers on environmental legal needs for underserved and low-income clients, and through empowering communities within the Appalachian Basin to become educated and involved in their local environmental justice issues. Fair Shake ELS improves access to environmental legal services and decision-making for historically underserved communities throughout the Appalachian region.
Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services is a woman-led organization with 11 staff members. They frequently work with other nonprofit organizations in the region to increase their impact through events such as workshops and legal clinics, as well as the annual Harvest the Vision Fest in Parkersburg, WV, a gathering of over 20 organizations and agencies to raise citizens’ awareness of the community resources that are available to them. Fair Shake offers a full range of legal services, including legal counsel, litigation, nonprofit consultation, and community outreach and education events. They also offer fellowships, internships, and other educational opportunities for law students or young lawyers to develop their understanding of how best to support historically underserved people and communities when it comes to environmental justice.
A screenshot of air pollution from the Fair Shake video can be found on: fairshake-els.org.