Our structure

ClientEarth works in over 60 countries through a network of ClientEarth branches, representative offices and subsidiaries, as well as through strategic partners with a shared vision of a future where people and planet thrive together.

Our Global Board of Trustees and Global Leadership Group set the strategic direction of ClientEarth worldwide and ensure the highest standards of transparency, integrity and accountability across ClientEarth.

Each ClientEarth office and entity contributes to our shared goal, bringing its own local focus and expertise.

Our entities

ClientEarth entities sit across three regions: North America, Asia & the Pacific and Europe. We additionally operate in Latin America and Africa via strategic partners.

Asia & the Pacific

ClientEarth (China)

ClientEarth China is a representative office of ClientEarth UK. We opened our Beijing office in 2017 at a critical time in China’s environmental legal history. We help the government develop better environmental laws, train prosecutors and judges and support local charities.

ClientEarth Japan

ClientEarth Japan is a subsidiary of ClientEarth and was set up in 2023 as we expand our work to support climate action and the energy transition in Japan and across Asia.

  • Office address: ISH ClientEarth, company number 6010405022079, Toranomon Hills Business Tower 15F 1-chōme-17-1 Toranomon, Minato City, Tōkyō-to 105-6415, Japan
  • Website: www.clientearth.jp

ClientEarth Oceania 

ClientEarth Australia is a subsidiary of ClientEarth established in 2023.  This organisation is not yet fully operational, but will come online in 2024.

Europe

UK

Our London office is our global headquarters.  It is also home to our Development and Communications teams, which inspire and engage audiences to support our work.

  • Office address: ClientEarth, with charity number 1053988 and company number 02863827, 34 Drayton Park. London, England, N5 1PB
  • Registered address: First Floor, 10 Queen Street Place, London, England, EC4R 1BE
  • Phone: +44 (0)20 7749 5970
  • Email: info@clientearth.org

Belgium

ClientEarth Belgium is a subsidiary organisation focused on shaping and enforcing EU law across all areas of our work – from tackling climate change and protecting nature to fighting pollution and strengthening the rule of law.

  • Office address: ClientEarth AISBL, with company number 0714.925.038, 60 Rue du Trône (3rd floor), Box 11, 1050  Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium
  • Call: +32 (0) 2 808 43 24
  • Email: info.brussels@clientearth.org

Germany

ClientEarth Germany is a subsidiary organisation working to reform Germany’s energy sector, enable sustainable agriculture, clean up the country’s air pollution and protect human health and the environment.

Luxembourg

ClientEarth Luxembourg is a subsidiary organisation focusing on the EU’s Luxembourg-based institutions and financial services industry and aiming to accelerate the pace of Europe’s transition to a low-carbon future and increase environmental protection for the continent’s citizens.

  • Office address: ClientEarth ASBL, F 11366, 171, route d’Arlon, L-8009 Strassen, Luxembourg
  • Email: info@clientearth.org

Poland

ClientEarth Poland is a subsidiary organisation set up in 2010 with a focus on preventing new coal power plants then being built across Poland. Now the work has expanded to tackle climate change and air pollution, defend nature, and protect people across Eastern Europe.

  • Office address: Fundacja “ClientEarth Prawnicy dla Ziemi”, KRS 0000364218, NIP 7010254208, ul. Mokotowska 33/35, 00-560 Warszawa (Warsaw), Poland
  • Call: +48 (0) 22 3070190
  • Email: info.warszawa@clientearth.org
  • Website: www.clientearth.pl

Spain 

ClientEarth Spain is a delegation of ClientEarth. Our local work focuses on using the law to achieve meaningful protection of freshwater, terrestrial and marine biodiversity in Spain and the Mediterranean region, home to endangered marine habitats and species and one of the most significant biodiversity hotspots globally.

North America

US

ClientEarth USA is an independent 501(c)(3) organisation. Established in 2016, ClientEarth USA addresses climate change through holding corporations accountable for a livable planet.

  • Office address: ClientEarth USA. Inc., 501 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 510, Santa Monica, CA 90401, USA
  • Phone: +1 (310) 361-7001
  • Email: info.us@clientearth.org

Website: www.us.clientearth.org

Accountability

ClientEarth is committed to meeting the highest standards of transparency and integrity when delivering our mission. We are also guided by our commitment to uphold ClientEarth's values. Our Governance and Legal Services department supports ClientEarth by ensuring that we abide by our legal and regulatory obligations, and that we act in accordance with high ethical standards. The below list contains key transparency documents, and policies that outline our approach to compliance, including our expectation of how our staff and partners should act when working at or with ClientEarth. These documents and their implementation are periodically reviewed and updated to ensure that ClientEarth stays aligned with best practices.

Anti-Bribery, -Corruption and -Fraud Policy

Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Policy

Conflict of Interest Policy

Data Protection Policy

Delegated Authorities Policy

Environmental Policy

Health and Safety Policy

Partner Due Diligence Policy

Procurement Policy

Safeguarding Policy

Value for Money Policy

Whistleblowing and Reporting Policy

Raising concerns or complaints

At ClientEarth, we are committed to the highest standards of transparency, integrity, and accountability. We look to ensure the best value for our work and to maximise impact, as expected by our staff, partners and supporters. In the event that we fall short of these standards however, we want to hear about it. This is why we have TellUs, ClientEarth’s reporting channel - so that our staff, partners, and supporters can voice any concerns or complaints that relate to ClientEarth, and concern (suspected) breaches of law (e.g., corruption, sexual exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment) or of our policies or values (e.g., our Value-for-Money Policy), our fundraising or advertising practices (e.g., misuse of funds or inaccurate, deceptive, or offensive campaigns), or other forms of misconduct (e.g., unethical or improper conduct, complicit or obstructive conduct).

We foster a culture in which our staff, partners, and supporters feel comfortable coming forward to report concerns or complaints without fear of retaliation, and with the confidence that these reports will be appropriately addressed. This prompts ClientEarth to conduct a full and fair investigation, allowing us, where necessary, to remediate wrongdoing, to improve our internal policies and processes, and to document reports and their follow-up. Of course, TellUs should not be used to make false accusations, or to report information known to be untrue.

While we encourage you to include your contact details in any reports you make, to facilitate communication and follow-up measures, you can also report anonymously if you feel more comfortable.

To report a concern or complaint, or to get more information on how our reporting channel works, take a closer look at our TellUs landing page: ClientEarth | Home (integrityline.app)

How we are funded

(All statements relate to 2022)

ClientEarth is funded by charitable foundations, government giving programmes and individual donors. The majority of our income (~80%) is restricted income from foundations and governments, with a growing proportion coming from individual donors. ClientEarth does not employ any third-party professional fundraisers, and has no commercial partners contributing to fundraising efforts. Most of our funders are based in the UK, Europe and the USA.

Our top funders in 2022 were the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), Bloomberg Philanthropies, Postcode Earth Trust, Sequoia Climate Foundation, The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) - Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI), AKO Foundation, The Tilia Fund, European Climate Foundation (ECF), Arcadia, Grantham Foundation & Trust and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) - Forest Governance, Markets and Climate Programme (FGMC).

How are staffing costs are split

Our staffing costs

Attracting, retaining and motivating staff is critical to delivering on ClientEarth's mission. To do this, we benchmark our salaries against environmental charities, boutique law firms and government posts in the countries where we work. ClientEarth has an annual review process where performance against objectives is evaluated and staff may be awarded an increase in pay if appropriate. Annual reviews are conducted and pay increases are awarded in accordance with the guidelines agreed by the Remuneration Committee and within the salary budget agreed annually by the Board. Salaries for the executive board are set by the Remuneration Committee, a sub-committee of our Board of Trustees, and are approved by the whole Board. The Committee includes specialists with significant organisational management expertise and knowledge, including in the charity sector.

How our funding is allocated

FAQs

How is ClientEarth funded?

ClientEarth is funded by charitable foundations, government giving programmes and individual donors. The majority of our income (~80%) is restricted income from foundations and governments, with a growing proportion coming from individual donors.

How does ClientEarth spend its money?

This pie chart shows how we spend our money. ClientEarth is audited every year, and are overseen by national governing bodies in the countries where we work (e.g. The Charity Commission in the UK).

How do I get help on a local issue?

When people contact us about a local issue, it helps us to identify patterns of environmental risk and make sure we bring the right legal challenges.

Unfortunately, though, we cannot normally help with local issues, because ClientEarth is a charity, and our funding is earmarked for specific issues. Our finite resources, limits set by charity law, laws on access to the courts and laws on what kind of advice we are allowed to give mean it is not normally possible for us to engage on local campaigns. Where possible, we will try to refer such issues to an appropriate local NGO or environmental lawyer who may be able to assist.

How can law create change?

We believe the law is the most effective lever for change to address the climate and biodiversity crises. To deliver change at the rate needed, industries must transform and governments must be held accountable to support, enable and require that transformation. To achieve this, you need good laws. Good laws are enforceable by the people they are meant to serve. Eventually, enforced laws become common sense. ClientEarth uses the law to face humanity's greatest test, protecting people and the planet we all depend on.

How does ClientEarth use the law?

ClientEarth uses law at every stage of its life cycle. We provide evidence and expert opinion to lawmakers, to ensure new laws contain strong environmental protections. We help enforce existing laws and if laws are broken, we go to court to uphold them.

What is an environmental law charity?

We are a not-for-profit organisation, funded by grants and donations. We protect people and the planet, and we use law to do it. We make sure strong environmental laws are created, monitored and enforced.

What kind of cases do you bring?

Around 80% of our work takes place outside the courtroom. We use evidence and expert opinion to make sure strong laws are written. We provide oversight for governments and industry, to make sure they are following the law. Some of our cases include taking the UK to court for breaking air quality laws; confronting Australia for breaching the human rights of islanders whose homes are being washed away by rising seas; and suing Danone for failing to tackle plastic waste.

Does ClientEarth win cases?

We only bring cases when we strongly believe we have a reasonable chance of winning, and the outcome will have positive environmental impacts on a large scale. We have been highly successful.

What is ClientEarth's most recent win?

Please see our latest news page to find out more about the cases we've won, and those that are ongoing.

When you win a case, are you awarded money?

If we win a case, the judge will sometimes order the other side to pay our legal costs. We generally do not seek and are not awarded compensation or "damages" in the cases we bring.

Where do you get the evidence that informs your work?

We collect evidence and information from a variety of reliable sources, including government reports, university research, peer-reviewed studies, company reports and partner organisations.