How we work with clients
By Courtney Johnson | April 12, 2024
Photo by Megan Amberson.
At Crag, we do lawyering differently.
When clients come to us because their communities or the places they love are under threat, the first thing we do is listen. We listen as they tell us what’s happened, and ask questions to learn what they want to happen next. Whether they are reaching out to us for the first time, or they are a client we’ve worked with for 20 years, we let our clients know that we are here to support and empower them to reach their goals.
The legal landscape is confusing, frustrating, and can leave communities feeling powerless. At Crag, we help clients understand the complexities of the legal landscape, and chart a path forward to achieve their goals. When we give advice, we explain why we recommend a particular approach because we want our clients to feel informed and supported. Instead of traditional top-down law firms where the lawyers tell clients the strategy and expect them to follow it, we treat our clients as the experts, and they are the ones guiding and collaborating with us to choose the best strategy to meet their goals.
“Instead of traditional top-down law firms where the lawyers tell clients the strategy and expect them to follow it, we treat our clients as the experts, and they are the ones guiding and collaborating with us to choose the best strategy to meet their goals.”
In this newsletter you will find articles that highlight our collaborative and intersectional approach. Meriel Darzen highlights the coalition emerging from our work to protect eastside forests and cooperation with the Nez Perce Tribe. Rebeka Dawit writes about our work supporting a Northeast Portland community to find creative solutions to address historical zoning inequities. Kelly Chang explains how her own journey through law school informs her approach to integrating environmental justice into public lands protection.
We want you all to feel that sense of engagement and accomplishment with Crag just as our clients do. I hope that when you read these pages, you will feel not only inspired, but also empowered with some new knowledge about how our environmental laws work and the impact we can have working together.
Courtney Johnson, Executive Director
Since joining Crag in 2008, Courtney’s legal work has focused on protecting the health of coastal rivers, from gravel mining in the rivers of the south coast to addressing proposals for fossil fuel exports along the Columbia at Astoria. When she is not working, Courtney enjoys spending time with her husband and dog on the beaches and rivers and in the mountains of Oregon, hiking, skiing, and biking.