Anthony Zelle
Managing Partner
As an Earth lawyer, Tony started by writing and editing the first law school coursebook on the subject. He began his Earth law career after 30 years in private practice, trying cases and arguing appeals. His work focused on consumer protection and insurance laws. He led the board of the Earth Law Center from 2018 through 2021 and now serves as ELC’s general counsel. His current practice is focused on rights of future generations, intergenerational leadership development, the duties of humankind to nonhuman species and individual animals, and the engagement of private practice law firms who will drive Earth law into the mainstream.
Maisie Paddon
Title
Maisie is spearheading the advancement of Earth Law by integrating its principles into transformative policies and business strategies that resonate with Earth's Centric practices and Nature's patterns. At the helm of Project 2040, she seeks to revolutionize financial systems, foster circular economies, and develop regenerative food systems.
Her extensive experience in top-tier management consulting, with roles at prestigious firms like Ernst & Young and Capgemini, showcases her ability to lead complex innovation programs and engage with C-suite leaders. With a solid foundation in Philosophy and Climate Science, Maisie is deeply committed to beneficial systemic change.
She champions the inclusion of Nature's voice in discussions that tackle the multifaceted crises of today's modern world, while aligning her efforts with global frameworks like UN SDGs, ESG principles, and ISO standards. Her holistic and emotionally intelligent approach underscores her pursuit of sustainable and equitable solutions.
Kerry Hudson
Kerry Hudson has worked as an activist and public interest lawyer with a focus on social justice, and an academic and employment history addressing heirs' property reform and protections of the Florida aquifer. He served as co-founder and manager for a medical practice that focused on Environmentally Acquired Diseases, and the effects of that most macro of human phenomenon—climate change, on the most granular, personal issues—individual health and the chronic and intractable maladies brought on by changing climate.
He has served as Educational Assistant for Rights of Nature and eco-centric education, creating informational content addressing topics such as environmental protections and property law, and the Public Trust Doctrine, and creating supplemental educational content for the law school textbook Earth Law: A Practitioner’s Guide.
He holds an MFA in writing, has a publication history with both fiction and non-fiction, and has authored funded grants examining strategies to mitigate generational heirs' property abuses. He holds a J.D. with a focus on Environmental Justice, social equity, and restorative justice and has created informational and education content addressing the intersection of environmental and legal issues such as the one-percenters' climate change preparations. Currently based in London, He works on a long-form manuscript addressing the importance of property law, social justice, and the climate change crisis.
Missy Lahren
Chair of Board of Directors
Earth Law Center
Missy Lahren has worked as an activist and public interest lawyer in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1993. She has an M.Ed. in Integral Education and a Ph.D. in Philosophy and Religion both of which focus on the emerging field of “ecozoic education.” She has been working to expand enforceable human and ecological rights since 1997 through participatory media and board positions at Unite for Rights, Planetary Advocates, and Eleanor Lives.
Kevin Schneider
Partner
Kevin Schneider is Counsel to the Earth Law Center. Based in New York City, Kevin is admitted to practice in New York and the United States District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. For over a decade, Kevin has worked on extending legal rights to animals and ecosystems. He represented an elephant named Happy (Supreme Court, Bronx County) alongside a team of lawyers in a historic habeas corpus case from 2018-22, culminating in a first-of-its-kind argument before the New York State Court of Appeals. Among other publications, Kevin wrote a chapter on common law animal rights for the textbook “Earth Law” (Wolters Kluwer, 2021). Kevin has delivered guest lectures to undergraduate and law students at leading institutions including Harvard, Yale, and New York University.
Lucy Ward
Corporate Relations Manager
United Nations Youth Ambassador - Intellireefs
Lucy is a keen ocean conservation advocate, explorer and scuba diver. As a Marine Biology graduate from Exeter University she has a strong interest in the rights of Nature and ocean policy. She works with incoming clients on the Nature on the Board project, in doing so she aims to forward the incorporation of holistic nature governance within current systems. Lucy also works as an Ocean Rights Policy and Research Assistant at the Earth Law Centre. Her passion for the oceans and their protection drives her work in Ocean Rights and sustainability. In her work at Intellireefs, Lucy aims to represent and empower youth voices to help develop innovative solutions to protect and restore our oceans.
Elizabeth Turner
Executive Assistant
