Gonzaga revives environmental and climate law clinic
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
About This Event
Two former leaders at the Department of Justice speak about their transition from public service to private practice and leading the Gonzaga’s newly established Environmental and Climate Law Clinic. Today, the need to use the full spectrum of available tools, to build partnerships amongst stakeholders, and to act on a community and local level is more important than ever. Drawing on decades of litigation and enforcement experience, Dan and Vanessa will speak to how the next generation of legal advocates can utilize the full spectrum of legal and advocacy tools—ranging from litigation and administrative law to community-based strategies and policy development—to protect the environment and public health.
This event is free and open to the public.
Date: Tuesday, March 3
Time: 6pm PT
Location: Randall Classroom 143, Gonzaga Law School
About the Speakers:
Vanessa Waldref is Co-Director of Gonzaga's Environmental and Climate Law Clinic and a partner and founding member of Singleton Schreiber’s Washington office, where she leads litigation on behalf of plaintiffs, focused on wildfire and environmental litigation and protecting whistleblowers and employees. In 2021, she was presidentially appointed as United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, where she was the first woman to hold the role. During her tenure, she co-launched the region’s Environmental Task Force, led national efforts on environmental justice, built strong partnerships with federal, state, local, and Tribal law enforcement to make communities safer and more resilient. A leader within the Department of Justice on Native American issues, Vanessa worked closely with Tribal Nations to support Tribal sovereignty, protect treaty rights and Tribal lands, reduce violent crime on reservations, and address the crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People. Passionate about mentoring the next generation of lawyers, she has taught Environmental Law, Labor and Employment Law, and Conflict of Laws at Gonzaga University School of Law. She is known for connecting legal education to lived experience and training students to use the law as a tool for social justice.
Dan Fruchter is Co-Director of Gonzaga's Environmental and Climate Law Clinic, and a founding member of Singleton Schreiber's Washington Office, as well as Managing Partner of the firm's Whistleblower & False Claims Act Practice Group. Dan focuses his work on representing and advocating on behalf of individuals and communities harmed by wildfires, environmental violations, and fraud against consumers and government programs. Dan joined Singleton Schreiber in 2025 after a 21-year career of public service, during which he prosecuted fraud, environmental violations, civil rights, and other complex civil and criminal matters with the United States Department of Justice. From 2021 to 2025, Dan served as the Chief of the Fraud & White-Collar Crime Section of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Washington, where he co-launched the first ever federal Environmental Enforcement Task Force in Eastern Washington, and built a nationally-recognized fraud practice focused on serving the community and holding powerful corporate and individual wrongdoers accountable. Dan has worked with law and undergraduate students for decades, including by co-leading the nationally-recognized law clerk program in Eastern Washington, which gives GU Law students the opportunity to investigate, litigate, and try felony and misdemeanor criminal cases and high-stakes civil matters alongside dedicated career AUSAs.
