When it comes to homeowners and community groups fighting deep-pocketed polluters and developers, Russell Stevenson wants to even the score.
The semiretired lawyer has been working for more than a year to establish the Chesapeake Legal Alliance, a nonprofit group that links people needing representation with lawyers willing to do the work for free.
“There’s a huge need for quality legal services,” said Stevenson, a Severna Park resident and avid sailor who retired two years ago as general counsel for Ciena Corp.
Stevenson is combining his legal background and love for the Chesapeake Bay in this new venture.
“I was frustrated with what’s happening on the bay, like many people. I thought maybe there’s a role for lawyers,” he said.
In the 15 months since he first dreamed up the idea for the Chesapeake Legal Alliance, Stevenson has recruited board members and volunteer lawyers, earned nonprofit tax status and raised money.
By the end of the year, Stevenson hopes to move the Chesapeake Legal Alliance out of his home study and into its own office in Annapolis with an executive director.