Environmental Law Service

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Environmental Law Service (ELS) is a Czech non-governmental organization of lawyers who use law to further the public interest. Based in Tábor, its Czech name is Ekologický právní servis (EPS). It has a second office at Brno.

It was established in 1995 as a volunteer organisation by law students at Masaryk University. Its "aim is to eliminate cases of unlawful and improper decision-making by state offices in matters of the environment and human rights, to help people gain access to the courts, to build the knowledge and skills of non-profit organizations’ staffs, to expand the ranks of public-interest lawyers, and to help bring about a high-quality legal code." It has a mandate to lobby governments and the United Nations.

ELS/EPS particularly focuses on the defence of the environment and human rights. It monitors and reports on corporate accountability of multinational organisations, and other legal matters of public interest.

It is a member of the European Environmental Bureau, (EEB), Justice and Environment, OECD Watch, the Czech Public Interest Lawyers Association and the Czech environmental umbrella organisation Zelený kruh/ Green Circle.

It publishes and distributes material on legal options for the protection of the environment under the series title Paragrafy pro přírodu (Legislation for Nature).