Projects selected by the Fund are usually directly related to protection of the environment, such as pollution reduction and habitat preservation. Occasionally projects are selected that are only indirectly related to the environment. For example, a lawsuit was recently filed by the Fund to protect the legal rights of a government whistle-blower in California. Although the Fund is usually contacted by environmental groups, at times an individual, usually a scientist, will request their help, usually when a species is endangered. In this case, the individual would contact a staff attorney at the Fund, who would look in to involving other groups, such as the California Native Plant Society.
Most cases settle prior to court appearance.
Most of the legal actions taken by the Legal Defense Fund are on behalf of environmental organizations and agencies, so in this respect they cooperate in all of their ventures. The Legal Defense Fund is the sister organization of the Sierra Club. They perform legal services on behalf of the Club, and the Club receives contributions on behalf of the Legal Defense Fund. In addition, the Legal Defense Fund International Program cooperates extensively with the United Nations. The Legal Defense Fund's domestic work all falls under the program of bringing forth environmentally-oriented lawsuits and proposing legal changes.