By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News
Growing up, Natalie Navarro Crane spent a great deal of time outdoors, developing a passion for outdoor recreation and environmental sustainability—and she now is passionate about environmental law.
“I was always drawn to our natural world and wanted to understand it and learn how to advocate for it,” she says.
She started her career in this field by earning a Bachelor of Science degree, with highest honors, from Montana State University, with a major in Environmental Sciences and a minor in Entrepreneurship and Business Management.
Now a 3L student at Detroit Mercy Law School, Crane will launch her career after next May’s graduation as an entry-level associate in the Environmental practice group at Troutman Pepper, where she has been a summer associate for the past two years.
Legal News
Growing up, Natalie Navarro Crane spent a great deal of time outdoors, developing a passion for outdoor recreation and environmental sustainability—and she now is passionate about environmental law.
“I was always drawn to our natural world and wanted to understand it and learn how to advocate for it,” she says.
She started her career in this field by earning a Bachelor of Science degree, with highest honors, from Montana State University, with a major in Environmental Sciences and a minor in Entrepreneurship and Business Management.
Now a 3L student at Detroit Mercy Law School, Crane will launch her career after next May’s graduation as an entry-level associate in the Environmental practice group at Troutman Pepper, where she has been a summer associate for the past two years.
A 3L student at Detroit Mercy Law School, Natalie Crane enjoys hiking, trail runs, camping and skiing.
(Photo courtesy of Natalie Crane)“I’ll be working in the Detroit office, where I’ve already developed great relationships and learned so much about the practice of Environmental Law,” she says.
“I want to make a meaningful impact in my career, and the law plays a crucial role in shaping society. I’m passionate about the law because I’m deeply motivated by a desire for justice – for our Earth and for all the people that inhabit it.”
Crane, who previously worked as a legal assistant for the Porritt Law Firm in Lake Orion, and interned at the Cottonwood Environmental Law Firm in Bozeman, Montana, is thoroughly enjoying her legal studies.
“Detroit Mercy Law is a place where people of all different backgrounds, upbringings, and lived experiences come together to learn from our professors but also from each other,” she says. “I’ve never been surrounded by such intelligent and interesting people, and I love the collaborative environment of our classrooms and campus.”
She spent a semester in the law school’s Environmental Law clinic, helping a group of individuals fight against the development of a gravel mine in a residential area that has been historically preserved for its natural beauty and biodiversity. “It was extremely meaningful work,” she says.
This semester, she is a teaching assistant in International Environmental Law, and also is a judicial intern for Judge Berg at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
“Every day in Chambers is different, and I’ve deeply appreciated the opportunity to sit in on and observe a variety of court proceedings first-hand,” Crane says.
President of the Environmental Law Society, Crane also is a member of the Moot Court Board of Advocates, the Women’s Law Caucus, Hispanic & Latino Law Students Association, and the Mental Health Association.
Her primary goal is to hone her legal skills and dedicate time and effort to becoming the best lawyer she can be.
“I want to contribute positively to my firm and legal organizations and to society at large,” she says. “I intend to use my law degree for good and to invoke meaningful change in addressing social justice issues.”
She notes her family—" four amazing parents, two sisters, and two brothers”—has been absolutely vital to her law school success, “and has provided me with nothing but unwavering love and support throughout the last three years,” she says.
In her free time, Crane loves to travel, camp, hike, ski, trail run, and do yoga, and to visit museums and farmers’ markets.
“I try to spend as much time in fresh air as possible,” she says.
An avid skier, she has worked as an Instructor at Pine Knob Ski Resort in Clarkston every winter during law school.
“I find skiing to be extremely freeing and therapeutic, and I love being a part of ski culture, and it’s the best escape from the stress and anxieties of being a student,” she says. “I also love working with kids and I find teaching them how to ski to be very rewarding.”
She also has made time to volunteer with Greening of Detroit, Keep Growing Detroit, and Arboretum Detroit. “I try to stay involved and dedicate time to community philanthropy,” she says.
“I also spent the summer of 2018 in Mae Chaem, Thailand, volunteering on an elephant sanctuary where we took care of retired and rescued elephants, taught English to elementary schoolers, and worked on local infrastructure projects.”
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