UCLA School of Law offers new specialization in environmental law
"This new specialization formalizes what has already been a robust and
extensive training program for future lawyers seeking to work on
environmental issues," said Sean Hecht, co-executive director of the
Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and UCLA
Law's Evan Frankel Professor of Policy and Practice. "Students here have
always had access to our stellar faculty, courses and guidance, and the
specialization offers formal acknowledgement of their commitment to
training in environmental law."
To earn the certificate, students must complete five courses in
environmental law and produce a supervised research paper. Externships and
clinical courses count toward the certificate. Students who fulfill the
requirements receive notations on their diplomas and transcripts reflecting
that they completed the specialization.
UCLA Law's environmental programs have grown dramatically in the last
decade. In 2008, UCLA Law launched the Emmett Institute on Climate Change
and the Environment, now the country's leading law center on environmental
issues including climate change policy, federal regulation, state policy,
urban sustainability, chemical safety, land use, climate engineering and
more.
Students pursuing environmental law at UCLA also benefit from clinical
programs, scholarships and opportunities for student leadership. The Frank
G. Wells Environmental Law Clinic provides students opportunities to work
on behalf of environmental and community groups on litigation and
regulatory matters. The Emmett Institute sponsors several students each
summer for public interest externships with nonprofits and government
agencies. The student-run Environmental Law Society was recognized as the
UCLA Law Student Organization of the Year in 2017-18. That academic year
students participated in the California State Bar's Environmental Law
Conference in Yosemite and international climate talks in Bonn, Germany.
"UCLA Law has long been a magnet for ambitious students who are serious
about careers in environmental law. The environmental law specialization
will provide students more opportunities for education, research and career
guidance," said Cara Horowitz, who serves as the Andrew Sabin Family
Foundation co-executive director of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change
and the Environment. "With this specialization, graduates will be even
better positioned to join the many UCLA Law alumni who have gone on to
leadership roles at state and federal agencies, nonprofits and private
firms."
The environmental law specialization joins six other specializations at
UCLA Law. All students admitted to the environmental law specialization
must complete five courses with content in environmental, natural resources
land use and energy law, and must complete a supervised research paper. The
specialization program includes a formal mentoring process, in which
students meet with a faculty advisor to discuss their areas of interest and
create an individualized path that meets the student's academic and career
objectives. Students are encouraged to declare their intention to pursue
the specialization during the spring of their first year, but with
permission from the co-executive directors, a student may join the
specialization later.
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