Environmental Law and Policy Clinic

The Environmental Law and Policy Clinic (ELPC) offers students an opportunity to do hands-on, meaningful, real-life and real-time environmental legal and policy work. Clinic offerings include local, national and international projects covering the spectrum of environmental issues. Under the leadership of Director and Clinical Professor Wendy Jacobs, the Clinic works on local, national and international projects covering a broad range of environmental issues. Depending on the project, students may undertake litigation and advocacy work by drafting briefs, preparing testimony, conducting research, developing strategy, and reviewing proposed legislation. Projects have included: briefs filed in Kansas Supreme Court on behalf of Secretary of Kansas Department of Health and Environment in defense of precedent-setting decision to deny a permit based on global warming; submission of preparation of testimony for Kansas Secretary to present to U.S. Congress; comments to Federal Trade Commission on its regulation of environmental marketing; comments to Environmental Protection Agency on its authority to regulate air pollution from foreign-flagged ships; assistance to California Attorney General’s office in connection with climate change projects; preparation of consumer-friendly guides for the purchase of renewable energy in each of the New England states, New Jersey, and New York; development of a legal framework for regulation of tidal and wave energy in Massachusetts; preparation of best practices manual for construction of “green” buildings.

Students in the clinic should review the following requirements: Requirements for Off-Site Placements, Requirements for working On-Site at ELPC.

Clinical Information

Fall or Spring clinical
Open to 2L, 3L students
LLM students by permission
Pre-Requisites: One of the following - Administrative Law, Legislation and Regulation, or Environmental Law

09/10 Clinical Courses

Climate Change Justice
Instructor: Michael Vandenberg
Fall couse; Fall clinical

Environmental Law
Instructor: Michael Vandenbergh
Fall course; Fall clinical

Environmental Law Practice: Skills, Methods, and Controversies
Instructor: Wendy Jacobs
Spring seminar; Fall or Spring clinical

Natural Resrouces Law and Policy
Instructor: Jedediah Purdy
Spring course; Spring clinical

Contact

Wendy Jacobs
Pound Hall 415
Harvard Law School
wjacobs@law.harvard.edu