Environment and Energy

In just its second year, Clean Energy Leaders in Law brings together students with diverse interests in energy and environmental law and policy. 

“This is California offering up our experience and innovation to try and drive innovation elsewhere,” says Michael Kiparsky, founding director of CLEE’s Wheeler Water Institute. 

They’re on board at the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, Berkeley Center for Law and Business, Human Rights Center, and Center for Law and Work.

A whopping 18 courses are available to Berkeley Law students for the first time this semester, including 3 focused on emerging areas in the corporate sector.

Selected to discuss their work at the recent event in Miami, where the vast majority of presenters were faculty scholars, “is a big deal,” says Professor Katerina Linos.

Members of the school’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment and its California-China Climate Institute meet with key leaders and drive solutions to pressing issues.

A whopping 106 Berkeley Law students are participating in the program this semester, the most in Director Sue Schechter’s 16 years at the school.

Hailing from 41 countries, 246 students bring a vast array of experiences and perspectives to the school from across the globe.

The new offerings include Environmental Justice and Health Equity, Environmental Justice and Advocacy in California, and Environmental Health Law Through Film.

The student-run journal sits at the pinnacle of the academic landscape, publishing groundbreaking environmental law scholarship four times a year. 

New clerks credit the school’s Career Development Office staff for demystifying the clerkship application process and providing vital support. 

The Center for Law, Energy & the Environment brought together three experts for a recent webinar to discuss the implications of the ruling for climate policy.

Four Berkeley Law professors, including Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, discuss the court’s anticipated conservative decisions on some of America’s most divisive issues.

This year’s award recipients stand out among extraordinary individual and collective commitment across the legal landscape to improve people’s lives.

Berkeley Law is #9 overall in the latest U.S. News rankings, with a whopping nine specialty areas in the top 10 — including three ranked #1.

The 90-second episodes of the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment’s show aim to break people out of the doom-and-gloom loop on climate change.

The gift from Ruth Greenspan Bell ’67 and her husband Joseph Bell will fund scholarships and programming at Berkeley Law’s environmental law and social justice centers.

The next president of the Environmental Law Institute, Diamond greatly expanded the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment’s programming, expertise, and impact. 

Stephen Johnson ’83, American Airlines’ executive vice president of corporate affairs, talks to Berkeley Law students about turning turmoil into innovation. 

Among the Berkeley Law students who enjoyed rewarding summer work, Diarra found a great fit at Accountability Counsel, which helps communities harmed by internationally financed projects.

A whopping 17 offerings are available to students this semester that count toward Berkeley Law’s race and law certificate.

Alexander Mesher ’22 finds an unexpected and rewarding match with his passion for public interest environmental law. 

Berkeley Law alumnus Stuart K. Gardiner ’73 provides funding to help the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment identify, analyze, and elevate new climate solutions.

A $250,000 gift from Orrick and the family of its chair Mitch Zuklie ’96 unlocks a $1 million anonymous gift to help expand the Environmental Law Clinic’s impact and reach.

“Mary’s experience and work on zero emission vehicles, power plant emissions, subnational cooperation, the Clean Air Act and other key climate issues and challenges will be a real asset to the Institute,” said Institute Chair and former Governor of California Jerry Brown.

Alums Funmi Olorunnipa Badejo and Caroline McKay and former fellow Narayan Subramanian land key jobs at the White House and Department of Energy.

The list features eight first-time offerings and eight more one-credit classes that are available to upper-class students for the first time.

Forecasting what to expect on climate and environmental policy during the first 100 days of the Biden administration and beyond.   

Kuraj teams up with Professor Daniel Farber to assess the vital implications of gene editing for environmental purposes.

Berkeley Law experts describe what to expect — depending on who wins the presidency and which party controls the Senate — from health care and the environment to immigration and criminal justice.

The joint UC Berkeley/Americorps initiative sends recent graduates to work in farm and forest communities across California to build resilience and mitigate climate change.

Governor Newsom signs a whopping seven bills that focus on protecting residents’ civil, financial, and environmental rights — all driven by Berkeley Law clinics and centers.

A federal lawsuit and proposed state legislation show the breadth of the clinic’s advocacy work. 

Part of a livestreamed Berkeley Conversations event, professors john a. powell and Claudia Polsky ’96 describe why environmental harms disproportionately affect people of color.

Jurisprudence and Social Policy Program student Cristina Violante wins the American Bar Foundation Graduate Student Competition from the international journal Law & Social Inquiry.

The Berkeley Center for Law and Business cooks up a satisfying niche for foodtech entrepreneurs through two of its innovative programs.

Extraordinary 3Ls Savannah Reid, Bill Nguyen, and Camila Gonzalez wowed their supervisors, peers, and project partners en route to their awards. 

Faculty members Stavros Gadinis and Amelia Miazad ’02 remain hopeful that companies will continue to value “doing well by doing good” through the coronavirus pandemic. 

Faculty, researchers, and students are influencing state regulatory and governmental changes that address climate change and help disadvantaged communities.

New student-led group aims to advance the interests of animals through the legal system, particularly administrative law.

Berkeley Law will co-house the university’s new California-China Climate Institute, a major initiative to propel greater climate action via joint research, training, and dialogue. 

Ranked seventh nationally among U.S. law schools, the clinical program welcomes a supervising attorney and two fellows. 

The nation’s top-ranked environmental law program ramps up an already robust set of climate initiatives.

Berkeley Law honors 26 students who earned the certificate in an increasingly vital area of law. 

Both displayed exceptional leadership and diligence as housing rights advocates.

Second-year students best 55 other teams in the marquee event, the largest inter-school moot court of any kind held under one roof.

Dave Jones joins the Berkeley Center for Law, Energy & the Environment to examine financial risks caused by climate change.

Dean Erwin Chemerinsky emceed the annual gathering to celebrate books written by the school’s prolific faculty over the past year.

Fire zone maps, merging small water systems, and zoning changes are among recommendations sent to the governor-elect.

The event signals how companies are increasingly prioritizing positive societal contributions along with shareholder profits.

Caron, who spent 26 years at Berkeley Law, held leading roles as a professor, scholar, dean, arbitrator, and judge.

Researchers from the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment say 100-percent use is critical for California to meet its legislated climate goals.

Professor Eric Biber leads an expanding study of procedural obstacles to affordable housing.

Tyler is one of 26 Berkeley Law faculty members of the institute, which helps clarify the law and improve how it’s administered.

Jordan Diamond joins effort to maintain healthy coastal and ocean ecosystems and recommend law and policy reforms.

The system accounts for one-third of statewide jobs, but is also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions and local air pollution.

A prominent international law scholar, judge, and arbitrator, Caron taught at Berkeley Law for 26 years.

Three Berkeley Law students were among those who gave TED-style talks at the center’s annual Fellowship Conference.

Expert policymakers, attorneys, and scholars will gather at Berkeley Law November 3 to explore the doctrine’s growing importance.

Highlights include new faculty, flourishing programs, high-impact research, and expanding student opportunities.

New clinic report offers guidance on how to develop a water affordability program in California.

A joint report from UCLA and UC Berkeley Schools of Law outlines specific policies and steps that California can take to meet its energy goals.

Six recent graduates who received the prestigious two-year fellowship will serve low-income populations in California, Texas, and New York.

Charles Denton, Janice Kosel ’71 and Antonio Rossmann are honored for their service to the law school.

Six Berkeley Law alums and one student selected for the prestigious program learn their offers will be honored despite announcements of a governmental hiring freeze.

Experts convene at Berkeley Law to tackle wide-ranging challenges facing the coast.

Britton Schwartz and Ana Vohryzek will focus largely on water justice issues while supervising student projects.

As climate change alters how experts approach ocean and coastal governance, LOSI will confront issues such as shifting boundaries, changing ecosystems and the forced migration of communities.

Co-authored by Ethan Elkind, director of Berkeley Law’s Climate Change and Business Program, the report targets acreage in the state’s San Joaquin Valley.

Led by Claudia Polsky ’96, the clinic’s inaugural group of students tackles projects geared to make a significant impact and spark meaningful reform. 

The report says this new approach will help attract capital market investment and simplify the retrofit process for building owners.