Apart from their assigned mod courses, 1L students may only enroll in courses offered as 1L electives. A complete list of these courses can be found on the 1L Elective Listings page. 1L students must use the 1L class number listed on the course description when enrolling.
271 sec. 001 - Environmental Law & Policy (Spring 2026)
Instructor: Robert Donald Infelise (view instructor's teaching evaluations - degree students only | profile)
View all teaching evaluations for this course - degree students only
Units: 4
Grading Designation: Graded
Mode of Instruction: In-Person
Meeting:
TuWTh 2:15 PM - 3:25 PM
Location: Law 240
From January 13, 2026
To April 23, 2026
Course End: April 23, 2026
Class Number: 33830
Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 6
Waitlisted: 0
Enroll Limit: 30
As of: 01/24 11:52 PM
This introductory course will explore fundamental legal and policy issues in environmental law. We will focus on the challenges posed by threats to the environment, and four approaches to address environmental degradation: a litigation model, so-called “command-and-control” regulation, market instruments, and information dissemination mechanisms. We will study several major federal environmental statutes to illustrate these approaches. We will also analyze the controversies surrounding risk assessment, environmental federalism, and enforcement.
Bob Infelise received his A.B. from Cal in 1977 and his J.D. from Berkeley Law in 1980. Upon graduating, Mr. Infelise joined the Los Angeles office of Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP, one of the nation’s premier law firms specializing in the real estate and financial services industries. Since the mid-1980’s, he has specialized in litigation involving soil, groundwater and surface water contamination. In 1998, Mr. Infelise helped found Cox, Castle & Nicholson’s San Francisco office and later served as its managing partner.
Mr. Infelise writes and lectures on soil, groundwater and surface pollution, as well as climate change-related issues. His scholarly work begins and ends with an article co-authored by Professor Robert A. Kagan entitled “American State Supreme Court Justices, 1900-70,” American Bar Foundation Research Journal, 1984 (Vol. 2, Spring). In addition to this course, Mr. Infelise teaches Climate Change and the Law; Pathways to Carbon Neutrality; Introduction to the Law of Hazardous Waste and Remedies. He is the former chair of the Advisory Committee, as well as former acting executive director, of Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy and the Environment. In 2002-2003, Mr. Infelise was the acting head of Berkeley Law’s environmental law program. In 2014, he was given an honorific title, and is now a Christopher Edley, Jr. Lecturer. Mr. Infelise proudly serves as the faculty advisor to the Ecology Law Quarterly.
Exam Notes: (TH) Take-home Final Exam
(Subject to change by faculty member only through the first two weeks of instruction)
Exam Length: 6 hours
Course Category: Environmental and Energy Law
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Readers:
No reader.
Books:
Required Books are in blue
- Cases and Materials on Environmental Law
Daniel A. Farber and William Boyd
Edition: 11th Edition
Publisher: West Academic
ISBN: 9798892092241
e-Book Available: Yes
Price: $321.00
Note: prices are sampled from internet bookstores. Law-school Bookstore prices are unavailable at this time.