Fellowships & Awards

Ecology Law Quarterly (ELQ) awards annual fellowships and writing awards to current students.  For more information, visit ELQ’s website.  

 

Fellowships

Each year ELQ awards fellowships to law students slated to work with a public interest organization or in the public sector for the summer. The fellowships are awarded to second year students, who need not necessarily be a member of ELQ.

 

Tom Graff Summer Fellowship, variable

The Tom Graff Summer Fellowship was established by Antonio Rossmann, a graduate of Harvard Law School, the John and Elizabeth Boalt Lecturer at UC Berkeley School of Law teaching Land-Use Planning and Water Law, and a close friend and colleague of Tom Graff. This fund memorializes Tom Graff’s lifelong contributions to the water law of California and the West, and his lifelong commitment to the development and education of law students to follow that example.

Recipients of The Tom Graff Summer Fellowship shall be deserving environmental law students at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, with a preference for supporting a second year law student with a demonstrated commitment to a career in public interest or public service. The award of the summer fellowship is determined annually by the ELQ Board of Editors in consultation with the members of ELQ. 

The 2019 Tom Graff Summer Fellowship was awarded to Charisa Gowen-Takahashi.

The Barry S. Sandals Memorial Fellowship, $5,000

Barry S. Sandals was a partner at Morrison & Foerster, and was well known in the Bay Area as one of the nation’s top CERCLA litigators. A fellowship in his name is endowed by a generous gift from his former firm. It provides $5,000 to a second­ year law student, selected by vote by the ELQ membership. The recipient must demonstrate an interest in pursuing public interest and/or public sector environmental law employment, and have retained such employment for the summer.

The 2019 Barry S. Sandals Memorial Fellowship was awarded to Albert Lin.

 

Professor Joseph Sax Fellowship, up to $5,000

Professor Joseph Sax retired in 2001 from his position as the James H. House and Hiram H. Hurd Professor of Environmental Regulation, after teaching at Boalt for 15 years. In recognition of Professor Sax’s great accomplishments as an academic, practitioner, mentor, and friend, ELQdedicated a fellowship in his honor. The fellowship consists of a pool of funds, depending on annual fundraising. To be eligible, a student must be in his/her second year and have secured public interest or public sector employment for the summer. An individual recipient is capped at an award of $5,000; each applicant must also submit information about any outside funding he/she has received.

The 2019 Professor Joseph Sax Fellowship was awarded to Jina Kim.

 

Student Writing Awards

ELQ offers four student writing awards. The prizes are intended to encourage and reward student research, writing, and publication. Each award is judged by a panel of professors and/or alumni. The awards range form $1,000 to $2,000. 

Ellis J. Harmon Prize in Environmental Law & Policy

The Harmon Prize is awarded annually to the student who submits the most accomplished student research paper on a topic in environmental law and policy. The competition is open to any currently enrolled student at Berkeley Law. The winner will be considered for publication in ELQ and will be recognized at graduation. 

Energy and Climate Change Legal Writing Award 

Building on the strong energy curriculum offered at Berkeley Law, and across the UC Berkeley campus, the Energy and Climate Change Award recognizes one paper of outstanding merit addressing the legal issues of energy and climate change law. The award is co-­promoted by Ecology Law Quarterly and the Berkeley Energy & Resources Collaborative (BERC), and is open to any Berkeley Law student. In addition to the award recognition and prize, the winning paper may, at the firm’s discretion, be posted on Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati’s web site. Sponsored by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.

Landis Prize in State or Local Government Law or Water Law 

The Landis Prize is given to the student who submits the most accomplished research paper in water law or government law in each school year. The Landis Prize Competition is open to any currently enrolled student at Boalt, including LLM & JSP students, visiting students and Harvard Exchange students. Graduate students who are associated with other departments (and are not law students) are ineligible. The submission’s research and writing must be substantially the student’s own work. Co­authored pieces are not eligible. Sponsored by Mr. & Ms. James Ganulin.