Berkeley Law’s 2024 Environmental Leadership Award Winner

Julia Olson, a luminary in the environmental legal sphere, is the Founder, Executive Director, and Chief Legal Counsel of Our Children’s Trust. This groundbreaking organization is singularly dedicated to representing young people in climate-related lawsuits against governmental bodies, offering their services pro bono. A UC Law San Francisco alumna, Julia has dedicated over 25 years to public interest environmental litigation. She launched Our Children’s Trust in 2010, driven by her keen awareness as a new mother of the inadequacies in existing environmental law to address the escalating climate crisis. Under her leadership, the organization has achieved landmark victories, including a groundbreaking win in Held v. State of Montana, where Montana’s fossil fuel-promoting laws were declared unconstitutional.

Julia also serves as the lead counsel in the pivotal case Juliana v. United States, representing 21 young Americans, including 11 from Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities, in their constitutional claim against the U.S. government. This high-profile case has garnered attention through the Netflix documentary “YOUTH v GOV.” In recognition of her tireless work, Julia has received numerous awards and has left an indelible mark on the fight against climate change. She is a fitting honoree for Berkeley Law School’s 2024 Environmental Leadership Award.