Student Organizations

Environment and Energy student orgs banner

Note: Most groups have a regular newsletter – email the contacts below to subscribe!

Animal Legal Defense Fund of Berkeley Law (ALDFBL) 

The Animal Legal Defense Fund of Berkeley Law isAnimal Legal Defense Fund logo dedicated to providing a forum for education, advocacy, and scholarship aimed at protecting the lives and advancing the interests of animals through the legal system, and raising the profile of the field of animal law. Animal Legal Defense Fund of Berkeley Law aims to: (1) educate the UC Berkeley community about forms of institutionalized animal abuse, and (2) foster awareness about means of combating this abuse through litigation. We hope to provide opportunities, education, and assistance to Berkeley Law students working to promote positive legal protection of animal welfare. To learn more, contact aldfberkeleylaw@gmail.com.


Berkeley Energy & Resources Collaborative
(BERC) @ Berkeley LawBerkeley Energy & Resources Collaborative logo

The Berkeley Energy & Resources Collaborative at Berkeley Law connects law students to opportunities in the energy field, both across Berkeley campus and in the professional sphere. BERC @ Berkeley Law hosts several events each semester with practicing energy attorneys, including the Spring Energy Law Mixer, and maintains an Energy Law Career Guide for members. BERC @ Berkeley Law is the law school chapter of the campus-wide Berkeley Energy & Resources Collaborative, a multidisciplinary network of graduate, professional and undergraduate students, alumni, faculty, industry professionals, and advisors. “Big BERC” hosts a nationally-recognized annual Energy Symposium and offers programs where students can get hands-on experience working with cleantech entrepreneurs and the energy business world. To learn more, contact bercatberkeleylaw@gmail.com


Ecology Law Quarterly (ELQ)Ecology Law Quarterly logo

Ecology Law Quarterly is the nation’s oldest environmental law journal, and continues to blaze the trail on cutting-edge scholarship. ELQ believes the environment isn’t limited to pristine nature—it encompasses all the places we live, work, and play. Join ELQ to work on a preeminent law journal and connect with some of the kindest, most passionate students Berkeley Law has to offer! To learn more, contact elq@berkeley.edu


Environmental Law Society (ELS) Environmental Law Society logo

ELS promotes public interest in environmental law, engaging students through a variety of projects. ELS generates dialogue within the student community at Berkeley Law about emerging environmental issues and advocates for environmental protection. ELS also hosts discussions and speakers on environmental law topics. Recent activities include a panel on summer legal positions in environmental law, advocating for UC to divest from fossil fuel investments, and hikes in local open spaces. To learn more, contact environment@law.berkeley.edu.


Students for Economic and Environmental Justice (SEEJ)Students for Economic and Environmental Justice logo

SEEJ is an affinity group for law students interested in economic and environmental justice issues and advocacy. Committed to the equitable distribution of environmental and economic benefits and burdens, SEEJ investigates the strategic use of legal tools to strengthen grassroots organizing and build community power. SEEJ brings relevant practitioners and academics to speak, organizes students around improving the Berkeley Law curriculum, and participates in community work throughout the school year. To learn more, contact seej.berkeleylaw@gmail.com.


Student-Initiated Legal Services Project: Clean Energy Leaders in Law (CELL) Clean Energy Leaders in Law logo

Clean Energy Leaders in Law (CELL) is a student-initiated legal services project (SLP) at Berkeley Law that seeks to accelerate an equitable transition to renewable energy by providing legal services to marginalized communities seeking access to and ownership of clean power. This work is critical, as low-income neighborhoods and communities of color have been disproportionately overburdened by the effects of climate change and often lack access to renewable energy alternatives, such as residential solar. Through the establishment of complex special-purpose legal entities, law students and legal service organizations can improve access to community-owned renewable energy projects. To learn more, contact cleanenergyleadersinlaw@berkeley.edu.


Student-Initiated Legal Services Project: Environmental Conservation Outreach (ECO SLP) Environmental Conservation Outreach logo

ECO is a research-based student-initiated legal services project (SLP) at Berkeley Law. Students have the opportunity to work with clients on environmental issues on a Pro Bono basis while improving their legal research and writing skills. This fall, ECO will be assisting a national NGO with federal oil and gas leasing work as related to public health and endangered species. ECO will also be assisting a regional NGO with administrative law matters related to California environmental law. In the spring, ECO will tentatively work on projects focused on environmental justice. To learn more, contact ECOSLP@berkeley.edu.


Student-Initiated Legal Services Project: Free The Land Project (FTLP) Free The Land Project logo

The Free the Land Project seeks to provide support to grassroots organizers in their land, housing, and environmental justice goals. We want to provide opportunities for Berkeley Law students to engage with BIPOC-led organizations in the Bay Area fighting for the liberation rights of the most vulnerable communities. To learn more, contact ftlp@berkeley.edu.


Sustainability Team @ Berkeley Law (STB)Sustainability Team logo

The Sustainability Team @ Berkeley Law strives to help students, staff, faculty, and all the law school’s visitors divert waste from landfills and empower the law school community to reduce our impact on ecosystems and communities. The Team is a collaborative project of student organizations at Berkeley Law determined to bring attention to the law school’s environmental impact. In past years, the Team led an effort to bring composting to Berkeley Law.