Environmental Law
Georgetown's Environmental Law & Policy Program provides unmatched opportunities for students to pursue legal work surrounding the relationship between humans and the environment.
Georgetown Law’s environmental law curriculum covers core and advanced topics in domestic and international environmental law, including climate and energy, water, wildlife and ecosystems, historic and cultural resource conservation, and environmental justice, among many others. As nationally prominent scholars and practitioners, our environmental faculty provide critical legal knowledge and real-world experience to prepare our students for success.
Students can learn practical skills through an array of experiential learning opportunities including practica in environment and natural resources law, international environmental law and climate change law, as well as clinic opportunities through the Harrison Institute for Public Law and the Environmental Law & Justice Clinic, which provides real-world experience as students engage with public interest legal work on behalf of under-served clients in the areas of environmental justice, pollution control, natural resources and wildlife, and climate. The Georgetown Climate Center (GCC) is a leading resource for state and federal government officials, academics, and stakeholders. Students working with the GCC collaborate with faculty, staff attorneys, and outside clients on questions of climate change, energy, transportation and adaptation.
Georgetown Law offers a one-year specialized LL.M. degree in Environmental and Energy Law. Georgetown J.D. candidates can obtain the LL.M. by completing 12 additional credit hours, through a joint J.D./LL.M. in Environmental Law. Public sector lawyers from developing countries can apply for the UNEP-Georgetown Global Environment & Sustainability Law Fellowship, which covers the full cost of tuition and travel for the Georgetown Environment and Energy Law LL.M., and includes a posting at UNEP’s headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.
Our students go on to work for Congress, courts and administrative law judges, governmental agencies, international organizations, non-profits, energy companies, trade associations, and more. To learn more about potential careers in Environmental Law, visit our Career Exploration page.
Meet the
faculty
Experiential Opportunities
Georgetown Climate Center
The mission of the Georgetown Climate Center is to advance ambitious and equitable government responses to the climate crisis in the U.S. at the national, state, and local levels.
Environmental Law & Justice Clinic
Georgetown’s Environmental Law & Justice Clinic conducts public interest legal work on behalf of underserved clients in the areas of environmental justice, pollution control, natural resources and wildlife, and climate.
Harrison Institute for Public Law
The Harrison Institute provides services that make democracy work. The Institute supports actors who make and shape policy – government and corporate, local and global.
Georgetown Environmental Law Review
The Georgetown Environmental Law Review publishes thought-provoking commentary and analysis of both international and domestic environmental law.
Environmental Law and Policy Program Travel Grant
Students may apply for a travel grant to fund travel to present their work at conferences and events. An official invitation to speak or present at the event is required.
