The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was passed in 1970 along with the Environmental Quality Improvement Act, the Environmental Education Act, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). State laws also reflect the same concerns.
The main objective of these laws was to assure that the environment be protected against both public and private actions that failed to take account of costs or harms inflicted on the eco-system. These laws allow adversely affected property owners to seek a judicial remedy for environmental harms harms. This is where environmental law schools come in.
What can I do with an environmental law degree?
Environmental law graduates have secured management positions with federal and state governments, national and state non-profit organizations, and consulting firms. They have secured legal positions with law firms and corporations.
Many environmental law graduates are environmental attorneys and partners in leading law firms in major cities. Others are in solo practice and in small law firms nationwide.
Federal and state government agencies that employ environmental law graduates include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Massachusetts Department of Fisheries and Wildlife.
Here are some other fields that use environmental law:
- Environmental Affairs Specialist
- Communication Team Leader
- Director of Regulatory Affairs
- Environmental Analyst
- Systems Test Engineer
- Environmental Freelance Writer
- Regulatory Compliance Analyst
- Professor, Environmental Studies
- Environmental Manager
- Real Estate Broker
- Legislative Assistant
Should I believe environmental law school rankings?
It depends. Many services rank law programs. These rankings of environmental law schools are based on two types of data: expert opinion about program quality and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school’s faculty, research, and students.
Be sure to use rankings of environmental law schools wisely when choosing a place to study.
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