Environmental Law Concentration

Environmental law plays a major role in structuring the relationship between human beings and the natural environment. Almost every kind of legal practice today involves some form of environmental law. Lawyers practice environmental law in large and small private law firms, in the offices of in-house corporate counsel, in government agencies, in the offices of state attorneys general and the US Department of Justice, and in many non-governmental organizations. Whether future employment entails advocating the position of a public interest group, a corporate client, a government agency, or a private citizen, the Environmental Law Concentration is designed to meet the need for knowledgeable and skillful application of legal principles and techniques in the environmental marketplace.

Curriculum

The Environmental Law Concentration offers students the opportunity to develop their skills and understanding of environmental law through a structured program of study and experience. During the first year of law school, students interested in the Environmental Law Concentration are encouraged to participate in the concentration by taking advantage of opportunities to begin working on the Buffalo Environmental Law Journal and to attend the public sessions of the Environmental Colloquium which are held approximately bi-weekly. The formal elements of concentration, which begin in the second year of law school, include the following components:

Required Courses. All students undertaking the Environmental Law Concentration are required to complete four courses: Environmental Law 1 and Environmental Law 2, constitute a year-long survey of legal regimes governing resource management, pollution control, and environmental planning; Administrative Law, an introduction to the law governing administrative decision making; and an advanced course where the student produces a substantial work product in the field of environmental law, such as an article for publication or a significant body of environmental advocacy. Several courses in the Law curriculum satisfy this last requirement. The Environmental Colloquium is conducted in a workshop format so that students can help each other develop publishable works for the Buffalo Environmental Law Journal under an instructor’s supervision, and also hear guest speakers and plan environmental conferences or symposia. Environmental placements are available through the Externship in Public Law. Occasionally, Clinics are available which deal with environmental matters (e.g., Environmental Policy Clinic, Environment and Development Clinic). The normal sequence for taking the required courses is to complete Environmental Law 1 and 2 and Administrative Law in the second year and the Colloquium, Externship, or Clinic in the third year. Students who plan to vary from this normal sequence should consult with the instructor teaching the Environmental Colloquium, who serves as coordinator for the Environmental Law Concentration.

Electives. In addition to the specified required courses described above, students in the Environmental Law Concentration must take six credit hours of approved courses in the field. The list of acceptable courses to meet this requirement changes as courses move into and out of the curriculum. The current list includes the following courses:

• Advanced Problems in Environmental Policy
• Bridging Law, Science and Public Health
• Complex Litigation
• Enforcing Environmental Law
• Environmental Governance and Stewardship
• Environmental Issues in Land Use Approval
• Environmental Legal Research
• Environmental Quality Problems
• Hydropower and Land Use Regulation: The Niagara River
• International Environmental Law
• Land Development and Finance
• Land Use Planning
• Land Use Problems
• Law and Economics
• Legislative Policy-Making
• Mass Tort Litigation
• New York State Administrative Law
• New York State Environmental Quality Review
• Planning Law and Community
• "Private" Law Making
• Public Health Law
• Risk Management
• State & Local Government Law Practice
• Statutes
• Superfund
• The Peace Bridge: Environmental Review Process
• Toxic Torts
• Water Quality Workshop
• Worker Safety
• Zoning and Land Use Development

Other courses, both in the Law School and in other parts of the University, may also be acceptable, depending upon your interests and career plans. All students wishing to substitute a course should contact the coordinator before registering. Prior permission from the Registrar’s Office is also required to apply credits from a course taken outside the Law School toward the JD degree.

Any student wishing to enter the Environmental Law Concentration, or simply to be informed of concentration events, should submit his or her name and e-mail address to the Coordinator as early as possible in law school. To receive recognition for completing the concentration, a student must include a statement of intent to complete the concentration to the Registrar’s Office with the pre-registration materials for the fifth semester in Law School (start of senior year).

Faculty

Robert S. Berger (brownfield policy, complex litigation), Barry B. Boyer (environmental law, natural resources, water quality), Lucinda M. Finley (toxic and mass torts), Errol Meidinger (environmental and administrative law, private standard setting), Frank Munger (land use, state and local government), R. Nils Olsen (environmental litigation, solid and hazardous waste policy), Robert I. Reis (environmental law, land use, technology and environment), Margaret A. Shannon (Concentration Coordinator, environmental planning, environmental stewardship), David Westbrook (international environmental law).
(Part time) David Brody (wetland regulation), Milton Kaplan (municipal law), .

Student Groups

The Buffalo Environmental Law Journal is a student-edited journal that publishes articles by faculty, practitioners, and students on important problems in environmental law. The Buffalo Environmental Law Society sponsors events of special interest to students and maintains an Environmental Moot Court Team. The Buffalo Environmental Fellows are outstanding students who receive partial tuition waivers and commit a significant portion of their time to strengthening the environmental curriculum.

Last Updated 11/01/02