Environmental Law at Richmond
Environmental law is a fast-growing field that addresses complex questions:
How should law regulate private economic activity to protect the environment?
How should it allocate scarce resources?
How should we weigh the interests of future generations?
The University of Richmond School of Law has a distinguished, 30-year tradition of teaching and scholarship in environmental law. It is also one of a handful of law schools in the country where first-year students can take an environmental law class.
At the School of Law, our students study the full range of modern environmental law issues, including air pollution, hazardous wastes, energy law, climate change, endangered species, environmental treaties, water pollution, brownfields redevelopment, land use planning, and litigation and enforcement.
The members of our faculty are accomplished lawyers and published scholars who are dedicated to classroom teaching. We have broad course offerings, numerous upper-level seminars, a student-led Environmental Law Society, and the Robert R. Merhige, Jr. Center for Environmental Studies. Students can pursue externships with high-profile environmental groups and a wide range of government agencies in Virginia. The University has a large faculty in Environmental Studies with expertise in fields such as biology, chemistry, business, economics, and international relations.
Graduates of the environmental law program have gone on to distinguished careers in law firms, federal, state, and local government, and environmental advocacy, prepared to meet the challenges of this dynamic field.