Faculty

The Center for Environmental Studies faculty members are accomplished lawyers and scholars with backgrounds on Capitol Hill, and within leading law firms, administrative agencies, and environmental groups. They are committed to teaching, spreading their passion for environmental law, and bringing into the classroom their rich experiences in the field.

The faculty includes:

  • Two professors primarily focused on environmental law
  • Full-time professors focused on closely related fields, such as administrative law, constitutional law, and federal courts
  • Adjunct faculty with a wide range of expertise
  • An externship placement supervisor

 

Noah SachsNoah M. Sachs
Professor of Law
Director, Robert R. Merhige, Jr. Center for Environmental Studies

"Environmental problems have gone global, and we need global solutions grounded in both technological and legal cooperation. The role of environmental law is to ensure that economic growth does not undercut the very foundations of our survival, like clean water, breathable air, and a protective atmosphere. As Thoreau once said, 'What good is a house if you haven't got a decent planet to put it on.'"


Joel EisenJoel B. Eisen
Professor of Law

"Modern environmental law is one of the great success stories of the American legal system. Our air and water are cleaner, but many areas remain in which we must seek significant improvements in environmental quality. Today's environmental lawyers must develop innovative 'third generation' approaches. The changing nature of the American and global economies, the advent of sustainability as a framework for organizing efforts toward progress, and the pressing need to deal with the threat posed by global warming, all point toward training environmental lawyers to go beyond the tried and true and find a new path to protecting the planet."

 

Noah SachsDanielle Stokes
Assistant Professor of Law

“People are at the core of my perspective on environmental law. The way we engage with, develop, and steward the environment shapes every aspect of the world around us. The law helps us draw boundaries around what is and is not deemed to be an acceptable relationship with the environment. Yet, these parameters do not always have positive outcomes for people and the environment simultaneously. Finding that balance, or striving to make equitable choices about how to serve the best interest of people and the world around them is what makes researching and practicing environmental law invaluable.”