Environmental Law

Environmental law is about the world around us: water, air, land, and wildlife, and their effects on human health and welfare.  It includes issues of critical worldwide significance, such as global climate change and the protection of endangered species. Related topics include criminal law, remedies, land use, constitutional law, consumer protection, products liability, business entities, energy, and administrative law.

Environmental lawyers work at various jobs: advocacy organizations, governments at all levels, and corporations and law firms where they advise, litigate, and otherwise advocate on issues of environmental law implementation, enforcement, and compliance as well as environmental justice.  As our world becomes more crowded and more complex, the practice of environmental law will continue to grow.

Stetson’s Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy and Jacobs Public Interest Law Clinic for Democracy and the Environment facilitate the LLM in environmental law (beginning in 2026), internships, lectures, and conferences on a variety of environmental law topics.

Environmental Law is one of a handful of topics in which students may earn a Stetson certificate of concentration. 

Resources

Competitions

• National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition - Pace University School of Law
• International Environmental Moot Court Competition - Stetson University College of Law 
• American Bar Association Section on Environment, Energy, and Resources Student Writing Competition
• Robert R. Merhige, Jr. National Environmental Negotiation Competition at University of Richmond School of Law
• Environmental Law & Policy Hack | School of Law | University of Miami.

Full-Time Faculty and Staff Focusing on this Pathway

• Jaclyn Lopez, Associate Professor of Law and Director of the Jacobs Public Interest Law Clinic for Democracy and the Environment
• Paul Boudreaux,Professor of Law
• Roy C. Gardner, Co-Director of the Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy and Professor of Law
• Erin Okuno, Assistant Professor of Law
• Rachael Curran, Staff Attorney for the Jacobs Law Clinic
• Alyssa Huffman, Law Fellow for the Jacobs Law Clinic
• Katherine Pratt, Foreman Biodiversity Fellow

Stetson Environmental Law Faculty and Staff in the News

Jacobs Clinic Leads Charge for Ghost Orchid Protection

Stetson's Jacobs Law Clinic Asks Court to Stop Project That Could Harm Puerto Rico Coral Reef 

“A law professor & scientist ask for a halt to a dredging project that could harm Puerto Rico coral reefs.”

“Florida wants to more than double size of Mosaic’s ‘radioactive roads’ plan.” 

The US Supreme Court has gutted federal protection for wetlands — now what? 

Students Help Build Amici Brief in SCOTUS Clean Water Case 

Professional Organizations

• American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (SEER)
• Florida Bar Environmental & Land Use Section

Student Organizations

• Environmental Law Society

  Food Law Society

  Student Animal Legal Defense Fund

Public Interest Opportunities

• some private environmental law organizations (not exhaustive)