Leadership Report
2021 – 2022
What’s up? The 2021–2022 Calendar of Events Fall September 17
8th Annual Future Environmental Law Professors Workshop [virtual]
October
Book Launch for ‘Fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals: On a Quest for a Sustainable World’ edited by Professors Narinder Kakar, Nicholas Robinson and Vesselin Popovski [virtual]
12
Ceremony presenting the Elisabeth Haub Award for Environmental Law and Diplomacy to award recipients Vanessa Nakate and Professor Wang Xi [virtual]
November 15 19 December 9
Annual Lloyd K. Garrison Lecture on Environmental Law by Professor Erika George, S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah [virtual] Annual Environmental Law and Policy Hack Final Round [virtual]
20th Annual Alfred B. DelBello Land Use and Sustainable Development Conference on ‘Rx for Land Use Reform: Meeting the Challenge in a Time of Crisis’
Spring January – June February 23 – 26
Monthly Joint Colloquia on Environmental Law with the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law [virtual]
Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition [virtual]
April
Pace Environmental Law Review (PELR) Symposium [virtual]
TBD
Gilbert and Sarah Kerlin Lecture on Environmental Law [virtual]
In this issue New Faces* New Fellows† & Awards‡
Since 1978, Pace | Haub Environmental Law has provided students unparalleled opportunities to develop the skills necessary for great environmental lawyers. Our students learn from nationally and internationally recognized experts in the fields of water pollution prevention, sustainable development, food policy, renewable energy, human rights and global environmental law. Our faculty continue to produce amazing scholarship and serve as thought leaders in areas as diverse as zoning and solar energy development, wind energy and national security, and legal adaptations to climate change. And this year, we are excited to have many new faces join our program. Josh Galperin joins the Haub Law faculty, not as a stranger, but as a long-time collaborator, having been a prior partner in Pace | Haub Environmental Law’s joint Masters program with Yale. Professor Galperin brings with him a strong commitment to the public interest in the fields of environmental and food law, and joins forces with Shirley Lin, who also joins the faculty this year, in advancing the program’s sustainable business and governance efforts. With a strong civil rights background, Professor Lin is a rising star in employment and discrimination law and hopes to extend her expertise to Pace | Haub Environmental Law’s ESG endeavors. Jack Hornickel, our newest Staff Attorney, will be based within the program’s Food and Beverage Law Clinic, multiplying its transformational work supporting entrepreneurs and farmers in the region. Last, but not least, we welcome the leadership of Haub Law alumna and international environmental law scholar, Achinthi Vithanage, as she settles into her new role as the first international Associate Director of the Pace | Haub Environmental Law program. In the wake of four crises sweeping the United States – the Climate Crisis, the COVID-19 Pandemic, White Supremacy, and Racial Injustice – the Pace Haub Environmental Law community persevered together in a test of unity and resilience. The Haub Law faculty and staff, with feet firmly grounded in the higher purpose of instilling strong civil and environmental ethics through a purposeful environmental legal education, navigated the complexities of virtual teaching in the midst of these crises. In turn, our student cohort showed great strength and adaptability, qualities that will prove essential in their future careers as environmental lawyers. We are incredibly proud and thoroughly impressed by their quiet perseverance and comradery and have high hopes for the coming year, as we return to campus in profoundly different ways. We our grateful for the strong support network that is our Pace | Haub Environmental Law community and look forward to embracing uncertainty and traversing the shifting legal and societal landscapes together as one united front.
Message from the Associate Dean & Associate Director of Environmental Law Programs
Jason J. Czarnezki Gilbert and Sarah Kerlin Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law | Executive Director & Associate Dean, Environmental Law Programs & Strategic Initiatives
Achinthi C. Vithanage Associate Director, Environmental Law Programs Adjunct Professor of Law
News! Legends at Pace | Haub This year, the Pace | Haub Environmental Law Program witnesses two of its legendary professors enter Emeritus status. Prof. Nicholas Robinson, a stalwart presence at the law school for decades, was involved in the development of environmental law since its creation in 1969 and a pioneer of the environmental law program at Haub Law, co-founding forward-thinking centers such as Pace’s Global Center for Environmental Legal Studies (GCELS). Prof. Robinson will continue to stay heavily engaged in environmental law, with several book publications on the horizon, and representing GCELS at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s World Conservation Congress in Fall 2021. He will continue teaching his seminar on Environmental Impact Assessments at Haub Law in Spring 2022. Prof. Karl Coplan, who spearheaded the Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic for the past 27 years, is taking a well-deserved break. Known for his strong commitment to sustainable living, Prof. Coplan intends to spend a good portion of the coming year sailing the world in his boat. He will continue to teach the Environmental Law Clinic in Fall 2021 and write the problem question for the 2022 Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition.
Nicholas A. Robinson University Professor on the Environment Emeritus & Gilbert and Sarah Kerlin Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law Emeritus; Co-Director, Global Center for Environmental Legal Studies | BA, Brown; JD, Columbia. Developed the field of environmental law since 1969. Served as legal advisor, White House Council on Environmental Quality; general counsel, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation; and legal advisor and chairman, Commission on Environmental Law, IUCN. Karl S. Coplan Director, Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic and Professor Emeritus | BA, Middlebury; JD, Columbia. Expert on constitutional and environmental law. Litigated many successful public interest environmental lawsuits.
* Spotlights on New Faces
Joshua Galperin BA, University of Delaware; MEM, Yale; JD, Vermont. Specializes in private environmental governance.
Joshua Galperin, Assistant Professor of Law Experience: Former Visiting Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh School of Law; Associate Director, Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy; Research Scholar, Clinical Director, and Lecturer in Law, Yale Law School; Lecturer and Director of the Environmental Law and Policy Program, Yale School of the Environment. Research and Scholarship: Environmental law, administrative law, sustainable business law, food and agriculture law. Recent Activity: Worked with a consortium of food and agriculture law professors around the country on the Farm Bill Law Enterprise; served as Associate Editor of People and Nature, an interdisciplinary journal of the British Ecological Society; advised the staffs of U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker on the Justice for Black Farmers Act.
Shirley Lin, Assistant Professor of Law Experience: Former Acting Assistant Professor, NYU School of Law; Senior Associate, Outten & Golden LLP; clerk for Honorable Denny Chin of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; Skadden Fellow and Staff Attorney at the Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund. Research and Scholarship: Regulation of legal relationships, identity formation, and the political economy, labor and employment law, particularly race, sex, and disability discrimination, and legal theory. At Pace | Haub Environmental Law: Plays an integral role in building the program’s new endeavors in sustainable business and ESG.
Shirley Lin JD, CUNY; BA, Dartmouth. Expertise in sustainability and corporate governance.
Achinthi Vithanage, Associate Director of Environmental Law Programs & Professor Experience: Former Visiting Associate Professor of Law and the Environmental and Energy Law Fellow, George Washington University Law School; Professorial Lecturer in Law, Environment & Natural Resource Policy program, GWU’s Trachtenberg School of Public Policy & Public Administration; taught Introduction to Sustainability, an interdisciplinary course based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, GWU’s Sustainability Minor program; worked at the Energy & Water Ombudsman of New South Wales and practiced as a solicitor in Sydney, Australia. Research and Scholarship: International ocean biodiversity law, sustainable energy law, electric vehicles and energy justice, as well as climate change and gender issues. Recent Activity: Co-Chair of ABA SEER’s International Environmental & Resources Law Committee; originating member of the International Association of Energy Law, a global network of early career energy law professors; recognized in LawDragon’s 500 Leading Environmental and Energy Lawyers 2021 Guide. Achinthi C. Vithanage | LLB/BInst, UNSW, Sydney Australia; LLM, Pace | Haub Law. Jack Hornickel, Staff Attorney at the Food and Beverage Law Clinic Experience: Business Planning Specialist at GrowNYC with 7 years of experience representing small farm and food businesses on transactional and regulatory matters with the GrowNYC Farmer Assistance Program, and assisting Greenmarket producers with cash flow management, business formation, land tenure, and farm succession. At Pace | Haub Environmental Law: Continues to provide direct representation of Greenmarket farms, focusing on farm succession, conservation, and land access; supervise law student interns in the clinic, managing research, scholarship, and policy projects, and develop the clinic’s CLE programs. Jack Hornickel | JD & MA Environmental Law and Policy, Vermont.
† Spotlight on Graduate Research Fellows Our fellows work part-time in one of our programs while earning an LLM in Environmental Law, with opportunities to work with our faculty and staff on innovative projects throughout the year. Past fellows have gone on to work at Riverkeeper, NRDC, AIG, Connecticut Fund for the Environment, the IUCN, and law firms. Applications for 2022– 23 open in January 2022. Keep an eye on our website for more information. This year, the Pace | Haub Environmental Law program welcomes two highly accomplished LLM Fellows: Katherine Horner, Environmental Law Fellow Education: Graduate of Brooklyn Law magna cum laude; Masters in Psychology, Chatham University. Experience: Operations Coordinator for the NYS Academy of Trial Lawyers; articles editor for Brooklyn Law’s Journal of Law and Policy; intern at NYLAG’s Federal Legal Clinc and Bonina & Bonina, P.C. Recent Activity: Her Note, which argues for governments’ affirmative duty to protect the environment, was published in Brooklyn Law’s Journal of Law and Policy fall 2020 issue. Interests: Longtime environmentalist and avid traveler; hopes to use her experiences in diverse cultures and climates to tackle the unique challenges faced by communities nationwide and abroad in adapting to climate change and protecting against the effects of pervasive pollution.
Claire S. McLeod, Global Environmental Law Fellow Education: JD Graduate, Pace | Haub Law cum laude with certificates in environmental and international law; BS Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning, UC Davis. Experience: Intern, Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic; Intern, Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations; research assistant to Prof. Smita Narula; Vice President of Pace Law’s Lambda Law Students Association (2019-2020); completed internships at the Center for Reproductive Rights, the Global Justice Center and the Environmental Protection Bureau in the Office of the New York State Attorney General. Recent Activity: Member of the Pace | Haub Law’s Global Center for Environmental Legal Studies’ cohort for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s World Conservation Congress. Interests: The intersection of international environmental law, environmental justice, and LGBTQ+ rights, as well as human rights, and international law advocacy issues.
Clinics / Centers / Experiential Learning The Pace-NRDC Food Law Initiative is a collaboration between Pace | Haub Environmental Law and the Natural Resources Defense Council. It seeks to grow the legal capacity for our regional food system by training lawyers and law students, and by providing direct legal services through its Food and Beverage Law Clinic. Highlights: The Clinic represented 24 clients this past year including, among others, a nonprofit farm fighting food insecurity, a consumer and producer-owned cooperative market, a startup food delivery service for restaurant-to-consumer meal kits, and a regional land trust advancing land access for farmers of color. / The Food Margot Pollans Law Initiative and American Farmland Professor of Law; Trust held a CLE “Farm Leasing and Faculty Director, Conservation Practices: Incentivizing Pace-NRDC Food Secure Tenure and Climate Resilience,” Law Initiative; Shamik which addressed tools and strategies and Adrienne Trivedi for farmers, landowners, attorneys, and Faculty Scholar | BA, agricultural service providers to overcome Columbia; JD, NYU; barriers to implementing practices on leased LLM, Georgetown. Focuses on farmland that conserve natural resources and environmental, food, and fight climate change. / With the American administrative law. Beekeeping Federation and other partners, the Clinic created a model “Solar Beekeeping Jonathan Brown Contract” as a tool for beekeepers and Director, Food and solar site operators to establish commercial Beverage Law apiaries at solar sites. / The Clinic cemented Clinic; Professor of its long-standing relationship with GrowNYC, Law | BA, UPenn; operators of the New York City Greenmarkets, JD, NYU. Specializes in by hiring Jack Hornickel of GrowNYC as its food and agricultural law first Staff Attorney. and business law. @pacefoodlaw
Todd Ommen Managing Attorney, Environmental Litigation Clinic; Adjunct Professor of Law BA, Tulane; JD, Villanova. Joined Pace in 2016 after serving as Assistant Attorney General for New York State.
Students represent public interest groups as part of our award-winning, pioneering Environmental Litigation Clinic.
Notable Cases: Environmental Justice: The Clinic filed a Petition on behalf of the Sane Energy Project and the Cooper Park Resident Council (the residents’ council of a local low-income housing development) to stop the ongoing construction of a liquefied natural gas trucking station in an environmental justice community in Brooklyn. The case was briefed and argued at a public hearing by clinic intern Claire McLeod. / Endangered Species: On behalf of Save the Pine Bush, the Clinic filed an Article 78 proceeding challenging the approval of a mall expansion in Guilderland, NY. The Petition details multiple ways in which the approved development threatens the Pine Bush and other species that live there, many of which are endangered or threatened. / Environmental Review: The Clinic, representing Riverkeeper, drafted and submitted comments critical of the environmental review conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for a proposed AirTrain to LaGuardia Airport. / Forest Conservation: Representing Sierra Club, the Clinic submitted an amicus brief in support of Protect the Adirondacks in a New York State Court of Appeals case, which centered around New York’s unique constitutional provision keeping the state’s forest preserve “forever wild.” The court adopted Sierra Club’s interpretation stating that the clause must be read as a singular command and forbids cutting down thousands of trees for snowmobile trails. @PaceEnvClinic
The Land Use Law Center fosters the development of sustainable communities by promoting innovative land use strategies and dispute resolution techniques.
Jennie Nolon Blanchard Senior Staff Attorney, Land Use Law Center; Adjunct Professor of Law | BS, Cornell; JD/ MEM, Pace/ Yale. Focuses on the growth of urban centers and addressing obstacles to redevelopment and sustainability. Craig Hart Director, Pace Energy and Climate Center; Adjunct Professor of Law | BA, UC Berkeley; JD UC Berkeley; MS, NYU; PhD, MIT. Specializes in energy infrastructure finance and implementing decarbonization technologies.
Projects & News: 19th Annual Alfred B. DelBello Land Use and Sustainable Development Conference ‘Making Progress in an Altered Landscape’: Keynote address delivered by Richard Rothstein author of the The Color of Law which documents how American cities became so racially divided through land use laws and policies. The Jessica A. Bacher conference theme touched on topics Executive Director, like ethics in planning and land use, the Land Use Law Center; pandemic’s impact on the future of land Adjunct Professor of use policy, planning and law, and lessons Law | BS, Florida; JD, from the latest decisions in land use law. Pace. Specializes in / 4th Annual Hudson Valley Affordable Land Use Law, Advanced Housing Virtual Summit ‘Strengthening our Land Use Law, and Communities through Affordable Housing’: Sustainable Development Featured panel sessions discussing Law. new and innovative strategies for increasing and preserving Tiffany Zezula affordable housing Deputy Director, Land through partnerships Use Law Center; and practices in real Adjunct Professor of estate, health, finance, Law | BS, Tulane; JD, and services. / Land Use Pace | Haub Law. Land Use Leadership Alliance (LULA) Law Center’s trainer of local officials, Training Program: Over environmentalists, and planners. thirty participants including Coordinates the national Land Use representatives from various local Leadership Alliance Training Program. government and community entities in Westchester County, New York undertook the training, which included sessions on resilience, watershed planning, green infrastructure, stormwater management, smart growth, and regional sustainability. The Center subsequently developed an Action Plan for Regional Collaboration for the Westchester County Long Island Sound Communities. @LandUseLC
The Energy and Climate Center’s mission is to protect the earth’s environment by transforming the ways society supplies and consumes energy.
Projects & News: NYSERDA District Geothermal Publication – The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) published the Center’s report Overcoming Legal and Regulatory Barriers to District Geothermal in New York State, which identifies possible paths for district geothermal to displace gas in order to decarbonize heating, given legal, regulatory, and economic considerations. / Zero Net Gas Advocate – The Center published a “Zero Net Gas” policy framework as the first step of a staged approach to decarbonizing New York’s natural gas infrastructure for building heating and consumption and intervened in New York’s integrated gas planning proceeding to transition from gas. / New Sustainable Business Clean Energy Program Portal – In partnership with the Westchester County Association, the Center launched a dynamic, searchable portal that acts as a clearinghouse, enabling businesses to easily find clean energy programs and incentives available in Westchester County and the surrounding region. / The Center entered its 17th year of partnering with the US Department of Energy to operate the Combined Heat and Power Technical Assistance Partnership (CHP TAP) for the New York/New Jersey Region, one of only eight such CHP TAP centers in the nation. @Paceenergy
A member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the Global Center for Environmental Legal Studies (GCELS) engages in innovative projects addressing global environmental challenges. News: The windy road to the IUCN World Conservation Congress: Haub Law students and alums gained hands-on experience with the process of international environmental law and policy-making as GCELS continued its multi-year preparation for the Congress. Working with Professors Smita Narula, Richard Ottinger and Nicholas Robinson, students drafted, submitted and negotiated IUCN motions on issues such as strengthening food sovereignty and peasants’ rights, renouncing the Doctrine of Discovery, ending fossil fuel subsidies, and zoonosis. / Intergenerational Justice: GCELS, led by Professor Katrina Kuh and former Fellow Shannon Peters, worked with the World’s Youth for Climate Justice: a global group of student-led activists who are seeking an Advisory Opinion from the International Court of Justice on States’ duties in light of the climate crisis. / ‘Fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals: On a Quest for a Sustainable World’: Professors Narinder Kakar, Nicholas Robinson, and Dr. Vesselin Popovski (Jindal University) co-edited a GCELS book project assessing implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. The book project was conceived and directed by Narinder Kakar with the support of Haub Law alums Anxhela Mile and Railla Puno. Pace faculty members, prior visiting professors, and alumni contributed chapters including Smita Narula, Richard L. Ottinger, Joseph Morreale, Anna Shostya, Hiroko Muraki Gottlieb, Ben Boer, Railla Puno and Anxhela Mile.
Katrina Fischer Kuh Haub Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law | BA & JD, Yale. Specializes in climate change, sustainability, and environmental rights.
@GlobalCELS
The Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition, hosted by Pace | Haub Environmental Law and run by its students, draws as many as 350 law students and attorney judges to this premier environmental moot court each year, making it the largest interschool moot court competition in the world. 2021 Highlights: Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Pace Haub Environmental Law provided the 33rd annual competition virtually for the first time. / 125 students representing nearly 50 schools, over 100 judges, and 35 brief graders participated. / The final round was presided by four judges: The Honorable Chad Readler, Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit; The Honorable Aaron P. Avila, EPA Appeals Board Judge, Washington D.C; Alexandra Dapolito Dunn, Baker Botts LLP, Washington, DC; and Judge Lisa Margaret Smith, NYS Magistrate Judge, Ret. / Of 49 participating teams, University of Miami School of Law took first place, edging out finalists from University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law and the University of Wisconsin Law School.
Jeffrey G. Miller Professor of Law Emeritus | BA, Princeton; LLB, Harvard. Joined the faculty in 1987 after heading the US EPA’s national enforcement program and beginning the agency’s hazardous waste enforcement program.
@PaceLawNELMCC
Thomas G. Bourgeois Deputy Director, Pace Energy and Climate Center MA Regional Planning, North Carolina – Chapel Hill. Specializes in energy market conditions, microgrids, CHP, distributed generation, demand response, and renewable energy.
Jessica M. Laird Staff Attorney, Pace Energy & Climate Center BS Biology, St. Joseph’s; JD, Pace | Haub. Oversees the Center’s regulatory and litigation dockets and co-leads the Clean Energy Organizations Collaborative.
Housed jointly at Pace | Haub and the Getulio Vargas Foundation School of Law in Rio de Janeiro, the Brazil American Institute for Law and Environment (BAILE) advances environmental protection and sustainable development in the US and Brazil.
Noa Ben-Asher James D. Hopkins Professor of Law LLB, Bar-Ilan University, RamatGan, Israel; LLM, NYU; JSD, NYU. Specializes in Family Law, and Gender and the Law with scholarship on intersection between family law and agricultural subsidies.
News: Professor David N. Cassuto gave a lecture on Animal Law and Climate Change at the 25th Brazilian Congress on Environmental Law and 15th International Congress on Environmental Law organized by Congresso David N. Cassuto Planeta Verde - the largest organization of Professor of environmental lawyers in Brazil, and one of Law; Director, the largest in the world. / Notwithstanding Brazil American the pandemic, BAILE hosted and Haub Law Institute for Law students were able to participate in the Brazil & Environment Comparative Law course and learn and compare BA, Wesleyan; Brazil and U.S. environmental law through weekly MA, Indiana; PhD, virtual seminars, featuring guest speakers from Indiana; JD, Berkeley. both countries. / The Institute is in the planning Specializes in animal, water, and stages for several training and capacity building comparative law. programs for Brazilian lawyers in Climate Change Law & Policy. @PaceBAILE
The United Nations Environmental Diplomacy Practicum – a program unique to Pace Law – places students in internships with Permanent Missions to the United Nations. Highlights: Notwithstanding the UN’s closure for the first time in 75 years during the pandemic, the Practicum placed 14 student interns at the UN Missions of Sri Lanka, Costa Rica, as well as with the Permanent Observer Mission of IUCN. / During the seminar component, students discussed the issues, negotiations, and paradigm shifts that unfolded throughout their interactions with the UN through the perspectives of their respective Missions. / Mock Negotiations were held on recent negotiations such as the Global Pact for the Environment, as well as on current themes such as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction agreement negotiations, the Convention on Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and the IUCN Draft Resolution on Zoonosis.
The Washington, DC and New York Environmental Externship Programs give students the chance to gain crucial skills and knowledge while studying with experienced, dedicated practicing professors. Elyse Diamond Director, Public Service Careers, PILC/CCPD; Environmental Law Programs Career Specialist; Adjunct Professor of Law JD, Fordham. Specializes in public sector career and professional development.
Past Placements / Washington: U.S. Department of Justice (Land Acquisitions Unit; Environment and Natural Resources Division); U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (various offices); U.S. Coast Guard; U.S. Department of Energy; Animal Welfare Institute; and Sierra Club New York: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Region 2); NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission; NYC Department of Environmental Protection; New York Environmental Law & Justice Project; New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (Region 2); Super Law Group; Waterkeeper Alliance; Earthjustice; and NRDC
In 2020, the Pace | Haub Environmental Law Program launched the Environmental Law & Policy Hack Competition, an annual, inter-law school problem-solving competition, designed to orient students toward the development of practicable environmental policy. Highlights: Inaugural Hack Competition challenged competitors to propose policies that local governments can use to create climate-friendly vegetative spaces. / Three finalist teams from Drake University Law School, Vermont Law School, and the University of Colorado Law School presented their innovative proposals in the final round. / Competition judges included Daniel Zarrilli, Chief Climate Policy Advisor and One NYC Director in the NYC Office of the Mayor; Julie Cheslik, Professor at Kansas School of Law; Christopher Rizzo, Haub Law alumnus and lawyer at Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP; and Shelby Green, Professor at Pace | Haub Law. / The winning team of Drake University received $2,000 in prize money to spend towards implementation of their proposal to tailor landscape ordinances to support Cedar Rapids, Iowa’s stormwater management.
Future Environmental Law Professors Workshop: Every fall, the Future Environmental Law Professors Workshop brings visiting assistant professors, fellows, researchers, law clerks, and practitioners together to learn about the environmental law teaching market. The Workshop covers a wide array of subtopics within the field (from animal law to energy law), as well as the history and development of environmental law. It is designed to give advice, inside perspectives, and feedback on the environmental law hiring process, as well as provide opportunities for mock interviews and job talk presentations. Participants have gone on to secure tenure track teaching positions around the country. Heading into its eighth year, and in light of the current pandemic context, this year’s virtual workshop showcased a panel of professors providing insight on the topic “Navigating the Environmental Law Professor Job Market during the Pandemic.”
David N. Dorfman Professor of Law | IBA, CUNY Queens; MA, Chicago; JD, Chicago-Kent. Specializes in criminal law and public interest law. Defender of fossil fuel pipeline protesters. E. Melanie DuPuis Professor of Environmental Studies & Science | BA, Radcliffe; PhD, Cornell. Specializes in food systems and agriculture.
Alex Erwin Visiting Assistant Professor | BS, Washington and Lee; JD, Arizona; PhD, Arizona. Specializes in wildlife conservation, genetics, and bridging the gaps among science, policy, and the law.
Shelby D. Green Associate Professor of Law | BS, Towson; JD, Georgetown. Specializes in real estate, historic preservation, and property law.
‡ Spotlight on Award Recipients The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Commission on Environmental Law establishes The Nicholas Robinson Award for Excellence in Environmental Law: The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Commission on Environmental Law has established a new global award for excellence in lifetime achievements furthering environmental law, named after Professor Nicholas A. Robinson in recognition of his lifetime of service to the IUCN. Announced at the July 2021 Inter-American Environmental Law Congress on Environmental Law in Mexico City, the Award honors individuals who have dedicated their careers toward advancing the environmental rule of law. Prof. Robinson hopes that this Award can encourage more environmentalists to continue to make a difference in the field and the world on issues like climate change, biodiversity loss, and increasing pollution, among others.
Spirit of the Hudson Award: Professor Karl Coplan received the 2021 Spirit of the Hudson Award for his achievements and environmental advocacy. The award presented by Hudson River Sloop Clearwater honors those water protectors who have had an impact on the Hudson River Valley, New York State, and our planet through their advocacy efforts in 2020.
American College of Environmental Lawyers Fellowship: The American College of Environmental Lawyers (ACOEL) have selected Professor Smita Narula to become a Fellow. Professor Narula is among 22 new Active Fellows and two Honorary Fellows elected to membership in the College. The ACOEL notes that “[e]ach individual was selected for his or her distinguished experience, high standards of practice and substantial contributions to the field of environmental law.” In addition to Professor Narula, two Haub Law alumni were also elected to the ACOEL as fellows – Basil Seggos ‘01 and Marla Wieder ‘93.
Jill Gross Associate Dean for Academic Affairs; Professor of Law | AB, Cornell; JD, Harvard. Specializes in dispute resolution, ethics, and securities law. Alexander K. A. Greenawalt Professor of Law | AB, Princeton; MA, Yale; JD, Columbia. Teaches international and administrative law. Researches international humanitarian law.
Smita Narula Haub Distinguished Professor of International Law; CoDirector, Global Center for Environmental Legal Studies | BA, Brown; MA, Brown; JD, Harvard. Specializes in international human rights, right to food, environmental justice.
Deborah Heller Director of the Pace Law Library; Adjunct Professor of Law | BS, Pace; MA, John Jay College; JD, Pace | Haub; MLS, St. John’s. Specializes in environmental legal research.
Elisabeth Haub Awards for Environmental Law and Diplomacy: Ugandan climate justice advocate Vanessa Nakate was selected as the 2021 Laureate for the Elisabeth Haub Award for Environmental Law and Diplomacy in recognition of her citizen diplomacy in bringing the voice of her generation to global environmental campaigns and for her inspiring climate activism in Uganda and beyond. Ms. Nakate, who is 24, was the first Friday for Future climate activist in Uganda; founder of the Rise Up Movement; and led a global campaign to save Congo’s rainforest from massive deforestation. Professor Wang Xi was selected as the 2021 Laureate for the Elisabeth Haub Award for Environmental Law and Diplomacy in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the formulation of environmental laws in China. Professor Xi, who is the Director of the Platform for Research on Ecological Civilization and Environmental Rule of Law with Kunming University of Science and Technology in China, is regarded as one of China’s top environmental law experts. He is also recognized for his leadership in enabling international academic exchanges between Chinese environmental law scholars and their overseas counterparts under the IUCN framework. This prestigious Award was established in 1997 to honor the legacy of Elisabeth Haub (1899-1977), a noted philanthropist and advocate for strong laws for the conservation of nature. The Award was established to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the United Nations Stockholm Conference and the 5th anniversary of the United Nations Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit. Michelle Land Clinical Associate Professor, Dyson College of Arts & Sciences | BS, Guelph; JD, Pace | Haub. Specializes in environmental law and policy, wildlife biology, interdisciplinary education, and campus sustainability. Leads the Environmental Consortium of Colleges & Universities.
Ann Powers Professor of Law Emerita | BA, Indiana University; JD, Georgetown. Specializes in ocean and coastal law and international environmental law.
§ 411. Recap of 2020–2021 Events (a) Professors Barbara Atwell and Smita Narula led a workshop for Haub Law community members on being anti-racist in environmental work. (b) 21st Annual Gilbert and Sarah Kerlin Lecture on Environmental Law: “Nature and people: the contribution of the biodiversity agenda to sustainable development” delivered by Elisabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity. (c) Dean Emeritus Richard L. Ottinger initiates a program to address the large contribution to the climate crisis made by the production, disposal and use of plastics with the publication of a Letter to the Editor of the NY Times. (d) At the request of the UK Government, Pace Energy and Climate Center conducted a second seminar on China to help the UK prepare for the UNFCCC COP 26. The seminar covered China’s expanding coal-fired power and coal liquefaction infrastructure, and its growing natural gas imports, in light of Paris Agreement goals. These seminars are attended by the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office, the Foreign Office, the COP Unit, and other ministries developing UK negotiation positions and COP-28 goals. (e) The Land Use Law Center’s Founder and Counsel, Professor John R. Nolon’s newest publication ‘Choosing to Succeed: Land Use Law & Climate Control’ examines the “land use climate bubbles” that are popping up throughout the nation and the resulting cost to the economy and ecosystems and describes how the local land use legal system can leverage state and local assistance to reduce per capita carbon emissions. Students and staff at the Center helped find and describe dozens of practical strategies presented in this book. (f) 33rd Annual Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition (g) Pace | Haub Environmental Law co-sponsored the fifth meeting of the Environmental Law Collaborative, which took place in Colorado Springs. During the conference, environmental law scholars from around the country met to discuss “Facing the Worst Climate Case: The Role of Law.” ELC Board Member Professor Katrina Fischer Kuh and Professor Josh Galperin attended the meeting. (h) Alexandra Dapolito Dunn, former Assistant Dean of Environmental Law Programs and Adjunct Professor of Law at Pace | Haub Environmental Law, recently joined the Environmental Law Institute’s Leadership Council. She was also named a 2021 “Energy and Environmental Law Trailblazer” by the National Law Journal. She is currently a partner with Baker Botts. Barbara L. Atwell Associate (b) Professor of Law | BA, Smith; JD, Columbia. Specializes in Bioethics and Medical Malpractice, Health Law, and Public Health Law.
(a)
(c) Richard L. Ottinger Dean Emeritus; Co-Director, Global Center for Environmental Legal Studies; Founder, Faculty Supervisor, Energy & Climate Center | BA, Cornell; LLB, Harvard. Previously a US Congressman (chaired Energy Conservation & Power Subcommittee) and a Peace Corps founder. Chairs the Energy and Climate Group, IUCN Commission on Environmental Law. (f)
(g)
(e)
John R. Nolon Professor of Law Emeritus; Founder, Land Use Law Center BA, Nebraska; JD, University of Michigan. Expert on land use, property, and sustainable development law. (h)
Curriculum:
Administrative Law
International Environmental Law
Advanced Land Use and Sustainable Development Law
Land Use Law
Advanced Research Skills for Environmental Law
Natural Resources Law
Agriculture Law and the Environment
Ocean and Coastal Law
Animal Law
Pace Environmental Law Review Editorship
Climate Adaptation and the Law Climate Change Law Comparative Environmental Law Comparative Environmental Law – Brazil Field Course Conservation Law Current Challenges in Environment Law Disaster Law and Emergency Preparedness
Public Health Law Science for Environmental Lawyers Sustainable Business and the Environment Sustainable Development Law Survey United Nations Environmental Diplomacy Practicum Water Rights Law
Degree Programs:
Energy Law Environmental Litigation and Toxic Torts
JD with Certificate in Environmental Law
Environmental Law in Commercial Transactions
JD with Concentration in Land Use & Real Estate Law
Environmental Dispute Resolution
LLM in Environmental Law
Environmental Justice
LLM, Energy & Climate Change Specialization
Environmental Litigation Clinic Jason J. Czarnezki BA, Chicago; JD, Chicago; PhD, Uppsala University. Specializes in natural resources, environmental regulation, eco-labeling, sustainable business, and green public procurement.
Legislative and Regulatory Process
Environmental Skills and Practice: Clean Water Act
LLM, Land Use & Sustainable Development Specialization
Environmental Law Survey
LLM, Global Environmental Law Specialization
Externship – D.C. Environmental Law
SJD in Environmental Law
Externship – NYS Environmental Law Food and Beverage Law Clinic Food and Beverage Law Seminar Food Systems Law
Joint Degree Programs:
JD/MEM with Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
Guided Research
JD/MS in Environmental Policy with Bard Center for Environmental Policy
Hazardous Waste
JD/LLM in Environmental Law
Historic Preservation Human Rights and the Environment
JD/MBA with Lubin School of Business JD/MEP with Pace University JD/MPA with Pace University JD/MA with Sarah Lawrence College
Ranked nationally as best environmental law school by U.S. News & World Report
Pace is committed to a sustainable campus. See our sustainability policy at www.law.pace.edu/sustainability
The original document was printed on FSC-certified paper using Green-e certified renewable energy.
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