ENVIRONMENTAL & ENERGY LAW
Choose one of the best environmental and energy law programs in the country.
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ENVIRONMENTAL & ENERGY LAW
Top 10 Reasons to Study Environmental & Energy Law at Minnesota
1 One of the country’s most robust Environmental & Energy Law programs, with
faculty who are nationally recognized experts in the Professor Alexandra Klass teaches and writes in the areas of energy law, environmental law, natural resources law, tort law, and property law. She spent a semester as a visiting professor at Uppsala University, lecturing throughout Scandinavia on the transition to renewable energy and recent energy policy shifts in the United States.
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fields of environmental law, energy law, public lands and natural resources law, land use law, agriculture and the environment, water law, and international environmental law.
Deeply engaged
Externship opportunities during the academic year and summer to work on cutting-edge environmental and energy law projects for nonprofit organizations and governmental entities.
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4 A year-long environmental and energy law clinic where students work directly with advocates on environmental issues. Clinic clients are typically nonprofits or other nongovernmental entities seeking legal advice on advocacy in the legislative or regulatory arenas related to a wide range of environmental issues, including clean water, renewable energy, utilities law and concentrated animal feeding operations.
Twin Cities environmental justice community with nonprofit and local and federal government agencies that offer schoolyear and summer opportunities.
5 Opportunities to engage in environ-
mental and energy law research and policy work through an independent study, the environmental and energy law concentration, and working with community partners.
On the cover: Emily Newman, 3L, received a John Paul Stevens Fellowship last summer and worked with the U.S. Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division, Wildlife and Marine Resources Section in Washington, D.C.
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6 Opportunities to engage in original research and writing projects with environmental and energy law faculty.
7 Dedicated support from the Career Center’s Public Interest program staff and career counselors in planning your career path.
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8 The opportunity to learn appellate law advocacy on environmental issues through the Environmental Law Moot Court.
The Energy Transition Lab, a strategic initiative of the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment and Office of the Vice President of Research, brings together leaders in government, business and nonprofit organizations to develop new energy policy pathways, institutions and regulations.
A record of success in graduates receiving prestigious postgraduate fellowships and state and federal clerkships.
52%
of graduates from the class of 2020 started directly in public interest careers or judicial clerkships, serving in nonprofit, government, and international organizations.
30
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2020 graduates hired for JUDICIAL CLERKSHIPS
Extensive interdisciplinary environmental and energy course offerings are available throughout the University at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and the ecology, geography, conservation biology, and applied economics departments.
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ENVIRONMENTAL & ENERGY LAW
96% BAR PASSAGE (MN July 2021)
Professor Alexandra Klass meets with students for a 1L advising lunch. The Environmental and Energy Law Society (EELS) invites practicing lawyers to speak to students and provides opportunities for interaction and service projects in the community that build practice skills.
Learn by Doing There is no substitute for experience—the kind you get when you work on real issues, solving real-world problems. Through our experiential learning programs, you will get many opportunities to work with the vibrant Twin Cities environmental and energy law community while gaining vital experiences and building
In addition to the students who worked in our nationally recognized clinics last summer,
51%
of current 2Ls and
49%
of current 3Ls worked at government agencies or nonprofit organizations internationally and in the U.S. over the summer.
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professional skills. Minnesota Law students work side-by-side with faculty and attorneys, as well as governmental agencies, law firms, legal departments at corporations and utilities, and nonprofit environmental groups.
< Shantal Pai ’21 graduated from Minnesota Law with honors with a concentration in Environmental & Energy Law last spring. In an article in the Minnesota Daily, Pai discussed how a new student-led program provides space for 1Ls to study through a lens that centers the experiences of students of color. She is also a co-author with Professor Klass on a recently published article in the California Law Review entitled “The Law of Energy Exports” and is currently a law clerk for the Honorable Nancy E. Brasel, U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota.
Study with World-Class Faculty
Professor Kristin Hickman is a nationally recognized authority in the fields of tax administration, administrative law, and statutory interpretation.
Dynamic and engaged, Minnesota Law faculty are preeminent scholars and committed teachers. Our faculty includes: • Professor Kristin E. Hickman, who is McKnight Presidential Professor in Law, a Distinguished McKnight University Professor, and the Harlan Albert Rogers Professor in Law, is a leading authority in the fields of tax administration, administrative law, and statutory interpretation. Her scholarly work has been cited several times in opinions of the United States Supreme Court and as well as regularly in lower court judicial opinions and court briefs. • Professor Christopher N.J. Roberts, who is the Joseph & Edith Wargo Research Scholar, the Vance Opperman Research Scholar, as well as an affiliated faculty member of the Department of Sociology, brings an interdisciplinary law, sociology, and public policy perspective to human rights, international law, administrative law, and legal history. He is an award-winning scholar whose research interests include human rights, citizenship, tort law, international law, and legal history.
Professor Ann M. Burkhart, who is the Curtis Bradbury Kellar Professor of Law, and a nationally recognized expert in the area of real estate law. She teaches Property Law, Real Estate Transactions, Land Use Planning, Comparative Property Law, and Consumer Protection Law. She is a Distinguished University Teaching Professor and has received the Law School’s Stanley V. Kinyon Teaching and Counseling Award five times.
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ENVIRONMENTAL LAW (PreLaw Insider)
• Professor Alexandra B. Klass, who is a Distinguished McKnight University Professor, teaches and writes in the areas of energy law, environmental law, natural resources law, tort law, and property law, has published in many of the nation’s leading law journals, addressing regulatory challenges to integrating more renewable energy into the nation’s electric grid, transportation electrification, oil and gas transportation infrastructure, and the use of eminent domain for electric transmission lines and pipelines.
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ENVIRONMENTAL & ENERGY LAW
10+ PROFESSIONAL AFFINITY GROUPS in the Twin Cities
The Twin Cities is often ranked as one of the best places to live in the country.
Brent Murcia ’21 was the 2021 recipient of the
Charles Nauen and Pati Jo Pofahl Environmental and Energy Law Student Award, a recognition dedicated to honoring a graduating student in the environmental and energy concentration program who exemplifies a strong commitment to environmental and energy law, academic accomplishment in the area, and leadership in and contributions to the Law School’s environment and energy law program.
With easy access to the state capitol, Minnesota Law offers students the opportunity to take the classroom to the statehouse in courses such as Legislative Process.
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Live in a Community You’ll Love The vibrant Twin Cities environmental and energy law community offers opportunities for part-time work during the school year and full-time summer employment with governmental agencies, law firms, legal departments at corporations and utilities, and nonprofit environmental groups.
Downtown Minneapolis, as seen from campus.
Prepare for Success We offer a dedicated employer relations team and lifetime alumni career counseling and professional development resources. Our unique Professional Essentials Workshops introduce law students to core concepts surrounding the development of interpersonal skills critical for career success. Students learn from staff, faculty, alumni, and professionals who are experts in career development
“As a student, I completed the Environmental & Energy Law Concentration and played a leadership role
and the legal field.
in the Environmental and Energy Law Society (EELS). I benefited from engagement with faculty in a variety of courses, and participating in EELS introduced me to members of the legal community, both local and more far-flung. The foundations I gained in environmental and energy law were essential to the opportunities I now enjoy.” 2021 J.D. graduates with Dean Garry W. Jenkins at the 2021 University of Minnesota Law School commencement.
—Danielle Meinhardt ’15 Assistant Regional Counsel, Region 10, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
WHERE OUR GRADS GO CLASSES OF 2018, 2019, AND 2020
91%
EMPLOYMENT RATE (3 Year Average: FT/ LT JD Required/ JD Advantage/ Graduate School)
TOP MARKETS FOR 2020 GRADS:
Minnesota Law Alumni are working in all
50
STATES
73
Illinois Minnesota New York Texas Washington, D.C. Wisconsin
COUNTRIES > For more information, visit LAW.UMN.EDU
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JDADMISSIONS@UMN.EDU
University of Minnesota Law School Admissions N130 Mondale Hall 229 19th Ave. South Minneapolis, MN 55455
The University of Minnesota shall provide equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. © 2021 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
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