ALUMNI IN ACTION

Katie Petitt

Class Of 2017

What is your current professional position? Briefly describe your journey from W&L to your current position.

I am an associate attorney at ChattenBrown Law Group. We represent nonprofits and community groups to enforce state and federal environmental laws, including the California Environmental Quality Act, California Coastal Act and Endangered Species Act.

Throughout college, I knew that I wanted to work in a position that focuses on protecting the environment, but I didn’t know through what avenue. During my final year at W&L, I was particularly inspired by the environmental lawyers at Earthjustice, NRDC and other groups who played a crucial role in fighting efforts by the Trump administration to weaken our nation’s environmental laws.

Law school opened so many opportunities and connected me with people doing incredible work. My first legal internship was with Los Angeles Waterkeeper, a nonprofit working to protect the region’s waterways, ensure sustainable and equitable water supply management, and revitalize the L.A. River to restore its health and provide green spaces to the surrounding communities. This position reaffirmed I was

Who or what had the greatest influence on your getting to your current professional position?

My family has played a huge role in getting to where I am now. They have all been extremely supportive of my career goals and are always interested in talking about environmental challenges and policy. My mom instilled in me a love for the environment, especially San Diego’s beautiful natural resources. My dad is a great attorney and role model, and I strive to emulate his work ethic and love for the law.

The professors I had the opportunity to learn from have also been very influential. My undergraduate studies were extremely formative in learning about the real human cost of environmental harms. My legal internships and classes further underscored that these harms are disproportionately felt in economically disadvantaged communities. It was important to me to find a professional position that directly works to alleviate these harms.

Describe a current or recent project (either professionally or personally) you worked on and what you like most about it.

Much of my work involves challenging faulty environmental review of urban sprawl projects and ensuring legally compliant Climate Action Plans on behalf of Sierra Club and other nonprofits. The State of California is prioritizing greenhouse gas emission reductions and more sustainable, transit-oriented land use development to respond to the growing threat of climate change. I really like that this work helps implement those priorities and preserves crucial habitat. The Attorney General’s Office even intervened in a couple of our ongoing cases, and it has been a great experience to work alongside the State. At my previous firm, we secured a win last fall in the Los Angeles Superior Court in our challenge to a proposed warehouse and storage facility, adjacent to a school and park along the L.A. River, for the City of Los Angeles’ failure to disclose various environmental impacts. The parcel has long been envisioned as a park, as part of the wider goal to revitalize the river. I was very excited to contribute to the fight to secure more green space, especially in a park-poor area.

I could also go on about the various species I have learned about in the course of my work — such as the Western Snowy Plover, California Gnatcatcher, Western Spadefoot Toad, burrowing owl and Quino Checkerspot Butterfly, to name a few. California is home to so many diverse and special species that we are unfortunately seeing decline due to habitat loss.

What motivates you?

I’m primarily motivated by the fact that my work directly ties into protecting both people and the environment (the two are intertwined, of course). I get to work with and represent groups that have these same goals. So, I also am very motivated by doing the best job for my clients.

What was your favorite thing to do in Lexington when you were a student and what is your favorite thing to do now when you visit Lexington?

I’m not sure I can pick just one favorite thing! I absolutely loved going to Goshen Pass to swim, hike and just enjoy being in nature. The abundance of trees and green spaces is something that I thoroughly miss, especially now living in Los Angeles. I really enjoyed Lexington’s great breweries and restaurants. And playing soccer — I have so many special memories out on Watt Field. I still love to visit these places now, and especially love catching up with professors and friends from my time at W&L.

What music (artists, genre, album, etc) is getting the most play on your speakers lately?

I’m a huge fan of Caamp and Mt. Joy and have been listening to them a lot lately. Jessie Reyez’s new album, “Yessie,” has also been on repeat for a while now. I just saw her live in San Diego, and she is one of my absolute favorite artists. 