Jess Donovan
Environmental Studies
Community Event 1
On October 1, I attended a lecture on Environmental Law at 285 Mercer Street at six o’clock. It was hosted by an NYU law professor, Katrina Wyman. This event’s purpose was to inform NYU undergrads about all aspects of environmental law. There was about twenty students there. Many were already in the Environmental Studies program. The majority were juniors or seniors, with a few sophomores and freshman. This was a relaxed, informative lecture with a question and answer session at the end.
Professor Wyman first gave us background information on environmental law before she answered questions. I learned about what environmental lawyers actually do. Environmental lawyers work for four main purposes. First, environmental lawyers support or petition against the development of land. If an area is under debate to be developed, environmental law is involved. Second, environmental lawyers can work in the Senate, Department of Justice, or other government agencies to regulate laws concerning nature and the environment. Working for the government is the “do good” aspect of environmental law. Government agencies use environmental law to protect the environment (whereas lawyers working for private firms may be working against existing regulations and actually damaging the environment). An example would be amending the Clean Air Act or the Clean Water Act. Environmental lawyers also work for environmental defense and work for NGOs, non-government organizations. An example of a NGO is Earth Justice. Lastly, a main component of environmental law is drafting policies on political environmental issues.
In addition to working for NGOs and the government, environmental lawyers can also work in private law firms and private companies or manufacturers. Lawyers that work for private law firms are hired to help large companies comply with the land use laws and minimize environmental impacts. For example, lawyers may work for a company to make sure its factories do not exceed the legal limit of chemical emissions. In private companies and manufacturers, lawyers are permanently on staff to help that specific company to abide by environmental laws and regulations. A lawyer working for a private company may also lobby government policies for the benefit of the company.
Next Wyman gave background information about law school. Law is conforming to the existing system. Law school, I learned, is not specialized. For example, a law student isn’t studying environmental law at law school – everyone graduates with the same law degree, then law grads can get a job concerning environmental issues. Lawyers who attain positions in agencies or practices where environmental law is the focus then name themselves environmental lawyers.
As for law schools, Wyman said that there are two well known schools for environmental law – Lewis and Clark College and Pace University. However, Wyman said that NYU offers an equally respectable law school, and a degree from NYU law looks much better than a degree from Lewis and Clark or Pace. NYU has four professors dedicated to environmental law and is listed among the top ten law schools in the country.
Wyman also suggested taking time off between undergrad and law school. Finding an internship or working in a law firm as a paralegal, and gaining experience, will help you decide if you want to commit to law school. Working around environmental lawyers is important to decide if it is what you want to do – before you make the time and monetary commitment to law school. Wyman is a strong advocate of gaining experience and saving money before committing to law school.
A common misconception about environmental lawyers is that they are not commonly litigating in court. Even though they have a degree in law, this type of lawyer does not spend much time practicing law in a courtroom. Instead, environmental lawyers spend more of their time drafting documents, policies, or regulations and negotiating with other companies. Therefore, environmental law students do not necessarily need to be argumentative and loud. Environmental law is a different kind of law that is “document intensive” and does not require much litigation. Important characteristics for an environmental law student to have, according to Wyman, are hardworking, highly motivated, and meticulous. A law student must also be willing to give up a lot of time to studying.
Becoming an environmental lawyer is an attainable goal after a lot of work, but Wyman said that getting a high position is very difficult. A successful career doesn’t come easily. Wyman said becoming a partner is as difficult as becoming a law professor.
I found this lecture extremely relevant because I am interested in both environmental studies and law. I knew nothing before about the specifics of environmental law, but now I have a general idea. I learned what sets environmental lawyers apart from the rest – they very rarely appear to litigate in courtrooms. Now that I have some information from Professor Wyman, I can start considering it as an option for my future. I think the other participants would agree that it was a helpful question and answer session. Wyman answered everyone’s questions and gave us helpful advice, such as finding a job as a paralegal to try out the work environment before spending thousands and thousands of dollars on law school.
I think if more students attended this event it would be even better because more participants would bring more questions and insight into the discussion. However, Wyman held a successful, educational lecture and answered all the questions with concise, honest answers. Her honesty was most important – telling us that realistically, law school is an extremely big time commitment for a student and his time has to be entirely dedicated to it for a successful outcome.
Since I am interested in possibly one day pursuing a major in environmental science or going to law school, Wyman’s information session was very helpful. She also welcomed everyone to approach her with any further questions. This event was an overall success and I enjoyed hearing what Wyman had to say. It was a worthwhile use of my time and I’m glad I picked it for my first community event.
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