Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program

SUNY Buffalo Law School The State University of New York

New York State’s Law School

The field of environmentallaw encompasses a broadrange of issues, includingadvances in sustainable energy,such as wind and solar power;increasing public awareness ofglobal climate change; thedebate over hydrofracturingfor oil and gas extraction; andefforts to increaseenvironmental sustainability.Environmental lawyers helpbusinesses and individualsoperate responsibly. They alsohelp governments and work inthe nonprofit arena,prosecuting reckless pollutersand advocating on greenpolicy issues.

At SUNY Buffalo LawSchool, you can studyenvironmental law in a placewhere it really counts. Western

New York’s historicalsignificance includes nearbyNiagara Falls and the LoveCanal cleanup site, remediatedby the first federal Superfundgrant. SUNY Buffalo is situatedat the juncture of two GreatLakes, with major implicationsfor water resourcesmanagement.

The curriculum and facultyfocus in environmental law iscalled the Environmental andNatural Resources LawProgram. The school’s corestrength in environmental lawincludes professors who arespecialists in wetlands law andpolicy; internationalenvironmental law; thetransnational governance offorests, animals andbiodiversity; local

environmental law; andconservation. These areas offaculty expertise are bolsteredby skilled adjunct professorswho practice environmentallaw and other faculty withrelated interests.

SUNY Buffalo Law Schoolis serious about attractingtalented students who canflourish during their lawschool years and succeed byputting their environmentallaw training to work in theworld. Toward that end, theschool has designated anEnvironmental LawResearch Scholarship. Theaward pays a student in his orher second and third years toconduct research with facultymembers who doenvironmental law work.

ENVIRONMENTAL AND NATURAL RESOURCES LAW PROGRAM

A world of difference

For environmental lawyers, every day is Earth Day. And as federal regulation and the

nation’s “green” consciousness get more and more attention, the demand for specialists

in environmental law is growing.

Professor IrusBravermanfocuses on theevolving role ofnature and

conservation and on theinterrelations between humanand nonhuman animals. Shehas recently published severalhighly regarded books andarticles in these fields.

Professor KimDiana Connollyis a specialist inwetlands law andpolicy and has

recently published oninternational wetlandsprotection and the relationshipbetween wetlands protectionand climate change. She alsoruns the Environmental Lawand Policy Clinic.

Professor ErrolMeidinger is aninternationalenvironmental lawscholar whose

research focuses on therelationship betweeninternational trade and rapidlychanging governanceinstitutions, including bothstate and non-state actors.

Associate Professor JessicaOwley teachesnatural resources,property and

federal Indian law, and haspublished extensively onconservation easements and other innovativemechanisms forenvironmental protection.

FACULTY

Expertise in the classroom

The work of our full-timefaculty is deepened andbroadened by adjunctprofessors including:

Jane C. Cameron is anassistant attorney general withNew York’s EnvironmentalProtection Bureau. Herinterests include urbanenvironmental justice, homehealth and safety.

Richard J. Lippes ’69 is aveteran Buffalo environmental

attorney who pursued theoriginal Love Canal litigation inthe 1980s. His current casesinclude representing thoseaffected by industrialpollutants.

Thomas L. Tyler is on long-term assignment from the U.S.Environmental ProtectionAgency to the EnvironmentalCouncil of the States, where heis senior counsel. He is workingon Clean Air Act and climatechange issues.

Adam Walters,a partner withthe Buffalo law firm PhillipsLytle, focuses his practice onenvironmental, land use andzoning issues.

Samuel D. Magavern is co-director of the Partnership forthe Public Good. His work isfocused on the revitalizationof the Buffalo Niagara area’senvironmental assets,including Lake Erie, NiagaraFalls and the waterfront.

SUNY Buffalo Law School’s strength in environmental law includes both longtime and

recently hired faculty members, as well as adjunct professors who bring real-world experience

to their teaching. The core faculty meeting this critical need for our students include:

Note that not every course is taught every year.

Qualifying courses include:

• Animals and the Law• Animal Law Clinic• Administrative Law• Climate Change• Greening Buffalo• Historic Preservation Law• Environmental Advocacy• Environmental Law and Policy• International Environmental Law• International Trade and Environment

• Introduction to New York State Administrative Law

• Land Use Planning• Law and Economics• Law and Nature• Local Government Law• Mass Torts• Natural Resources• Pollution Control• Public Interest Environmental Law• State and Local Government Law• Wildlife and Biodiversity Law

THE RENEW INSTITUTEInterdisciplinary research

The Law School is a majorpart of a broad University atBuffalo initiative to supportresearch on energy,environment and water,bringing legal expertise to bearon issues involving these life-giving resources and solidifyingthe school’s reputation forexcellence in environmentallaw. UB’s RENEW Institute –the acronym stands forResearch and Education inEnergy, Environment andWater – brings together facultyin six academic units forinterdisciplinary work.

The coalition is in keepingwith the Law School’s deeplyheld conviction that the bestlawyers don’t practice inisolation, but rather as part of teams that reach acrossdisciplines to best serve their clients.

ENVIRONMENTAL LAWAND POLICY CLINICHands-on experience

In the Law School’sEnvironmental Law and PolicyClinic, students get academiccredit for hands-on experiencewith real-world issues affectingenvironmental stakeholders.Examples include working onlegal aspects of the first North

American transboundarydesignation of a wetland ofinternational importance, aswell as climate change issuesaffecting the Great Lakes. As aclinic student, you will learnskills that you will carry withyou into the legal profession:applied research, clientinterviewing and counseling,advocacy, fact investigation,drafting, teamwork andinterdisciplinary coordination.

BUFFALOENVIRONMENTAL LAWJOURNALLearning while publishing

Another valuableopportunity is the BuffaloEnvironmental Law Journal,which is entirely edited bySUNY Buffalo Law students.The journal publishes high-quality articles that analyze legalenvironmental issues, includingclimate change, energy, naturalresources management, landuse and pollution.

The journal publishesarticles written by practitioners,professors and students. As astudent editor, you’ll beinvolved in cutting-edgeenvironmental legal discourseand developyourmanagement, organizational,research and editing skills.

HEALTHY HOMESPRACTICUMAdvocating for health

Students participating inthe Healthy HomesPracticumprovide legal support to theNational Green and HealthyHomes Initiative, which haschosen Buffalo as one of 17pilot cities for its work inpromoting safer housing.

NATIONAL MOOT COURTCOMPETITIONCourtroom experience

Teams of students honetheir advocacy skills throughparticipation in moot courtcompetitions like the Jeffrey G.Miller Pace National Environmental Law MootCourt Competition. Facultyact as coaches to provide youwith the opportunity to compete against other lawschools nationwide.

BUFFALO ENVIRONMENTAL LAWSOCIETYStudent Involvement

The Buffalo ELS is astudent-run organization thatbrings together students andfaculty for environmentally focused initiatives includingEarth Week celebrations,fundraising events and presen-tations by notable scholars.

A VARIED PROGRAM

Opportunity awaits

At SUNY Buffalo Law School, you’ll be exposed to a broad range of ways to learn and

practice environmental law. Beyond the traditional training in “thinking like a lawyer,”

the school offers many opportunities to experience what environmental lawyers do

every day – ensuring you’ll graduate practice-ready for the field.

www.law.buffalo.edu/environmental-law

Dr. Elizabeth Kim ’94, above,is senior coordinator for theLaw of the Sea in the Office ofOcean and Polar Affairs at theU.S. State Department. She isresponsible for developing,formulating and coordinatingU.S. objectives and initiativesin oceans policy and headsU.S. delegations in UnitedNations negotiations onoceans issues. Before joiningthe State Department in 2008,Kim worked for 11 years at theU.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency on marinepollution control, includingthe regulation of oceandumping and vesseldischarges. She has a doctoraldegree in marine ecology.

Daniel A. Spitzer ’93practices in the area ofenvironmental law with theBuffalo firm Hodgson Russ.His practice involvesnumerous renewable energyprojects, includingrepresenting municipalities,developers, land owners andfinancing entities. His work,from project inceptionthrough successful litigation,includes some of the largestwind farms in the EasternUnited States.

Leslie J. Darman ’94 is anattorney in the U.S.Environmental ProtectionAgency’s Office of GeneralCounsel. She counsels theagency on Safe DrinkingWater Act and Clean WaterAct matters and works withthe Department of Justice ondefensive litigation againstEPA.

Ryan A. McPherson ’02serves as chief sustainabilityofficer for the University at

Buffalo. McPhersoncoordinates University-wideenvironmental effortsthrough UB Green, thecampus environmental office,partnering with theEnvironmental StewardshipCommittee and focusing onpromoting sustainablepractices in all UB operations.

ALUMNI

At work in the field

SUNY Buffalo Law-trained attorneys are making a difference worldwide in

environmental law and related fields, following their passion wherever it leads, and

attracting national recognition. One of our alumnae was recently honored by the

American Bar Association as a Distinguished Environmental Advocate for her work as a clean-

water activist. A sampling of alumni currently doing rewarding environmental work includes:

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For more information

contact our Admissions Office

at (716) 645-2907 or

law-admissions@buffalo.edu

Cover painting: Alberto Rey