Environmental Lawyer must praise you for choosing such a noble and rewarding career. With so much pollution and environmental degradation everywhere, the need for a trained environmental attorney has been detected. If you need any legal advice, you can contact civil rights lawyer .

Organizations, both public and private are in constant search for an excellent attorney who can assist them with the legal aspect of environmental problems. The future for an environmental attorney looks absolutely bright.

But, just like any other career stream, in environmental law as well, you must figure out what specialization you want to pursue. Don’t worry, as we are about to discuss in detail everything about the career of an environmental lawyer as well as the available degree programs. So, keep reading.

Environmental Lawyer – Becoming an environmental attorney

Environmental law is a wide field of law covering a number of environmental concerns including water and air quality, hazardous waste, species conservation, fisheries, wetlands, biodiversity, waste management, green initiatives, recycling policies, and renewable sources of energy.

When sustainability becomes a global concern, there’s a need for lawyers who can counsel clients on green standards and sustainability issues. Climate change, global warming, and other environmental regulations are expected to increase the legal work for an lawyers in the coming years.

What does an Environmental Lawyer do?

Here are the main duties of an environmental attorney:

• An lawyer works to advise clients in legal matters such as renewable energy, water law, climate change law, and land management relating to native title and other public property.
• Other key areas include human protection, international environmental law, maritime law, and international law on energy.
• Environmental lawyers also practice internationally in the fields of climate change, sustainability, and renewable energy, which is an increasing field of business.
• Environmental rules in the practice of law are a great and nuanced specialty. A good environmental attorney should be able to efficiently communicate both verbally as well as in written records.

The ability to convince people to a certain point of view helps win court cases, but the defendant still needs to be able to plan and organize an array of facts into a successful argument. An Environmental Lawyer’s aim is to deal with environmental case law and legislation to serve diverse environmental interests.

Environmental legislation governs and describes human activities on the contact-affected geological and biological systems. Topics such as biodiversity, environment, transparency, and stewardship also contribute to legal action. Environmental lawyers may advise clients in environmental matters, lobby for environmental policy and legislation implementation and write academically.

Environmental Attorney – Where can they work? 

Depending upon the place where an environmental lawyer works, an environmental attorney day-to-day responsibilities include visiting clients, investigating environmental policy trends, writing papers, and teaching the public and students about environmental law. 

This is a valuable profession since it can be used through legal channels to protect the environment.

Environmental lawyers work with private businesses, government, and academia. These lawyers usually work in an administrative environment but also frequently advise clients in court and participate in university teaching. It is necessary to be a good advocate as an they spends considerable time at Court.

Many times the question comes in mind about what does an environmental lawyer do? The attorney usually work long hours and need flexibility, depending on the demands of certain cases. Cities with a large number of government departments are a hot spot for the lawyers as a lot of environmental attorney work inside the government.

Environmental Lawyer Salary – What is the average salary?

The average salary is $113,530 per annum or $54.58 per hour. The employment is increasing at a rate equal to the overall increase for all occupations. This steady growth is due in large part to the importance of environmental regulations and the increasing need for legal representation.

The demand for environmental lawyers is rising as the world becomes more environmentally aware and will continue to do so. Environmental attorney operate within a field of law known as environmental or regulatory legislation.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not directly provide data for environmental attorney; in general, it offers career-related statistics for lawyers. The BLS expected a 6 percent rise in job opportunities for lawyers between 2018 and 2028, and it estimated that attorneys received a median salary of $120,910 as of May 2018.

Environmental Lawyer Near me – Daily Duties

How to become an environmental lawyer? Skilled in interpreting highly technical resources such as raw data, scientific literature, and precedent cases, they use the knowledge to analyze current legal situations which in some way affect the environment.

Environmental lawyers have a range of obligations that differ substantially from case to case, including:

• analysis of data from literature reviews, case law, criminal, civil and regulatory and survey results and interpretation
• Interviewing scientists to analyze data in the legal process; arguing, educating and providing expert opinion
• Assess harm from a specific event; recommend or allocate punitive monetary values or remedial steps to different internal and external stakeholders
• Utilizing persuasion and rational arguments carefully designed to persuade the jury and judge of legal guilt
• Determine if there is sufficient evidence to proceed with litigation that contravenes the environmental regulations in question
• Decide if prosecutions against environmental criminals are in the best interest of the public
• Participate in pre-trial meetings and sessions of discovery, often representing a company, government or other agency
• Decide on the rights, responsibilities, and duties of all parties as applicable to environmental regulation
• Explain and explain how the environmental event or pattern in question may affect the earth or a particular area of the earth, as well as human or animal populations
• Advise clients about their rights under existing legislation and their responsibilities
• Analyze and extrapolate current facts, case law, and precedents
• Use model data to view the current situation and possible solution details
• Communicate regarding closely oriented environmental events or environmental patterns during legal hearings and with stakeholders
• Act as both consultants and legal advocates in environmental and natural resource security
• Help clients in court cases where charges arising from environmental violations have been laid.
• Correspondence draft.
• Gather facts and interview clients, witnesses, and interested individuals.
• Create cases and send them to trial.

Environmental Attorney Near me – Additional Responsibilities

• Promote constructive processes for working groups in a demanding work environment
• Provide Junior Team members with mentoring opportunities
• Assist prosecutors in criminal, civil and environmental cases where crimes are suspected
• Provide legal and policy guidance to governing and investigative agencies
• Mediate agreements between landowners and governments, and participants in the industry
• Defend the public interest by lobbying and educational campaigns
• For internal and external stakeholders and the public, use a clear perspective to handle written knowledge in a persuasive way
• Offer external agencies, practitioners, individuals or researchers consultation and legal advice
• Make sure written affidavits, testimonials and review reports are correct
• To engage the public, prepare, coordinate and participate in advocacy programs

What degree would you need to apply to schools in the field of environmental law? 

You would need to get a law degree generally known as a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or Juris Doctor (JD) to practice as an Environmental Lawyer. The JD is a postgraduate degree, the bachelor is a prerequisite for undergraduate studies.

Additional certificates are also available including a Masters in Law (LLM), a Masters in Environmental Law, or a Ph.D. These new opportunities are a good choice for attorneys searching for more senior positions or a higher pay scale.

If you’ve finished your law degree, you’re expected to obtain professional experience and sit in the bar for further exams.

If you are admitted to the bar you will serve clients and give legal advice in a formal manner.

How to become an Environmental Lawyer?

As with most academic degrees, law programs begin with compulsory core classes, and there are more opportunities to later choose law topics tailored to a specific career path. Teaching is carried out through a mixture of lectures, workshops, group study, conferences, class debates, and ‘mooting sessions’ – practical law instruction in a courtroom environment.

Environmental Lawyer Near me help students learn significant legal skills such as study and interpretation, public speaking, and the development of arguments. 

And can also give students the opportunity to work voluntarily with real-life clients, as a way of gaining invaluable experience and learning legal skills that will aid in subsequent job applications.

Typically, environmental law is being offered as an LLM at the postgraduate stage. It takes from one and two years to complete a Master’s degree. Written reports, an independent thesis report, and presentations will be given during your course. Most universities today encourage students to take their master’s program over the course of a couple of years while working (up to five years at most).

Some universities offer an environmental law LLM as a dual-degree option alongside their JD program. Applicants must apply for the law school and fulfill their Law School Admission Test (LSAT) minimum score.

What kind of associations and communities do environmental lawyers have? 

The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) is the national technical association for environmental lawyers. The vision of ELI is for a “stable world, productive economies, and thriving law-based communities.”

• ELI advocates creative, equitable, and realistic legislation and policy solutions to encourage environmental, economic, and social change for lawyers. By paying an annual subscription professionals can join the ELI network.
• The Natural Resources Protection Council (NRDC) is an environmental advocacy group that includes 1.4 million participants from the grassroots, including lawyers, scientists, and others.
• The NRDC gives environmental lawyers opportunities to get interested in legal and political matters. They offer opportunities for jobs, too.
• The American Bar Association (ABA) is the national American Lawyers’ Organization responsible for federally governing the professional practices and ethical codes of lawyers.
• The mission of the ABA is to “serve our members, our profession and the public fairly by protecting democracy and providing justice as the legal profession’s national representative.” The ABA requires an annual fee to practice as a solicitor.

Environmental Lawyer Education – Earning an Undergraduate Degree 

A bachelor’s degree is a general prerequisite of a bachelor’s degree for admission to the law school. While no particular field of study is required for the undergraduate, many law students have degrees in economics, government, or history.

Ambitious young environmental lawyers may benefit from completing a bachelor’s degree program which focuses on environmental policy or science. Usually, these services offer guidance on methods of restoration, waste issues, and the environmental effects of humans.

An ambitious environmental attorney near me may want to study for the Law School Entrance Exam or LSAT.

Each school of law allows applicants to present LSAT scores. Aspiring lawyers typically take this exam during the Undergraduate research junior year. Some firms provide multi-week training courses offering test-taking strategies and familiarizing students with the style of the exam and also about environmental lawyer career.

Take your LSAT 

The LSAT is a half-day exam that tests the analytical reasoning, critical thinking, and reasoning of an examinee. The LSAT score is a significant consideration in the admissions process for law schools.

Law Graduate School 

A full- or part-time attendance at the law school. Full-time programs typically require three years of training. Law students complete courses focused on basic law issues, such as coercion, contract, land, and criminal law, during the first year.

Students complete elective courses during their second and third years of study and may take part in judicial internships or clinical training.

Environmental lawyer education law schools give students the opportunity to focus their studies on environmental law or environmental policy. Courses at these concentrations may address topics such as federal hazardous waste legislation, natural resource law, and coastal law policy.

If a law school does not offer a particular specialization on environmental law, aspiring environmental lawyers can take as many electives as they can in the field. These students should also be attempting to complete an internship on environmental law. These internships provide practical experience for the students employed in the area. 

Appear for the Bar exam

Every state needs licensing of the lawyers. Licensing includes taking a bar examination in a state, passing a professional liability test, and being admitted to the bar association in the state. While the format of the bar examination for each state varies, the examination can consist of several days of examining both essay and multiple-choice questions.

Just like with the LSAT, companies provide multi-week test preparation courses that provide test-taking strategies for students and provide guidance on the law subjects tested on a state inspection.

Environmental Lawyer Jobs – Seeking Job

Hire environmental attorneys from private companies, businesses, and government agencies. Sometimes, corporations and government departments tend to employ people with 5-7 years of work experience. The more experience you gain, the higher the environmental lawyer salary you would be eligible to receive.

Companies may also want to employ people who had previously worked for a government agency.

Placement Opportunities 

Many, if not all of the universities today offer their students plenty of internship and placement opportunities. Several have close business links and students are able to collaborate with those partners.

For example, the University of California, Berkeley, has a Law, Energy, and Environment Center where students can analyze key environmental problems and come up with innovative policy solutions. Students may also become authors or editors and contribute to the journal on environmental law-The Ecology Law Quarterly-of the school.

Alternatively, you may apply for individual internships on your own as well. To find out more about the kinds of internship programs universities or colleges have, we recommend you contact them directly.

We strongly recommend that students complete at least one pre-graduate internship or placement to enhance their career prospects in a highly competitive work market. In addition to giving you invaluable career experience, internships and placements are also the ideal forums for networking with industry experts. Who knows, once you graduate, your internship might turn into a full-time environmental lawyer jobs!

Consider cracking a Law Master degree 

Few law schools offer licensed lawyers a Master of Law degree (LL.M.) in environmental law and environmental and natural resource law.

These initiatives may include air pollution management courses, hazardous material risk regulation, oil and gas regulations, wildlife law, and land use. Having extensive knowledge of the field will make working as an environmental lawyer easier.

To sum up, an environmental attorney must complete an undergraduate degree, graduate from law school, and pass a bar examination to receive state licensing.

With a Juris Doctor in Environmental Law or a Master of Laws in Environmental Law, individuals interested in a graduate law degree dealing with environmental issues could get started in environmental law. 

These services give you a thorough understanding of how to make better use of the legal system to protect the environment. The duration of the course depends on the stage.

Juris Doctor in Environmental Law 

A J.D. degree is a degree in legal doctorate which is the first educational degree open to aspiring lawyers. While specializing in environmental law, you will be encouraged to study and explore specific aspects of your environmental policy, such as coastal zone management or global warming, that concern you.

Sometimes you will have the opportunity to work with conservation organizations, government agencies, or organizations of public concern and apply your knowledge of the law and protect the environment. Students seeking to receive their J.D. must hold a bachelor’s degree and apply their GPA and LSAT scores for admission to be accepted.

A graduate Master of Laws program requires you to have a J.D. degree under your belt.

An LLM environmental lawyer program will train you to either practice environmental law or seek jobs in the field branches of science or education. 

You will be encouraged to review the laws and policies that revolve around a specific environmental issue, such as climate change or conservation of biodiversity.

Juris Ph.D. in environmental law

You’ll hear about important elements of the legal system of environmental law, including constitutional law, federal court systems, international law, law, state law, local government law, and legislation. You’ll also spend time talking explicitly about environmental laws and policies currently in place.

Many courses that exist in a J.D. Environmental law program, offer a comprehensive legal history, such as research and environmental practices, and regulations on hazardous waste and the use of oceans and water. Environmentally wholly related electives include:

• Environmental law and policy
• Land-use
• Environmental law writing seminar
• Renewable energy and climate change
• Biodiversity law
• Environmental justice
• Master’s degree in environmental law

You will be expected to write an analytical paper or thesis after you have enrolled in an LLM in Environmental Law program. 

While several LLM programs on environmental law encourage you to develop your own curriculum based on your personal interests and professional goals, they also have similar core seminar courses that all students on environmental law must complete.

The curriculum might include the following topics:

• Environmental law
• Law and natural resources
• Administrative law
• Ecology
• International environmental law
• Thesis seminar

Environmental Lawyer Career – Popular Career choices

J.D. graduates have more than a few career prospects available. Environmental program. You will continue to work as a lawyer or policy-maker after graduation. Such occupations likely include:

• Environmental attorney or litigator
• Environmental claims analyst
• Corporate environmental counsel
• Environmental contract specialist
• Ethics program manager

You’ll have many of the same career opportunities as graduates of a J.D. after graduating from an environmental law LLM program. Environmental program. But LLM programs can also train you for academic, advocacy, and research roles, such as:

• Professor of environmental law
• Associate professor
• Environmental advocate
• Clean air and energy advocate
• Development consultant
• Director of environmental projects

Winding Up

As you can see, the career of an lawyer is an absolute winner in the modern economy. With so many countries taking resolutions towards sustainability, it is indeed important for our society to have more environmental attorney groups than ever. So, are you ready to become an environmental lawyer? Contact us soon at Online Attorney.