New Directions in Environmental Law: Climate Accountability from Big Law to Big Green
Legal academia often funnels students into traditional careers, whether in BigLaw or big nonprofits or government. This year’s New Directions in Environmental Law conference aims to foster an expansive, intersectional conversation about the ethics of working in BigLaw, what it means to have a “green” career, and how law students and attorneys can be part of pushing the legal industry toward a livable future. We hope to empower attendees with a clear sense of the scale of change needed, and the ways in which legal professionals can engage deeply with questions of institutional power and the role the profession has historically played in exacerbating the climate crisis. We also seek to build a working knowledge of how legal institutions maintain power structures and repress marginalized voices in the context of the climate crisis and beyond.
The symposium will run from 9 AM to 5:30 PM on Saturday, April 13, and Sunday, April 14. Day 1 will focus on the ethics of being an environmentally-minded lawyer in Big Law and nonprofit careers. It will include four panels and a keynote conversation. Day 2 will focus specifically on how to achieve a just transition away from fossil fuels while keeping focus on ensuring that climate solutions don’t place further burden on already overburdened communities.
This symposium has been approved for a total of 9.5 New York State CLE credits (1.5 credits in the category of Ethics & Professionalism and 8 credits in the category of Areas of Professional Practice). The credit is both transitional and non-transitional; it is appropriate for both experienced and newly admitted attorneys.