The Environmental Law Program offers a wide array of opportunities both in and out of the classroom for students to pursue focused studies on environmental law.Academics
The Environmental Justice Clinic (EJC) advocates for and seeks to empower low-and moderate-income communities who disproportionately bear the environmental, economic, and health burdens of the development, implementation, and enforcement of the law. It was launched in 2016 as Environmental Justice Project in Miami Law’s Center for Ethics and Public Service under Professor Tony Alfieri and later became full-fledged clinic.
For students who wish to focus on environmental law in their legal studies, Miami Law enables them to pursue an Environmental Law Concentration or Area of Focus. Students who meet all requirements receive a notation in their transcript.
Through the efforts of ELP Director Jessica Owley, the University of Miami has obtained official accredited observer status in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) treaty-making meetings. UM students have participated in the UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP) since 2019 as part of their coursework in UN Climate Change Negotiations. Attending the annual COP is an invaluable tool to learn about international negotiations and the treaty-making process.
This compressed course will provide an overview of the law and policy of Everglades restoration through a blend of field visits and classroom learning. It covers state and federal environmental regulations and legal frameworks, and their implications. This class is held off-campus in the Everglades.
For students who wish to pursue an in-depth specialization in the law and its intersection with related sciences, the Program builds on the University of Miami’s outstanding joint degree programs.
The University of Miami School of Law and the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University are hosting the final round of the 2024-25 Environmental Law and Policy Hack Competition. The Hack Competition is a problem-solving event that invites students across the world to propose an innovative and practical response to a current environmental challenge and awards seed funding to support implementation of the winning concept. This year’s Hack Competition challenged participants to reimagine how capital can flow to nature-based solutions and resilient infrastructure. In this final round, the teams will be presenting their innovative approaches—ranging from policy interventions and regulatory changes to new financial structures—to scale investment in projects that protect communities, improve health outcomes, and build climate resilience.
Final Round:
This event is part of Resilience 365 Conference: Catalytic Conversations for the Next 100 Years.
Announcement @ NY Climate Week!
Competition Details
The Environmental Law Program proudly presents Books & Beverages with Prof. Rob Verchick to discuss his latest book, The Octopus in the Parking Garage: A Call for Climate Resilience, winner of the 2023 Choice of Outstanding Academic Title. Miami Herald’s lead climate change reporter, Alex Harris, will be leading the session, which will feature key themes, including risk management, adaptation, and climate resilience as climate justice. This event is part of Resilience 365, a two-day conference during Miami Climate Week organized by the UM Climate Resilience Institute. It is co-sponsored by the Environmental Law Society, Office of Sustainability, Abbess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy, Rosenstiel School Department of Environmental Science and Policy, School of Communication Department of Journalism and Media Management, HOPE Public Interest Resource Center, and Office of Intellectual Life.
The Octopus in the Parking Garage: A Call for Climate Resilience
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We welcome insightful and impactful papers on topics such as climate change, environmental justice, sustainable development, air and water quality, land use, ocean and coastal law, and other related areas of environmental law. This award is open to all UM Law students. Your paper should address a topic in environmental law. Submissions must be student work. If co-authored, all authors must be current UM Law students. The paper should be at least 15 pages, double-spaced. Citations should follow the Bluebook Rules of Citation. Please anonymize your submission (no identifying information in the document). The deadline for submissions is March 11, 2025. Questions can be directed to Valerie Fajardo at rvfajardo@law.miami.edu
The Environmental Law Program and the Environmental Justice Clinic are giving the 2025 Environmental Law Writing Award to a student or group of students who have produced exceptional written work that focuses on environmental law.Submission Guidelines
Competitions
Student Organizations
The Environmental Law Program benefits from the generous charitable contributions to offer high-quality and timely instruction in environmental law and adjacent legal fields to the University of Miami’s law and graduate students. If you're interested in contributing to our work, please contact Valerie Fajardo at rvfajardo@law.miami.edu. Back to Top
