How to Apply

Registering for IELP

The International Environmental Law Project

 

About IELP

In the International Environmental Law Project (IELP), students participate directly in international environmental legal processes. IELP prepares documents for meetings of the parties to international conventions, such as the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, and the International Whaling Commission; prepares submissions to international tribunals or to domestic-level agencies to enforce international environmental law; and drafts new international environmental treaties. Our clients include environmental organizations, governments, and international institutions. Throughout the semester, students are guided through project-based skills training, which might include negotiation, lobbying, writing and research, oral presentation, treaty drafting, and strategy. Depending on our docket, students may have the opportunity to participate in an international meeting. For more information about IELP’s projects, see http://go.lclark.edu/IELP.

 

Credits, Grading, and Course Schedule

IELP is offered as either a one-semester three-credit course or a full-year course for three credits each semester. Grading is on a pass/no pass basis. This class meets for two hours on Fridays. However, during the first two weeks of class each semester, we will conduct a “boot camp”—approximately five hours on each of these Fridays—to convey as much background information as possible for you to engage meaningfully in your work from the start of the course. Participation in “boot camp” sessions is mandatory.

 

Application Process

Participation in IELP is only open to a limited number of students each semester. Because of the demand for participation in IELP, we have instituted a process similar to a hiring process. A student must have the permission of Professor Erica Lyman before registering for the course. If you would like to apply, please submit the following:

• a cover letter explaining why you want to participate in IELP;
• your resume;
• your transcript;
• a writing sample (this can be your appellate brief from legal writing if this is your only writing sample, but please submit only those portions that you wrote);
• an e-mail address and telephone number where we can reach you in May.

     

Deadline

You must submit your application by April 27, 2020, even if you are submitting an application for Spring semester only. Professor Lyman will make their decisions before you register for class. Remember, you must have our approval before you register for the course.

Please email your applications in a single PDF file to Prof. Erica Lyman at ejt@lclark.edu. If you have any questions, please email Prof. Lyman. You are also welcome to stop by her office (Wood Hall, 117) or call at 503.768.6715.

 

Some IELP Basics

 

Credits	Course Length	Pre-requisites	How to Apply	Location of Clinic	Work Hours	Law School Requirements
						YES	NO
3 credits	one semester	None	By appli-cation	On Campus	• 9-10 Hours/week • IELP Workroom and unstructured • Class meets on Fridays	• WIE on a case-by-case basis • Natural Resources Certificate • Practical skills • Highly specialized	Ethics
6 credits: 3 credits per semester	two semesters

 

For more information about applying for IELP, see http://law.lclark.edu/clinics/international_environmental_law_project/the_student_experience/Apply/.