International Animal and Environmental Law Clinic

International Animal and Environmental Law Clinic - Professor Erica Lyman

• Course Number: LAW-754
• Course Type: Highly Specialized & Experiential
• Credits: Students may take this course as a one-semester option for three credits or a two-semester option for six credits.
• Enrollment Limit: Determined by the Professor
• Description: This practical skills course is designed for students who have an interest in practicing international environmental and/or international wildlife law.

Students work with Professor Lyman and staff on the ongoing cases and projects of the Global Law Alliance for Animals and the Environment. The Global Law Alliance’s work focuses on representing and supporting our clients by providing legal advice on matters pertaining to an international concern or international law. The clinic handles matters relating to climate change, biodiversity conservation, and pollution. Within this scope, projects might address fossil fuel infrastructure, Rights of Nature, international wildlife treaties, habitat protection, international climate negotiations, climate financing, wildlife trafficking, ocean pollution, plastics regulations, or any other matter for which our client’s might seek legal advice. Our clients are primarily non-governmental organizations and are based around the world. The range of projects at GLA provide opportunities for work on both legal and policy matters and provide students insights into the multiple ways non-litigation strategic lawyering work occurs in the public interest realm.

Regardless of the substantive content of our work, practical skills development will include, among other topics, negotiation in an international context, treaty drafting, and treaty interpretation; legislative assessment and drafting; legal opinion, memoranda, and client letter drafting; development and management of client relationships; oral advocacy in an international context; cultural competency and lobbying; and planning, development, and strategy regarding project/campaign/case development. The specific practical skills honed each semester depend on the Global Law Alliance’s docket, but as a matter of course, students can expect to deepen their research, problem solving, analytical, and writing skills.

Students are expected to attend and participate in a 2-hour classroom component, meet with a supervising attorney for up to one hour, and work about 8 hours outside of class on average each week on projects/campaigns/cases as assigned. The class meets on Fridays. To get students prepared to engage quickly, class on the first two Fridays of both Fall and Spring semesters will meet for 4 to 5 hours.

Students must submit an application for admission to this course. The application period is announced each Spring through the Registrar and included in Announce Accounts.

• Prerequisite: None, but it is helpful to have taken International Environmental Law or to take it concurrently.
• Evaluation Method: Credit/no credit
• Capstone: no
• WIE: yes