Environmental Law Concentration

The Environmental Law Concentration was initiated as part of the school's commitment to quality environmental legal education.  Completing this concentration will provide students with broad and deep exposure to environmental and natural resources law, preparing them for practice in those areas.  It will also provide a signal to employers of a student’s commitment to and background in environmental and natural resources law.

Environmental Law Concentration Requirements

The concentration is awarded upon successful completion of two foundation courses – Law 285 Environmental Law and Law 235 Administrative Law; a substantial research paper on an environmental or natural resources topic; and 11 units of elective environmental law classes as described below.

Environmental courses taken at other law schools or within other UC Davis departments may be applied toward the 11 unit requirement if approved in advance by the environmental program faculty, and by the Senior Assistant Dean of Student Affairs in accordance with Regulation 1.6 [Courses in Other Law Schools] or Regulation 1.7 [Courses in Other Parts of the University].

Students must maintain a grade point average of at least 3.0 in graded concentration classes.

Independent Study and Externships

Up to 2 elective units may be earned toward the concentration for an independent study paper written under the supervision of one of the environmental program faculty. Up to 2 elective units may also be earned toward the concentration through an environmental externship, and up to 4 electives units through the Water Justice Clinic. The total number of elective units earned through the clinic or an externship may not exceed 4.

Writing Requirement

Students must write a writing-requirement-quality paper, approved by one of the environmental program faculty listed below on an environmental or natural resources law topic through a seminar, an independent study, or law review. The paper should develop and defend a thesis and demonstrate original thought and analysis; casenotes typically will not satisfy this requirement. Students are encouraged to consult early with faculty on paper topics and must submit a proposed topic to the supervising faculty member by September of their third year of law school and submit a draft of the paper by December of their third year. Specific deadlines should be established with your environmental law faculty advisor.

Foundation Courses

Environmental Law Elective Courses

Earn at least 11 units of environmental or natural resources law electives as listed below.  At least 7 of those 11 units must come from graded environmental or natural resources law courses.  

Elective courses are offered on a rotating basis. Not all courses will be taught in any given year (courses without a hyperlinked description have not been offered within the last three years).

Elective Courses

Environmental Law Concentration Form

Upon satisfying the above requirements, students should complete the  Environmental Law Concentration Completion of Requirements Form.

Environmental Faculty

Karrigan Bork
Christopher Elmendorf
Albert Lin
Tracy Winsor 

Learn more about our Environmental and Natural Resources Law Programs