While it does focus on the environment, don't expect getting a job at the EPA to be a walk in the park. The hiring process is often long, with multiple hoops and background checks to jump through. And because the EPA is a federal agency, any changes in government spending will affect hiring.
They might also counsel municipalities, manufacturers or developers on how to minimize their environmental impact. Environmental law can be an excellent career, especially for those who have prior experience in a regulated industry, regulatory body or advocacy group.
You'll need a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or a Juris Doctor (JD) to practice environmental law. While it's not technically a requirement to have an LLB to get into law school, and in some countries, an LLB will allow the practice of law, it helps to have an undergraduate background in law.
Students typically need at least a bachelor's degree to qualify for law school. However, colleges rarely offer undergraduate environmental law degrees. Instead, students should consider a bachelor's degree in political science or economics with a minor in a science-related field.
The average Environmental Lawyer in the US makes $181,586. Environmental Lawyers make the most in San Francisco, CA at $270,894, averaging total compensation 49% greater than the US average.
Some of the highest-paid lawyers are:Medical Lawyers – Average $138,431. Medical lawyers make one of the highest median wages in the legal field. ... Intellectual Property Attorneys – Average $128,913. ... Trial Attorneys – Average $97,158. ... Tax Attorneys – Average $101,204. ... Corporate Lawyers – $116,361.
you must obtain a qualifying law degree or alternative degree followed by the Graduate Diploma in Law./li> you must successfully complete the Legal Practice Course and a Training Contract (or the Solicitors Qualifying Exam post 2021).
They focus on environmental rights and laws and may work on projects relating to renewable energy, sustainability, and climate change. A successful environmental lawyer will have many skills including research, analysis, negotiation, and both written and verbal communication.
Post Diploma Courses offered by WWF-India in partnership with National Law University, DelhiPost Graduate Diploma in Environmental Law and Policy(Click here for more details)Post Graduate Diploma in Urban Environmental Management & Law(Click here for more details)More items...
The Emmett Environmental Law and Policy Clinic at Harvard Law School offers students the opportunity to practice environmental law through work on a variety of litigation, administrative, legislative, and policy projects.
Study within an environmental law degree may include legal foundations, conservation, development regulation, and international law. Common careers pursued upon graduation include resource management, environmental planning, and policy setting for conservation and related areas.
An environmental lawyer works to represent clients in legal issues such as in clean technology, water law, climate change law and the management of land subject to native title and other public land. Environment laws are a large and complex specialty within the practice of law.
knowledge and relevant experience (commensurate with their number of years after law school) in administrative law, regulatory counseling, and/or federal court litigation. Substantive experience with the relevant statute (s) may enhance your application but is not necessary.
The Water Law Office provides legal support for Agency programs that ensure drinking water is safe; that restore and maintain oceans, watersheds, and their aquatic ecosystems to protect human health; support economic and recreational activities; and provide healthy habitat for fish, plants, and wildlife.
We are committed to creating a diverse workforce because we know that the individual strengths and abilities of our employees make us a stronger organization. The more inclusive our employee base is, the greater the variety of ideas that are generated, and the more representative we are of the nation we serve. To learn more about how EPA values and supports our diverse workforce, visit Equal Opportunity Employment at EPA. You can also hear a diverse group of attorneys talk about their careers at EPA on the Legal Careers at EPA Webinar.
The Air and Radiation Law Office provides legal support for EPA to reduce threats to public health and the environment by cleaning up the nation’s air and dealing with radiation issues.
The Solid Waste and Emergency Response Law Office provides legal support for the Agency’s hazardous and solid waste programs and cleanup initiatives, including Superfund, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, land revitalization (brownfields, federal facilities, oil spills, underground storage tanks), and the emergency response program .
These positions generally are designated as a Moderate Risk and require a background investigation. Unless an appropriate background is already on record with the Office of Personnel Management, applicants must undergo a background investigation.
Attorneys at EPA work on cutting-edge legal issues. Learn more about our legal offices and law career opportunities and opportunities for law school grads .
Are you interested in protecting human health and the environment? EPA has a job opportunity for you. Learn more about all positions currently open on USAJobs.
What Is the Average Environmental Lawyer Salary? The median salary range for an Environmental Lawyer is $113,530 per year or $54.58 per hour. Employment for Environmental Lawyers is growing at a rate that is equivalent to the average growth for all occupations.
It is important to be a good advocate as an Environmental Lawyer spends a significant amount of time in Court. Environmental Lawyers tend to work long hours and are required to be flexible depending on the demands of certain cases. As a lot of Environmental Lawyers work within government, cities with a large number of government agencies are ...
This is an important career because it can be used to protect the environment through legal avenues. Environmental Lawyers work within private firms, government, and academia. Environmental Lawyers work primarily in an office environment but also regularly represent clients in court and engage in teaching at universities. ...
The American Bar Association (ABA) is the national American Association of Lawyers responsible for regulating the professional standards and ethical codes of lawyers nationally. The ABA's mission statement is to “serve equally our members, our profession and the public by defending liberty and delivering justice as the national representative of the legal profession”. There is an annual fee to the ABA to practice as a lawyer.
The purpose of an Environmental Lawyer is to work with environmental case law and legislation to represent various environmental interests. Environmental laws regulate and define the activities of humans upon the geological and biological systems that are affected by contact. Issues such as ecology, sustainability, responsibility, ...
Interview scientists to interpret data throughout the court process; to testify, inform, and give expert opinion
These attorneys, who sometimes work in public interest jobs in government or at environmental nonprofit organizations, specialize in interpreting environmental laws and regulations at the international, federal, state and local levels.
Harvard Law School 's "A Trail Guide to Careers in Environmental Law" offers words of encouragement in this vein: "Many would-be environmental attorneys are intimidated by the field because of the perception that it requires scientific expertise. While environmental lawyers often work alongside scientists to achieve their goals, this collaboration allows scientists to concentrate on the science and lawyers to concentrate on the law."
But Gotthelf says one of the things she likes about environmental regulations is that they are typically clear and specific as opposed to being open to interpretation.
Though aspiring environmental lawyers should take courses in environmental law, it isn't critical for them to attend a law school with an official concentration in this discipline, Gracer says. "There are several law schools that have great environmental law programs," he says, "but there are also law schools that are just excellent law schools ...
Companies that follow environmental protection regulations but fail to file proper paperwork can get in trouble. "Good intentions don’t always get you brownie points in environmental law," she says. "There is a certain way you have to do things and certain records you have to keep, and that’s just the way it is.".
Gracer adds that aspiring environmental attorneys can benefit from taking business courses . "If I were going to law school today, I would get a joint J.D.-MBA because I think a lot of the solutions to climate change are going to be driven by market forces and private sector decisions in the business community," he says.
For a legitimate certification, you must take your exam with an EPA-approved certifying organization. On their site, the EPA provides a list of addresses and phone numbers for the headquarters of approved programs. Many of these programs have testing locations in several states, and some offer proctored remote testing, mail-in testing and testing in Spanish. Consider contacting the organizations on the list to see whether they offer a testing site near you.
The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, is an independent U.S. governmental agency responsible for protecting human health and the environment. Established in 1970 to address environmental issues such as air pollution, the EPA today also works to ensure that Americans have clean water and land, to evaluate the safety of chemicals used in the marketplace and to educate communities about managing environmental risks, among other goals.
For example, technicians who work on equipment similar to but essentially different from motor vehicles, such as farm equipment and non-road vehicles, may choose to get either 608 type II certification or 609 certification, although the EPA itself recommends 609 certification as the preferred type.
An EPA certification, or 608 certification, is official recognition by the EPA that a technician is knowledgeable about the laws and regulations surrounding the use and handling of ozone-depleting substances, or ODS , such as refrigerants. The Clean Air Act made certification a requirement to work in the maintenance, service, repair or disposal of equipment such as air-conditioning and refrigeration systems, since these commonly contain refrigerants R-22 and R-410A, which are ODS.
EPA certification ensures that a technician knows the proper procedures for handling ODS, which can be harmful to both the environment and the living things on the planet if released into the atmosphere. ODS can damage the earth's ozone layer, which helps absorb ultraviolet radiation from the sun before it reaches the planet's surface. Proper handling of ODS can reduce the amounts of ODS that are released into the air. This contributes to a stronger ozone layer and reduces exposure to ultraviolet radiation, which decreases the chances of skin cancer in humans and prevents damage to plant and animal life.
There are four levels of EPA 608 certification. They are:
R-410A technical certification: R-410A is a refrigerant used at much higher pressures than other refrigerants. There are additional safety issues and concerns related to R-410A and similar refrigerants, and technicians who handle R-410 A may need to use different tools and equipment, so manufacturers often prefer that technicians who handle them have specialized certification.