波士顿大学法学院启动环境法实习

With the support of a course innovation grant, the practicum helps students prepare for real-world environmental advocacy.

波士顿大学法学院 launched an 环境法律 实习 this spring. The collaborative course, led by Lecturer in Law 帕姆·希尔（1977年）, was created with support from a course innovation grant from 波士顿大学.

这个实习项目是为了响应学生和新濠影汇赌场的兴趣而开发的，为法律专业的学生创造更多的机会，与该领域的从业者一起获得在重要环境问题上的工作经验。

今年春天，这些项目聚焦于环境正义问题，涉及公民权利、基本公平和环境政策的交集。 明年，学生们还将从事与清洁能源和水资源管理相关的项目。

为了建立实习的框架，波士顿大学通过教务长办公室和教学与学习中心向希尔教授颁发了一项课程创新补助金，以资助费用和一名法律学生新濠影汇线上赌场研究助理的贡献。 The grants are aimed at promoting active and sustainable engaged classroom learning and collaborations across departments, schools, and colleges within the Boston-area community. 他们鼓励奖学金、新濠影汇线上赌场研究和创造性活动，以及在波士顿大学的课外学习机会。

“Launching this new program at the law school has been an exciting, eye-opening opportunity,” says Chloe Noonan (’16), Hill’s research assistant who worked on planning and logistics for the practicum and coordinated with student groups.“实习是一个伟大的补充，波士顿大学的临床产品。 我乐观地认为，波士顿大学法学院的学生将来能够为紧迫的环境正义倡议做出贡献，并在环境法方面取得进步。”

独特的功能

希尔说：“这个实习项目是独一无二的，与目前波士顿大学法学院提供的其他诊所和实习项目截然不同。” “首先，它允许感兴趣的学生探索环境司法等新兴领域，而美国很少有大学提供这些领域。”

作为实习的一部分，希尔和她的学生直接与两个顶级环境法组织合作，即社区与环境替代方案（ACE）和保护法基金会（CLF）。 Responding to the needs of the partnership attorneys, the students worked on four discrete projects to support efforts to draft an environmental justice proposal for the Massachusetts’ Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

“This is the first year we’ve had an 环境法律 实习 where students have worked on real-time projects for two of the leading environmental organizations in the state of Massachusetts,” says 佩吉·梅塞尔, associate dean for experiential education and clinical professor of law at BU Law. “学生们要求一个体验式诊所，为他们提供更广泛的环境法学习曲线。 Under the expert guidance of Pam Hill, the course will help them make significant strides in this field.”

扩张的机会

While 亚历山德拉·乔治（16届） was president of the Energy and 环境法律 Society (EELS), her team surveyed the BU Law community with the help of the Student Government Association (SGA). Armed with information from the survey, EELS met with Professor of Law 大卫•沃克, former associate dean for academic affairs, and Dean Maureen A. O’Rourke to discuss the expansion of the environmental and energy law curriculum at BU Law by establishing a program that could prepare students for real-world issues.

“Within environmental law and policies, we got to explore areas of civil rights, science, and public health that normally have very little law to look to,” says Chelsie Vokes (’16), another student in the practicum. “我们没有根据法律提出政策论点，而是能够通过寻找不同的学科，提出我们自己的新颖论点，就如何构建环境正义政策进行创造性和精心的论证。”

BU Law’s experiential programs such as the Environment Law 实习 provide organizations with an excellent group of law students ready to work for communities with environmental justice concerns. The experience of working alongside attorneys from ACE and CLF has helped students develop the skills necessary to take on real-world challenges. “I had the opportunity to interact with policy makers in the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and scientific researchers in the Office of 新濠影汇线上赌场研究 Development (ORD),” Vokes says. “We are providing them with reports of real-world significance, and we are working to help craft a policy in a realm that is largely undeveloped.”

给学生一个优势

希尔说：“在校期间亲身接触真正的法律工作，也能帮助学生在求职面试中迈出第一步，比同龄人更具优势。”

“Every single interview I’ve had for an environmental law job has focused on my environmental law experience,” says George, who also completed a 在环境与自然资源学部实习一学期 at the Department of Justice. “虽然成绩和理论概念至关重要，但在法学院内外的实践经验可能是获得梦寐以求的工作的差异化因素。 这个实习项目提供的正是这种实践经验。”

波士顿大学法学院的学生和新濠影汇赌场正在努力保持实习的势头。 “We put in a brief plug for the practicum at the Environmental and Energy Law Society’s (EELS) 气候变化会议, which is a step toward sustaining the program,” says Vokes. The event took place on March 30, and featured Secretary Matthew Beaton from Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs speaking about renewable energy policy in Massachusetts and Governor Charlie Baker’s recent initiative to dedicate $15M to bring sustainable energy to low- and middle-income communities.

明年，实习的范围将扩大到更广泛的环境法主题。 与CLF和ACE的伙伴关系将继续，学生将能够选择项目主题，包括环境正义、清洁能源和水资源管理。

Reported by Indira Priyadarshini (COM’16).