Professor Alison Gocke leads a workshop session with faculty from across the country in December at the Law School. Photo by Julia Davis
The impacts of climate change are forcing scholars across the legal discipline to consider its implications for the future of the law. In December, UVA brought together early-career legal scholars for the two-day conference “Legal Scholarship in an Era of Climate Change.” Professors from across the country hailing from Yale, the University of Chicago, Stanford and Emory University law schools, among others, shared their knowledge and expertise regarding how to help the legal profession adapt to the realities of a changing climate.
Collaboration was a central theme of the conference. PLACE co-director and professor Alison Gocke led breakout sessions with participants sparking fruitful discussion regarding the ways different legal fields are currently addressing the issue of climate change, and what adaptations may be necessary to improve synergies with other fields of climate scholarship.
“At the end of the day, the goal for this conference was simple: We wanted to start a dialogue for legal scholars across fields of law to get to know each other, share their research, find opportunities for collaboration, and work through the challenges of incorporating scholarship on climate change into the legal profession,” Gocke said.
“These are substantial challenges, with no easy solutions,” she continued. “Most of our time was spent putting our heads together to share cutting-edge scholarship and incorporate interdisciplinary research. It was a fantastic first step for many future conversations.”
Associate Professor of Law Andrew Hammond of the Maurer School of Law at Indiana University shared his thoughts about the event.
“It was such a pleasure to work with Professor Gocke and UVA to host this conference,” he said. “Thanks to Professor Gocke's leadership, we created a forum for constructive critique and dialogue in this emerging field of legal scholarship. We are working hard to make sure those conversations and collaborations continue in the coming years.”
The conversation inspired the group to reconvene next year, making this event the first of a new annual tradition.
“There was a consensus amongst the group that further conversations and collaboration are necessary to meet the challenges of our time,” Gocke said. “I’m thrilled that UVA was able to facilitate this conference. It was a great event that helped build important connections between scholars grappling with some of the most cutting-edge questions in the law today.”
The second annual “Legal Scholarship in an Era of Climate Change” conference will be hosted next year at the University of San Diego School of Law.
Bryce Campanelli ’25 is a PLACE legal fellow.