Environmental Law and Community Engagement Clinic

LAW8640
Section 1, Spring 26

Schedule Information

Enrollment: 2/8
Credits: 4
Days Time Room Start Date End Date

Tue

 		1130-1250 WB116 01/20/2026 04/21/2026

Course Description

The Environmental Law and Community Engagement Clinic fits within the Law School’s Program in Law, Communities, and the Environment (PLACE). Students in this semester-long clinic have the opportunity to work on real-world environmental cases in a variety of venues — before courts, administrative agencies and public utility commissions. The clinic has represented a diverse array of public-interest clients in recent years, from a community group working to preserve an early 20th century African-American schoolhouse to local governments filing an amicus brief in the Supreme Court of the United States. In addition to working on in-house clinic cases, students are also afforded the option of working closely with attorneys at the Southern Environmental Law Center, a nationally prominent environmental law and policy organization that is headquartered in Charlottesville. Students interested in a yearlong clinic experience may enroll in the Advanced Environmental Law and Community Engagement Clinic.

Course Requirements

Exam Information

Final Type (if any): None

Description: None

Written Work Product

Students should expect to perform legal research, draft memos, briefs and motions, develop interrogatories and cross examination scripts. Students should expect the clinic to require an average of 13-14 hours of work per week.

Other Work

All students should expect to take the lead on communication with clinic clients, while also developing drafts of legal memos for client review. Some students may have the opportunity to take the lead in drafting amicus briefs to the Supreme Court of the United States. Others working on public utility commission (energy law) dockets may have the opportunity to develop interrogatories, craft opening statements, and prepare cross examination scripts for court proceedings.

Other Course Details

Prerequisites: Environmental Law and/or Administrative Law recommended but not required. Because the credits in this course count toward the JD Program Professional Skills requirement, JD candidates will be given enrollment priority for this class. Concurrencies: Environmental Law and/or Administrative Law recommended but not required.

Exclusive With: None

Laptops Allowed: Yes

First Day Attendance Required: Yes

Course Resources: To be announced via Canvas.

Course Notes: NOTE REGARDING ENROLLMENT: Enrollment in this clinic is through the clinic lottery in the summer. If seats are available in this clinic after the lottery process, students can request enrollment via https://virginia.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8AoAfjpGKKmaHxc. If a student seeking a seat in this class is enrolled in another clinic, enrollment authorization from the instructors from both clinics must be provided to the Student Records Office via email ([email protected]).

Graduation Requirements

Satisfies Understanding Bias/Racism/Cross-Cultural Competency requirement: Yes

Satisfies Writing Requirement: No

Credits For Prof. Skills Requirement: Yes

Satisfies Professional Ethics: No

Additional Course Information

Schedule No.: 126217883

Modified Type: Clinical

Cross Listed: No

Waitlist Count: 0

Concentrations: Environmental, Energy and Land Use Law , Litigation and Dispute Resolution , Public Service and Leadership

Evaluation Portal Via LawWeb Opens: Tuesday, April 14, 12:01 AM

Evaluation Portal Via LawWeb Closes: Sunday, April 26, 11:59 PM

Information reflected on this page was last refreshed at: Friday, July 11, 2025 - 7:02 AM *

*During open enrollment periods, live enrollment data may be found in SIS.