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Area of law

Environmental Law

Protecting air, water, land and the people who depend on them.

Find schools with programsAll areas of law

What this area covers

Environmental lawyers apply the statutes that limit pollution and protect natural places. They advise regulated businesses, enforce the law for government and bring cases for communities and conservation groups.

Also called: Environmental Justice, Environmental Protection, Environmental and Natural Resources Law.

Typical legal work

  • Advising on permits and compliance
  • Litigating enforcement and citizen suits
  • Negotiating cleanup of contaminated sites

Common subareas

Climate Change LawLaw addressing greenhouse gas emissions and a changing climate.Natural Resources LawPublic lands, water, wildlife, minerals and forests.Ocean & Coastal LawGoverning coasts, fisheries and the marine environment.Water LawRights to use water and duties to protect it.

Where lawyers work

  • Federal, state and local government
  • Nonprofit and advocacy organizations
  • Law firms of every size
  • In-house legal departments

A setting is where you work; an area is what the work is about. The same area is practised in very different settings.

Schools with verified programs

A school is listed here only when its own website names a concentration, certificate, clinic, center or field placement in Environmental Law or one of its subareas. Schools are in alphabetical order. The list is not a ranking, and a school that is absent may still teach the subject.

42 schools · 4 concentrations and specializations · 8 certificates · 29 clinics · 22 centers and institutes · 5 externships and field placements

Filter these schools in the directory

Program types counted as evidence: clinics, certificates, concentrations and specializations, centers and institutes, externships and field placements. Joint degrees and advanced degrees are described under Degrees & program types.

Sources

These references informed what the area covers. The description above is PreLaw Advisor’s own and does not reproduce their text.

  1. 1.American Bar Association. Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (opens in a new tab) Retrieved Sep 2026.
  2. 2.Law School Admission Council. Fields of Law (opens in a new tab) Retrieved Sep 2026.

Description reviewed Sep 2026. Each school program links to the page it was verified against.