Why environmental law? It has never been easy to choose a career path, most people have tried different career paths and jobs before settling for one, though there are some career paths which need more attention and consideration and a career in environmental law is one of those career paths that requires more from you than the others. There are 6 important things you should know if you have plans of choosing a career in environmental law.
1. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A SCIENCE UNDERGRADUATE TO HAVE THIS DEGREE
There are thoughts about how all environmental lawyers are from the sciences because they must constantly work with scientists to achieve the sole aim of studying the course. This is false. The truth is, the Harvard Law School has said based on their findings that those coming from humanities faculties rather than a science background have an equal chance of excelling as an environmental lawyer, if not more.
Being a scientist who is studying this course you only come with the scientific aspect of it, but you also need to be able to grasp the law aspect of it and so you see both the man who studied sciences and the humanities undergraduate have their roles to play. You do not have to worry about taking a science course to enable you pursue this dream, this course is not limited to only people in the sciences.
2. ENVIRONMENT LAWYERS ARE NOT AGAINST CORPORATE BUSINESSES
There is this misconception that environmental lawyers are after corporations as they are often seen to be fighting corporate organizations and businesses to be more responsible and make favorable policies that won’t hamper our society. This is just the best thing to do, they are not against them or whatsoever they are only trying to protect the ecosystem and to ensure that we have a conducive environment to go about our activities. If they do not do this, business owners won’t adopt environmentally -friendly policies, they would rather go about their activities with the sole aim of making money.
3. VARIATION IN LEGAL ASSIGNMENTS
This turn is very important with environmental law practice, the learning process that enables lawyers to do both litigation as well as regulatory work, according to Sahana Rao, a Sive, Paget, & Riesel P.C. associate and recent graduate of NYU Law School. This difference in assignments makes environmental law more exciting.
4. DOCUMENTATION
Most new bees find this part of environmental law very difficult, most people do not like paperwork and in environmental law you do this a lot where you file with regulatory authorities. Though a company sticks to all the regulatory requirements generated by the government to protect the environment, not filing the necessary paperwork can be an issue.
All the requirements are plain and direct which means lawyers don’t have to make complex interpretations of the law. They must simply adhere to the protocol.
5. YOU CAN ENROLL IN A LAW SCHOOL WITHOUT A FORMAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW PROGRAM
To achieve your dream of becoming an environmental lawyer, you do not have to enrol in a formal law school program, although that is ideal because a specialised degree program would offer you more exposure to everything that pertains to course.
A law school that does not offer a specialized degree program in environmental law but rather offers great courses in the same field as electives, is also good. Therefore, if the law school which you are desiring to attend does not offer a specialized degree in environmental law but offers good quality courses in the same field, it is okay to grab the opportunity.
6. ACQUIRE OTHER SKILLS
The demand for environmental lawyers’ is not always stable it all depends on the existing government and so according to Beth S. Gotthelf, a co-chair at the Butzel Long law firm’s sustainability team, it is wise for aspiring environmental lawyers to also master in related law fields such as real estate or government relations as that would offer a cushion against a sudden decline in the demand for lawyers who studied this course. When you have other skills related to law you are at great advantage, cases where you cannot get jobs based on your specification you can as well explore other options.
