Law schools require J.D. students to take a range of standard legal courses their first year. After that, students may take specialized courses. According to EnviroEducation.com, courses needed for an environmental law specialization might include the following: Pollution Control Law, Wildlife and Endangered Species Law, Air Pollution, Environmental Issues in Business Transactions, International Environmental Law, Nuclear Regulation, Environmental Enforcement, Hazardous Waste Law, Ocean Law and Mining and Mineral Leasing. Attorneys practicing this type of law must take course work that helps them understand public policy, economics and broad ethical considerations, such as the rights of animals.
Many aspiring to environmental law careers enroll in programs within a regular J.D. course of study. Environmental law program courses generally are taken as second- and third-year electives. Law schools are selective, and top-ranked schools take only the best and brightest college graduates, with high LSAT scores. A baccalaureate degree, which can be in a wide variety of areas, is the first requirement, and taking the LSAT is a second key requirement for applicants.
Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree programs require applicants to already have a J.D. degree, and these programs are often highly selective. Students enrolled in the LL.M. programs of certain law schools can specialize in environmental law, in programs that are often adapted to individual interests. These programs can prepare graduates for a variety of work, including becoming a professor of law or a researcher.
Agencies of federal and state governments, law firms and nonprofit organizations such as environmental groups are the main employers. Attorneys in this field might counsel clients, litigate or mediate, write impact statements or sometimes even help set governmental policy. A law clerk or nonprofit organization attorney might only earn $40,000 a year, but the average 2009 salary was approximately $100,000.
Law school is expensive, and it is easy to borrow large sums of money to attend, but will you be able to pay back your loans? Make the decision to borrow money go to law school carefully, as U.S. student loan debt is a serious financial obligation. Salaries for this field can vary wildly, depending on what you do and where you work.
The Vermont Law School and Northwestern Law School at Lewis & Clark College are generally the two top-rated programs. Schools such as those of the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Colorado, Boulder, are also "top 10" schools.