III. PRACTICAL/PUBLIC SERVICE
EXPERIENCE (One of the following)
Goal: To help student acquire practical
legal skills. The practical experience
should also help students explore
individual areas of interest and
encourage active participation and
service to the community and the legal
system by students from all years.
1. Testify in an administrative or
legislative hearing. (This activity is
feasible for first year students).
2. Independently initiated pro bono
project.
3. Professional employment in
environmental/land law: Must involve
legal work. [i.e. summer job]
4. Internship with an environmental/
land law organization: The internship
should entail a substantial ongoing
project with appropriate supervision.
[internship completed in school year]
5. BCLS Clinical program on an
environmental or land law related
project.
6. Other environmental or land law
professional work, subject to approval
of the ELS executive board.
The student must submit a brief report of
the public service activity to ELS,
including a brief description of the work
accomplished,
approximate
hours
worked and duties. Reports will be kept
on file in the ELS office in order to assist
students looking for summer jobs or
internship opportunities in the future.
IV. PROCEDURE:
Students preparing an environmental/
land law specialization should establish a
Certificate File with the Environmental
Law Society, ideally during the second
year of their JD studies.
A month before graduation, students
should prepare a folder containing an
annotated copy of the Certificate
Requirements, with a signed affidavit
indicating that they have completed or
will have completed all required
elements by the date of graduation, and
submit the folder to the current President
of the Environmental Law Society, with a
copy to the faculty advisor.
The
Environmental
Law
Society
executive board will review the file as
presented in the folder and prepare a
recommendation. Files recommended for
grant of the Certificate will be processed
by the faculty advisor and Certificates
prepared, to be conveyed by the
president or other officer and the faculty
advisor at the law school’s annual pregraduation awards convocation.
Students may not double-count classes,
writing or work experiences in order to
fulfill requirements.
3
www.bc.edu/environmentallaw
BOSTON COLLEGE LAW SCHOOL
ENVIRONMENTAL LAW SOCIETY
CERTIFICATE
PROGRAM
IN
LAND & ENVIRONMENTAL
LAW
STANDARDS & PROCEDURES
as amended to 2008
Beginning in 1995, the Boston College
Law School Environmental Law Society
has administered a program granting
the Certificate in Environmental & Land
Law to students who satisfy academic,
research & writing, and practical-service
experience requirements in the field.
The requirements and procedures of the
Certificate program as administered by
the Environmental Law Society are
summarized on the following pages.
I. ACADEMIC STUDY
II. RESEARCH AND WRITING
(a minimum of 19 credits, including
Audits, and 5 courses with average
of B or better)
Goal: To assure that students have a core
of relevant substantive knowledge.
A. Mandatory courses:
1. Environmental Law
2. Administrative Law OR
Legislation and Regulation
B. Additional Course Selection:
Remaining 12 credits to be filled
from the following courses:
1. Animal Law
2. Advanced Property:
Property and Society
3. Advanced Property:
The Commercial Lease
4. Clean Air / Clean Water
5. Energy Law and Deregulation
6. Environmental Compliance and
Performance Counseling
7. Environmental Law Seminar:
Current Topics
8. Environmental Law: Teaching
Seminar
9. Food and Drug Regulation
10. Frontiers in Environmental Law
and Policy/Global Warming
11. Housing Policy and Law
12. International Environmental Law
13. Land Use Law
14. Legislation and Regulation
15. Real Estate Transactions/Finance
(One of the following, subject to approval
by the Committee.)
16. Regulation of Hazardous and
Toxic Materials
17. Scientific and Expert Evidence
18. State & Local Government Law
19. Toxic Torts
20. Urban Ecosystems
21. Environmental Clinical Program:
Office of Attorney General
[counts for 4 credits]
22. Semester in Practice: U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
[counts for 4 credits]
23. London Program: externship at
FIELD, the Foundation for
International Environment Law &
Development, Univ. of London
[counts for 4 credits]
24. Environmental Moot Court
25. Other upper level
environmental/land use law
courses and seminars, as available
26. Other environmental/land userelated courses (including courses
at other law schools, or non-legal
courses) as approved by the
Certificate Committee.
Students are also strongly encouraged
to have a litigation clinical training
experience.
Goal: The student should have
experience pursuing a topic in
environmental or land law in depth, and
be competent in research in matters of
environmental and land use law.
1. Publish an article in the field of
environmental law, in a legal or
environmental periodical, a newspaper,
or other public medium
2. Work as a research assistant for a
professor doing research in a field of
environmental or land law, producing a
substantial written product.
3. Boston College Environmental Affairs
Law Review: Note published or
accepted for publication.
4. Deliver testimony in a supervised
Testimony Project session or
equivalent.
5. Complete a significant piece of legal
research work product on an
environmental or land law subject
during the course of employment,
internship or pro bono work.