Environmental and Natural Resources Law

No other law school in the United States offers a specialized program in environmental and natural resources law with the breadth, scope and opportunities provided at the University of Denver's Sturm College of Law.

Interested in events, courses and experiential learning opportunities in Environmental and Natural Resources Law?

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Preparing Future Lawyers For Tomorrow's Challenges

The environmental and natural resources law & policy JD certificate program supplies in-depth study and training in this diverse, fluid and dynamic area of the law.

Experiential learning

An unparalleled array of experiential learning opportunities means you not only learn the law, you learn to be lawyers.

The Legal Externship Program offers experience in a variety of legal settings, from government agencies to private practice to corporate and public interest firms. In the Environmental Law Clinic, student lawyers get hands-on experience as they advocate in the areas of urban environmentalism and wildlife preservation. Students who run the internationally-circulated Water Law Review work closely with and learn from legal scholars contributing to the journal and water law attorneys in and around Denver who participate in the publication’s well-attended annual conference.
Integrated curriculum

Our program is unique in terms of the number and variety of domestic and international course offerings. The curriculum emphasizes both theoretical and experiential knowledge and you can explore practical and ethical contributions to current and future environmental and natural resource issues. During your second and third years of law school, you can design a specialized curriculum, combining doctrinal courses with experiential learning opportunities and leading to a certificate in environmental and natural resources law.
World-class faculty

You also benefit from faculty at the forefront of research and practice, building your problem-solving skills through case study, classroom simulation, environmental advocacy, practicums, legal externships and clinical programs. Through various events and activities, students who choose to participate in the program are able to interact with practicing attorneys, policymakers, and scholars.

Message from the Director

Although many law schools have environmental law programs, the University of Denver Sturm College of Law’s environmental and natural resources program is one of very few that introduces students to all of the aspects of environmental and natural resources law. In addition to offering courses in traditional areas of environmental law (air pollution, water pollution and hazardous waste law), the program also addresses the pressing matters of land use law and growth management, climate change, environmental justice, energy law, water law, mining law, oil and gas law, public land law, international environmental law, and wildlife law. Further, while many law schools have one or two full-time environmental law professors and a handful of adjuncts, DU's environmental law programs boasts ten core faculty members, five of whom hold endowed professorships. This provides our students with opportunities to work closely with a number of full-time environmental law faculty members throughout their time in law school.

Just as significant, we pride ourselves on providing students with opportunities for hands-on experience in the practice of environmental and natural resources law. The wonderfully supportive Denver environmental and natural resources bar, our Legal Externship Program and Environmental Law Clinic provide unparalleled opportunities for learning what environmental and natural resources attorneys actually do every day and helping students decide what they want to do with their careers.

Come and join us. We are confident you will benefit from our program.