Is environmental law a realistic goal for me? Forum

[cranburial]

I will likely be going to H, or S if I manage to get in. I want to practice in the Bay Area.

I have a BS in ecology, although I don't know how much that matters to employers, if at all.

I wouldn't mind working for a big firm/corporation, as long as the work itself is interesting and intellectually challenging.

I would want to do a clerkship after law school, and I'm vaguely interested in academia.

With these factors, is working in environmental law attainable straight out of law school/a clerkship? Are any specific areas going to be in high demand in a few years? I'm also interested in IP law, but I understand that it's very unlikely without a bachelor's in CS or a Ph.D in bio/chem/physics.

[totesTheGoat]

I have a BS in ecology, although I don't know how much that matters to employers, if at all.

For enviro, it may be seen as an asset... I wouldn't count on it making or breaking your resume.

I wouldn't mind working for a big firm/corporation, as long as the work itself is interesting and intellectually challenging.

1) Be prepared for a lot of not interesting and not intellectually challenging work, but it's by no means 100% boring work.
2) Make sure that you're okay with being on the corporate side of enviro law before you commit to it.

is working in environmental law attainable straight out of law school/a clerkship?

Yes, from H and S. However, enviro is a small practice, so you need to be aware that you're going to have to work hard to find a job.

Are any specific areas going to be in high demand in a few years?

It's not in the Bay Area, but fracking is an area of contention. Once the oil & gas industry recovers, there's going to be a ton of legal work surrounding fracking and in oil & gas as a whole.

I'm also interested in IP law, but I understand that it's very unlikely without a bachelor's in CS or a Ph.D in bio/chem/physics.

You could do IP litigation, but that's just as hard to break into as any other lit practice, and you would be at a disadvantage to patent bar eligible applicants for the same jobs. IP prosecution is off the table with a BS in Ecology. There is also "soft" IP (trademarks, copyright, trade secrets), but that's as niche as enviro law.