Careers A background in environmental law offers many different career opportunities. Most IU law graduates will practice environmental law in familiar ways, such as advising clients, negotiating agreements, and defending and prosecuting administrative and judicial actions. These lawyers may practice in law firms, on their own, or in the legal departments of governments, corporations, or organizations. An increasing number of our graduates do not practice law in these familiar ways. Others are consultants who are hired for their scientific or technical expertise in addition to their legal knowledge, or advocates who actively encourage legislatures or agencies to approach environmental issues in a particular way.
Environmental mediation is yet another area in which a legal background is immensely important.
The substance of these lawyers' work spans the range of environmental concerns, from global warming, to endangered species, to pollution control, to the cleanup of hazardous waste. Bloomington is known for the accessibility of its faculty. The two faculty members with primary responsibility for the environmental law programs, Professors John Applegate and Robert Fischman, are nationally renowned for and active participants in complementary areas of environmental law. Several other faculty bring their considerable abilities and prestige to bear on issues such as property rights, international public health protection, and government regulation, which play important roles in environmental law. Adjunct faculty contribute insights from their daily engagement with practical aspects of environmental law.