Law school is a good but expensive choice for anyone interested in environmental policy.  A JD is generally a sufficient credential for a career in the public policy world.  It is also usually enough for teaching at a law school, although generally teaching jobs also require some legal work experience.

In choosing a law school, you should be most concerned with the overall quality of the school.  Virtually all law schools can provide a good introduction to environmental law—and an introduction is all you can expect in law school, since most of the curriculum will be aimed at teaching you the general structure of the law.  Opportunities to specialize are limited.

If you’re choosing among top-ranked law schools, Duke, Berkeley, and Michigan have strong reputations in environmental law.  Among the lower-ranked schools, Tulane, Vermont, and Lewis & Clark have very good reputations in this area.

If you’re thinking about law school, you should contact the Career Center and talk to the pre-law advisor.