Teaching and Learning Climate and Environmental Justice in Law Schools: Global Perspectives on Transforming the Curriculum

by Richard Grimes (Editor), Stephen Levett (Editor), Rebecca Samaras (Editor), Rebecca Williams (Editor)

Overview

Arguing for the critical importance of the topic within law school curricula (whether for academic credit purposes or not), this novel and exceptionally timely book explores a fundamental question: should law schools teach about climate and environmental justice?

Despite the urgency of climate and environmental protection issues, many law schools present the topic as optional to students, or don’t engage at all. Arguing for the inclusion of climate and environmental justice at the earliest possible opportunity, the book presents study models in a variety of contexts and jurisdictions to support research into curriculum development and design. Case study examples of planned climate and environmental justice research and offerings at a national and international levels are presented to support those wanting to include and/or expand provision. The book in particular documents the concerns and initiatives of indigenous peoples, demonstrating how partnerships between law schools and others remains integral to establishing sustainable learning initiatives.

Ultimately promoting and supporting the study of climate and environmental justice in a legal and applied context, this book will be of interest to scholars, researchers and academics involved with sustainability education, training and leadership, legal education, and curriculum design. Clinical legal educators may also find the volume of interest.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032820477
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	09/23/2025
Series:	Legal Pedagogy
Pages:	294
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Richard Grimes is Professor of Legal Education, New Vision University, Georgia; Visiting Professor, Charles University Czechia; Honorary Professor University of Dundee, Scotland; and an independent legal education and access to justice consultant.

Stephen Levett is Professor and Director of the Sustainability Clinic, York Law School, University of York, UK.

Rebecca Samaras is Senior Lecturer in Law and Director of Clinical Legal Education, Solicitor and Notary Public, School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Law, University of Dundee, Scotland.

Rebecca Williams is Lecturer in Environmental Law, School of Law, University of Glasgow, Scotland.

Table of Contents

Preface
Richard Grimes, Stephen Levett, Rebecca Samaras and Rebecca Williams

Part 1 - The case for including climate and environmental justice in the law school portfolio

Chapter 1  Climate change and the Environment: the educational imperative
Richard Grimes

Chapter 2   Locating the Learning and Teaching of Climate and Environmental Justice in the Law School Portfolio: ‘best practice’ and logistics
Rebecca Samaras

Chapter 3   Climate Lawyering and Legal Education: decolonizing the experience
Ashley Nemeth and Arpitha Kodiveri

Chapter 4   Addressing Dimensions of Environmental Justice through experiential learning
Rebecca Williams

Part 2 - Models for addressing climate and environmental justice within and extra to the curriculum

Chapter 5   Legal Ethics, Law Schools and the Climate Emergency
Camila Bustos

Chapter 6   Developing Environmental Agents of Change Within the Core Legal Curriculum
Sean Whittaker and Andrea Ross

Chapter 7  Climate Change, the Environment and Legal Education: creation of knowledge through transformative experience
Stephen Levett

Part 3 - Working in partnership – the establishing and maintaining sustainable and effective relationship between law schools, NGOs and the wider community

Chapter 8   Establishing Environmental Legal and Policy Clinics in partnership with Universities
Tom Brenan

Chapter 9   The Heart of Partnerships: working with environmental and climate justice stakeholders
Douglas Ruley and Abigail Fleming

Part 4 - Lawyers as activists – practitioners, academics and students

Chapter 10   A Student Perspective on Environmental Education at Law School
Harrison Singh

Chapter 11    Ethos Warriors: developing law students’ leadership skills to create a more sustainable planet
Richard Owen

Part 5 - Case studies from around the world

Chapter 12   Making Sense of the Climate Crisis: reflections on the role of legal education for future lawyering through a Climate Change & Sustainability Law Clinic
David Rossati and Clemens Kaupa

Chapter 13   Legal Education at the Frontier of the Ecological Transition: a case study from Turin
Christina Mosalagae and Ulrich Stege

Chapter 14    Pursuing Environmental Justice through North-South Collaborations: a Transnational Human Rights and Environmental Law Clinic
Sue Willman

Chapter 15    The Power of Climate Justice ‘Movement Lawyering’ in legal education
Hubert Algie, Isobel Graham and Parker Vize

Chapter 16   Integrating Climate Change Education in an English Law School
Kim Bouwer

Chapter 17   Building a multi-modal effort on climate and environmental justice: the journey so far
Michael Robinson-Dorn

Conclusion
Richard Grimes, Stephen Levett, Rebecca Samaras and Rebecca Williams