Environmental & Energy Law

Established at the beginning of the modern environmental law era, the George Washington University Law School's Environmental and Energy Law Program has been at the forefront of education in the field since 1970. Over the past decade, the program has been expanded to increase our focus on the global and social justice dimensions of environmental and energy law , adding new classes, an environmental justice division clinic, the Sustainable Energy Initiative, and the LLM Double-Degree Program in Energy & Climate Law and Energy & Environmental Law with the University of Groningen. Today, the program is expanding significantly to provide the next generation of environmental and energy lawyers with the tools they need to tackle the local, national, and international challenges facing the planet and its inhabitants, including climate change, fisheries depletion, air pollution, water scarcity, and developing new sources of energy.

GW Law is located in the heart of the nation’s capital, where environmental and energy law policy is debated and made. The law school’s location provides students with unique opportunities to learn environmental and energy law from nationally and internationally recognized experts in the field and to work as interns with some of the most influential government and nonprofit environmental organizations in the world.

To learn more about recent developments in our program, read our feature story in the Summer 2025 issue of GW Law Magazine.

Our Newsletter

Academics

Four law students sitting in a lounge working on their laptops.

JD Degree

Prepare for leadership in environmental, energy law practice, and declare your concentration.

Two students sitting on a couch working on their laptops.

LLM Degree

Advance legal expertise in sustainability, energy policy, and environmental justice — with the option to pursue an LLM double-degree.

An environmental and energy law LLM student attending a seminar event.

MSL Degree

Empower professionals with legal tools for environmental and energy leadership.

Students working together on laptops in the library

Joint Degrees

Integrate legal studies with science, policy, business, and innovation disciplines.

Program News

Exterior of the George Washington Law School building

GW Law and IAEA Launch Partnership to Educate Next Generation of Nuclear Law Students

December 10, 2025

GW Law is partnering with IAEA to launch a Summer School on the international legal frameworks for the safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.