Environmental Law Attorney Responsibilities

The environmental law attorney fights against environment related concerns such as preservation of land as well as wildlife, availability of clean water, global warming and pollution. Usually, these lawyers team up with other lawyers to maintain federal statues and provide unbiased and equal representation of organizations as well as individuals in regards to the preservation of the environmental health. Environmental law attorney responsibilities focus on defending the environment against certain practices, companies and individuals that can cause hazard to the environment.

They are the legitimate personnel who take care of the legal settlement among two parties - the one causing potential hazard to the environment and the one who is fighting for the conservation of the environment. They study the case, interview witness before preparing case and hearings, etc. These legal personnel works as advisors, researchers and negotiators in order to reach the settlement agreements by following the environmental law. These professionals are associated with state and federal government agencies and perform as a team member or individual to preserve the environment from various factors that cause hazards. They are the active participants who defend the environment and hence their responsibility and duty is to take any legal action to arrest the potential hazardous factors and protect the earth.

What are Job Responsibilities of an Environmental Law Attorney?

Job responsibilities of an environmental lawyer involve a variety of tasks:

• Draft legal documents and prepare environmental regulations, permits and litigations
• Handle cases relating solid waste, hazardous substances and potential pollutants
• Counsel in environmental concerns relating energy and transportation
• Support and assist clients in resolving matter of environmental law
• Provide assistance in transactional, resource recovery matters, land and air pollution concerns
• Develop a client base following their legal authorities
• Team up and assist other law attorneys in issues concerned with environment
• Resolve all sort of environmental concerns by using best of their law studies

Job Description of an Environmental Attorney

• Environmental attorney should be concerned and vigilant about the environmental issues. They need to possess the ability and profound knowledge on litigation over environmental issues such as air pollution, water contamination oil spills and nuclear chemical emissions.
• They work as advisors and active participants who support to preserve the environment. They assist companies, individuals and agencies to comply with the federal, state and legal regulations associated with the environmental law. Such regulations and ordinances cover clean air practices, solid waste, water pollution and hazardous waste.
• They must have knowledge of state, federal regulations, statutes, constitution and ordinances to understand law and implement it thoroughly in their work. According to these statues and policies, they need to plan and prepare the case, apply legal policies and draft documents too.
• They carry out research to develop new policies that will work in favor with the reduction of hazardous factors that cause damage to the environment.
• An environmental attorney should be proficient enough to represent a diverse group of clients in crime and litigation related cases concerned with preservation of environment. He/she should have the knowledge of tactics and strategies to collect evidences, formulate the case and interview the clients. In some instances of disputes, they should be able to manage settlements and negotiations.
• These personnel play a vital role in implementing the environmental law and ensure that the organizations and industries are utilizing the required environmental resources without harming the environment as well as under the compliance of environmental issues, laws and procedures.

Required Educational Qualification

Environmental attorney should have a bachelor's degree in law by qualifying the required criteria in their state. A bachelor's degree in political science, social science or English is prerequisite. Candidates holding a Ph.D or Master's degree have greater chances of achieving extra perks.

Candidates with a bachelor's degree of law can get certification of LLM (Master of Law) in environmental studies, environmental litigation, Clean Water Act, compliance and enforcement, dispute resolution methods and land use law. Elective courses in environmental field which cover topics such as conservation of forests, animals, ocean and removal of hazardous wastes and pollutants are also useful. This study program provides a variety of options to select for practice.

Occupational Outlook and Salary

These legal officials work in a law office and often work to associate state and federal government agencies. They need to keep their knowledge updated in order to perform law duties effectively. Environmental lawyers should have strong writing and verbal communication skills, as they have to present reports and arguments in court. As per the estimation of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, these attorneys earn around $60,000 to $80,000 salary per year. Salary may vary as per the size of the firm and location. This profession has more growth due to more organizations, entities and individuals planning to preserve the environment in the upcoming years. Attorneys in this field will experience a vast competition as more students are getting enrolled in law schools.

By considering all the facts and duties, it can be said that the environmental law attorney responsibilities cover all the aspects of environment preservation; they fight for the welfare of the environment.