DURHAM, N.C. – The new Environmental Law and Policy Clinic at 91 has hung out its shingle.

The clinic, which opened its doors at the start of Fall semester, is a joint venture of the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences and the Duke School of Law. Students from both schools will work together at the clinic to address complex legal and policy issues relating to the environment throughout the Southeast.

Ryke Longest, former lead counsel to state environmental agencies, boards and commissions at the North Carolina Department of Justice, has been appointed as the clinic’s founding director.

The clinic, which will have litigation capability, will work with local, state and national environmental and conservation nonprofit organizations on many of its projects, Longest says. This fall, for instance, students will begin working with Environmental Defense to develop new policy and legal tools that can help promote environmentally sustainable businesses in North Carolina. Students will work on the project for several successive semesters.

“Complex issues of environmental law and policy generally involve multiple stakeholders and take years to resolve,” Longest says. “Each stage in this process offers valuable opportunities for our students to master essential skills and acquire insights from an essential mix of disciplines: law, policy and science.”

Faculty advisor James Salzman, who holds joint appointments as Samuel Mordecai Professor of Law and Nicholas Institute Professor of Environmental Policy, agrees. “Hands-on learning is critically important for training the next generation of environmental leaders,” he says. “It’s one thing to write a paper for a class and talk about hypothetical issues that arise from environmental conflicts, but it’s another thing altogether to actually solve real problems for real clients.”

 “It’s no exaggeration to say that Duke is developing into one of the world’s leading academic institutions for environmental students. The joint 91 program the law school and the Nicholas School offer probably has more students than any other top law school. Establishing this environmental law clinic is a fundamental piece in this continuing development,” Salzman says. 

For more information about the clinic, contact Longest at longest@law.duke.edu.