Program Description

The Clinic is composed of two parts. First, the clinic commences with an intensive three-week intensive course taught by Professor Grosso, and consisting of substantive classes, nuts and bolts skills training and in-depth instruction on the basic scientific, technical, social, political and other real - world aspects of this area of practice. The course frequently features prominent guest lecturers from government, the private and non-profit sectors, as well as attendance of major conferences such as the Annual Update of the Environmental and Land Use Law Section of the Florida Bar www.eluls.org each Fall, and the Everglades Coalition Conference www.evergladescoalition.org each Winter semester. During the fall and spring semester, the intensive course continues for the first three weeks of the semester. During the summer semester, the intensive course is one week. At the close of the intensive course, there is a comprehensive exam.

The second component of the clinical semester is the intern/externship program. Students may choose to intern “in house” for the ELC or perform an outside placement in a law firm, government agency or public interest organization anywhere in the Country. In particular, the south Florida region is home to several government agencies and private law firms which play prominent roles in major environmental and land use issues. With what is consistently one of the nation's fastest population growth rates and critical set of growth pressures and conflicts, some of the nation's leading state land use and environmental laws, and major initiatives like the federal – state Everglades Restoration project www.sfrestore.org, Florida offers opportunities for law students to gain practical experience in a state long – considered a hotbed of cutting – edge environmental legal issues. Past outside placements have included prominent law firms, government agencies, and non-governmental advocacy organizations in Florida and across the country. Click here to see a partial list of potential externship placements.

The environmental and land use clinic experience immerses students into real world situations and the day to day tasks that environmental and land use lawyers are called upon to perform, under the supervision of lawyers who are leaders in the field. Within the general environmental and land use framework, there are many other areas of law that make up this specialty, such as: local government, urban renewal and revitalization, affordable housing, environmental restoration, local government, state government, legislation, public policy, eminent domain, real estate, construction law, environmental protection, and other areas. Whatever sub-area and office the student chooses to work in, they come away with a clear understanding of the day to day realities of an exciting, increasingly important area of practice. During the placement, students work on tasks such as drafting legal memoranda for clients and courts, drafting and responding to legal pleadings and discovery, developing legal strategies, preparing presentations to government agencies, communicating with clients, opposing counsel, agency and court personnel, assisting in the drafting of discovery requests, preparing expert and other witnesses for presentations and testimony, meeting with agency staff, drafting and making public comment on major public policy or permitting decisions, and many other tasks. The placement is graded pass/fail.

The overwhelming reaction of our clinical students to the completion of their clinical semester has been that they are now fully committed to practicing land use or environmental law. Many of our former students are now prominent leaders in this increasingly important and high – profile field of practice.