A good first step is to familiarize yourself with the types of projects and issues in which environmental lawyers are involved. Use a search engine to find environmental law firms in your home state and town. Visit the Web sites of government agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, that deal with environmental compliance. Read publications about the field. The American Bar Association (ABA) publishes Natural Resources & Environment, a quarterly magazine for environmental law practitioners. Visit https://www.americanbar.org/products/sub/maga/110571 to learn more. Keep notes on the topics, programs, and cases that interest you most.
Talk to environmental lawyers about their careers. Ask them the following questions: "How did you train for the field?" "What do you like most and least about your career?" and "What’s the best way to land a job in the field?"
If you are already in law school, you might consider becoming a student member of the ABA. Student members receive Student Lawyer, a magazine that contains useful information for aspiring lawyers. Sample articles from the magazine can be read at https://www.americanbar.org/groups/law_students/resources/student-lawyer.
Try to land a part-time job in a law firm that specializes in environmental law. This will give you a firsthand look at the career and the rewards and challenges of working as an environmental lawyer.
- Agricultural Scientists
- Air Quality Engineers
- Aquarists
- Arbitrators
- Arborists
- Archaeologists
- Archivists
- Bail Bondsmen
- Bailiffs
- Bankruptcy Lawyers
- Biochemists
- Bioenergy/Biofuels Workers
- Biofuels Processing Technicians
- Biofuels Production Managers
- Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Managers
- Biologists
- Biomass Plant Technicians
- Biomass Power Plant Managers
- Biotechnology Patent Lawyers
- Bodyguards
- Border Patrol Agents
- Botanists
- Bounty Hunters
- Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers
- Chemists
- Chief Sustainability Officers
- Civil Engineers
- Civil Litigation Lawyers
- Climate Scientists
- Corporate Climate Strategists
- Corporate Lawyers
- Court Interpreters and Translators
- Court Reporters
- Criminal Lawyers
- Ecologists
- Elder Law Attorneys
- Energy Conservation Technicians
- Energy Consultants
- Environmental Economists
- Environmental Education Program Directors
- Environmental Engineers
- Environmental Lobbyists
- Environmental Planners
- Environmental Restoration Planners
- Environmental Scientists
- Environmental Technicians
- EPA Special Agents
- Family Lawyers
- Fish and Game Wardens
- Forensic Experts
- Forensic Meteorologists
- Foresters
- Forestry Technicians
- Geological Technicians
- Geologists
- Geophysicists
- Green Builders
- Green Hotel/Resort Ecomanagers
- Green Products Manufacturers
- Green Transportation Careers
- Grounds Managers
- Groundwater Professionals
- Hazardous Waste Management Specialists
- Hazardous Waste Management Technicians
- Hedge Fund Lawyers
- Historians
- Horticultural Inspectors
- Horticultural Technicians
- Hydropower and Marine Energy Industry Workers
- Indoor Environmental Health Specialists
- Industrial Ecologists
- Intellectual Property Lawyers
- Judges
- Land Acquisition Professionals
- Land Trust or Preserve Managers
- Landscape Architects
- Landscapers
- Law Librarians
- Lawyers
- Legal Nurse Consultants
- Legal Operations Specialists
- Legal Secretaries
- Litigation Support/eDiscovery Analysts
- Marine Biologists
- Mergers and Acquisitions Attorneys
- Methane/Landfill Gas Collection System Operators
- Methane/Landfill Gas Generation System Technicians
- Microbiologists
- Molecular and Cellular Biologists
- Museum Directors and Curators
- Mutual Fund Lawyers
- National Park Service Employees
- Naturalists
- Occupational Safety and Health Workers
- Oceanographers
- Paralegals
- Park Rangers
- Patent Agents
- Patent Lawyers
- Polygraph Examiners
- Process Servers
- Public Interest Lawyers
- Range Managers
- Real Estate Lawyers
- Recreation Workers
- Recycling and Reclamation Workers
- Recycling Coordinators
- Renewable Energy Careers
- Renewable Energy Engineers
- Rewilders
- Soil Conservationists and Technicians
- Soil Scientists
- Space Lawyers
- Tax Attorneys
- Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators and Technicians
- Water/Wastewater Engineers
- Wildland Firefighters
- Zoo and Aquarium Curators and Directors
- Zoologists
