Annual Report | December 2024

In 2024, UC Irvine Law’s Environmental Law Program achieved many milestones. Dozens of articles, book chapters, op-eds, and presentations. Newly published books. Millions of dollars in new funding. Partnerships with and representation of community organizations, regional networks, statewide coalitions, national non-profit organizations, Tribes, and government agencies. Rich course offerings that include Environmental Law, International Environmental Law, Land Use and Development Control Law, Ocean and Coastal Law, Environmental Law Practicum, Advanced Environmental Law Clinic, Climate Justice, Tribal Nations and the Law, Toward Abolition Democracy, Energy Transition in California, Complex Negotiation, and Multi-Party Dispute Resolution, among others. Advocacy before federal and state legislatures, agencies, and courts. And, as we outline, a focus on state and local climate action, conservation, and environmental justice and community protection in the year ahead, with new clients, research teams, and policy design workshops planned on issues such as groundwater management in the Borrego Valley, air and water quality impacts of the receding Salton Sea, goods movement in the Bay Area, legislative strategies for occupational health and safety in the Central Valley, and climate action planning. We are proud to work at one of the premier research universities in the United States, a Minority-Serving Institution, a national leader and global model of inclusive excellence, and a public university with a long tradition of outreach to and collaboration with underserved communities.

Center for Land, Environment, and Natural Resources

The Center for Land, Environment, and Natural Resources (CLEANR) at UC Irvine Law built on the incredible momentum that it achieved in 2023. Gregg Macey, Director of CLEANR, works with Faculty Director Alejandro Camacho and the Faculty Advisory Committee to promote innovative research and catalyze policy action in environmental and land use law. In 2024, Dr. Macey has spearheaded development of research programs buoyed by the acquisition of over $7 million in research funds. Each new initiative is driven by the following principles: (1) develop multi-year partnerships with community leaders and organizations; (2) address community-identified, policy-relevant research gaps; (3) celebrate and center community science and decades of attempts by individuals, organizations, and coalitions to address environmental, public health, or infrastructure disparities; (4) include community leaders and organizations as Co-PIs; and (5) share new resources evenly to directly fund community organization staff and capacity-building. In Summer 2024, Dr. Macey worked with research teams to apply for millions of dollars in additional funding to address issues such as civil rights compliance, sustainable agriculture, climate action planning, and sustainable groundwater management. Detailed descriptions of CLEANR’s research programs can be found on its website. 

Three core research programs are fully staffed and producing results: Integrated and Equitable Climate Action (IECA), the Wildland-Urban Interface Climate Action Network (WUICAN), and the Community Environmental Research Accelerator (CERA). For WUICAN, Dr. Macey worked with a consortium of community organizations, Tribes, land managers, and researchers to address the climate crisis. New research and policy design efforts are underway with community organizations and Tribal leaders with a focus on groundwater management in the Borrego Valley, climate hazards and air quality in Santa Ana, and support for the state’s Agricultural Land Equity Program. CERA, a program that Dr. Macey developed last year, is an innovative partnership with the Newkirk Center for Science and Society. CERA strengthened its partnership with Environmental Working Group with three research projects underway. Next year, CERA will broaden its reach and co-develop research with regional environmental justice organizations such as the Center on Race, Poverty, and the Environment, Central California Environmental Justice Network, and Central Valley Air Quality Coalition.

For IECA, Dr. Macey (Co-PI) guides a team that includes Professor Camacho (PI), environmental justice leaders (Co-PIs), postdoctoral scholars, and law students. In 2024, CLEANR welcomed Blaire Bernstein as a Postdoctoral Scholar of Climate Action Research and Policy Development, who is dedicated to building out the IECA. This past year, Dr. Macey, Ms. Bernstein, and the rest of the IECA team investigated climate change and land use planning documents throughout Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley and examined state-level climate laws and policies. Through over 50 interviews, Dr. Macey and Ms. Bernstein evaluated how jurisdictions address environmental justice, plan for disadvantaged and unincorporated communities, and consider the disparate impacts of their policies and laws. In Spring 2025, IECA will (1) make public the most comprehensive inventory of local climate action and environmental justice planning, including geospatial analysis that improves upon CalEnviroScreen 4.0 and incorporates 70 metrics applied to climate action plans in hundreds of jurisdictions in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley; (2) make public a legal tools inventory that analyzes every climate and environmental justice law, regulation, policy, guidance, and incentive in the State of California with potential applications to local climate action planning; (3) work with 10 jurisdictions to provide free consultation and drafting to support updates to environmental justice elements of general plans and climate action plans; (4) make public dozens of policy briefs as well as reports based on the above research; and (5) share findings with members of the California State Legislature and their staff.

The Pesticide Reform and Farmworker Health program, a partnership with a statewide coalition of over 200 organizations led by Californians for Pesticide Reform (CPR), continues its invaluable work on pesticide use and occupational practices. In February 2024, CLEANR and CPR prepared an advisory opinion that outlined findings and implications. They shared findings with coalition members at a press conference in Watsonville, California. They wrote letters to the California Attorney General and leaders of state agencies to center findings within broader environmental justice policy trends. Together, they published a peer-reviewed article with community leaders serving as co-authors. Community testimony pointed to strong evidence of discrimination by state operations as well as state-funded operations. The civil rights violations are ongoing and severe. In Spring 2025, CLEANR will host a workshop in the Central Valley to evaluate potential legislative strategies and file a Title VI complaint with EPA under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The Air Quality, Goods Movement, and Just Transition program completed a research partnership to consider the expansion of warehouse and distribution centers as an environmental justice issue. Dr. Macey worked with a logistics expert at the University of Southern California to (1) determine environmental justice state policy pathologies in California; (2) assess the legality of indirect source review (ISR) programs under the Clean Air Act; (3) compare regional ISR programs in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley; (4) propose elements of a robust ISR program that can be adopted by air districts in other regions; and (5) analyze public health burdens and costs of warehouse expansion. Next year, CLEANR will share its findings at a conference in Oakland with air district and California Air Resources Board staff as well as the public.

The Transportation and Infrastructure Equity program completed its first partnership with engineering faculty from across the country, publishing a framework for equitable infrastructure and applying for NSF funding to develop new research centers: A Science and Technology Center for Resilience Against Compound Hazards and an Engineering Research Center to focus on harnessing artificial intelligence as an enabler of adaptive, sustainable, and equitable solutions to climate stressors that impact critical infrastructure. Dr. Macey and colleagues also completed research on the Community Air Protection Program, through which community emissions reduction plans are created and deployed as directed by Assembly Bill 617. Findings are forthcoming in a book chapter, article, and Institute of Transportation Studies report.

Finally, in 2024 CLEANR’s Ecology and Climate Policy program, continuing its decade-long collaboration with Defenders of Wildlife, has been engaging in research focused on “Best Practices for Affirmative Conservation Programs under the Endangered Species Act.". Dr. Macey and Defenders of Wildlife attorneys interviewed federal officials to understand the barriers to effective use of ESA Section 7(a)(1) authority, including what the provision calls for with regards to endangered and threatened species; the development, adoption, and implementation of conservation plans; strategies and incentives for planning and implementation; and challenges and opportunities presented by climate change. Dr. Macey and Professor Camacho hosted a workshop of experts from federal agencies and nonprofit organizations on what such conservation programs could look like at land management and action agencies. Research findings will be published in 2025.

Environmental Law Clinic

Second- and third-year law students in UC Irvine Law’s highly-regarded Environmental Law Clinic continued to work alongside and represent local, regional, and national non-profit organizations advocating to enhance and protect the environment and community health on a wide range of matters in California and beyond. Recent clinic work has included litigation and counseling on matters involving forest health, species and public trust resource protection, energy ratemaking, consumer protection, greenwashing, and community health and welfare.

Publications and Presentations

Alejandro Camacho

Chancellor’s Professor of Law and CLEANR Faculty Director

In 2024, Alejandro Camacho published: (1) Adapting Conservation Governance under Climate Change: Lessons from Tribal Country in the Virginia Law Review (with Elizabeth Kronk Warner, Jason McLachlan, and Nathan Kroeze); (2) The Case for Addressing Ecological Risk from Emerging Biotechnologies and an Agenda for Future Reforms in the Ohio State Law Journal (with David Dana); (3) Inefficient and Reckless: The Danger of DOGE in The Hill (Dec. 3, 2024) (with Robert L Glicksman and James Goodwin); and (4) Governance Limitations of the Coordinated Framework’s Regulation of EMERs in Caltech Center for Science, Society, and Public Policy, Policy Recommendations for the Regulation of Engineered Microbes for Environmental Release (2024).

Professor Camacho is currently working on writing projects on (1) the history of U.S. environmental law, (2) the law and ethics of cross-ocean coral transplantation, (3) the environmental release of engineered microbes, (4) a climatic threat framework linking biodiversity’s vulnerability to administrative responsibility, and (5) conservation programs under the Endangered Species Act Section 7(a)(1). He is a principal or co-investigator on six other ongoing funded research projects. Professor Camacho co-authored a legal analysis of Senate Bill 4753: The Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024, and served with others as amicus curiae in an environmental law case before the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. He continues to serve on the Board of Directors of the Center for Progressive Reform and on the Editorial Board of Frontiers in Climate, Climate Law & Policy. Professor Camacho also spoke at conferences and workshops at Caltech, Harvard, Ohio State, and the University of Pennsylvania.

The year ahead: “Despite the changes at the federal level, in my roles as a scholar and CLEANR's faculty director, I hope to join with other conservation advocates to promote innovative solutions to environmental problems at local, state, federal, and international scales. In my advocacy role, I expect to collaborate with Congressional leaders and staff to resist legislative and administrative attacks on conservation and public health while helping advance initiatives that promote a rapid and equitable clean energy transition. As a professor, it is as vital as ever to train the next generation of environmental lawyers. Not only will students need to understand the complex network of laws, processes, tools, and institutions that serve to protect the environment, but also the importance of the legal profession as a bulwark against environmental degradation and injustice.” 

Joseph DiMento

Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus

In 2024, Joseph DiMento drafted an article, Arctic Law: Even More Sustainable Roles of the U.S. and E.U. (with Jessica Pierucci) that will appear in the University of Missouri-Kansas City Law Review’s symposium issue in May. His recent book, Polar Shift: The Arctic Sustained (2023), was translated into Russian and published by Academic Studies Press (2024). Professor DiMento attended the American Society of International Law meetings in Geneva, which lent further perspective on the international law of military intervention and its devastating environmental impacts. He gave a lecture on the use of force in international public law for Dem Pac OC, including how it implicates concerns for environmental degradation and ecocide. He also published columns in Rivista Giuridica dell’Ambiente, including The United States and Climate Change Law After the Election of Donald Trump, which summarized his continued efforts to have environmental law practitioners maintain their commitments regardless of the political context. He wrote, in part, “…[N]ations, subnational governments, and the private sector can continue their climate change mitigation and adaptation actions without looking to blessings in Dubai or Baku with its tens of thousands of countervailing positions or to Pennsylvania Avenue with its short-timer new leaders.”

The year ahead: In 2025, Professor DiMento will continue work on an article, U.S. Transportation Policy in the 21st Century. The focus is on the effects of law and policy changes, including but not limited to equity and urban freeways. He was pleased with the wonderful performance of students in both his Land Use and Development Control Law and International Environmental Law courses. He looks forward to teaching these courses again in Spring 2025, where he will consider recent domestic and geopolitical changes of great significance. He also recently added a strong environmental focus to a general public law course that is now an option for first-year law students.

Gregg Macey

Director, Center for Land, Environment, and Natural Resources

In 2024, Gregg Macey, CLEANR Director, published (1) Macey et al., Civil Rights in Central California: Slow Violence and the State, 66 Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development 6-24 (2024); (2) Givannettone, Macey, Vehedifard et al., Equitable Infrastructure: Achieving Resilient Systems and Restorative Justice through Policy and Research Innovation, 3 PNAS Nexus 1 (2024); (3) Houston, Macey, Garoupa et al., Near-Roadway Pollution in South Central Fresno, California: Can State-Led, Place-Based Community Engagement Advance Environmental Justice?, in Equity in the Urban Built Environment (2024) (in press); (4) Advisory Opinion, People’s Tribunal on Pesticide Use and Civil Rights in California (Feb. 15, 2024) (lead author) (media coverage: Inside Climate News, KPFA Flashpoints, Californians for Pesticide Reform, Lookout Santa Cruz, The Pajaronian, KION 46 News); (5) Letter to California Attorney General and Secretary for Environmental Protection, CalEPA re: Follow-up New Evidence of Civil Rights Violations in the State of California (Oct. 17, 2024); (6) Letter to Ashley Werner, Deputy Attorney General and Robert Bonta, Attorney General, California Department of Justice re: New Evidence of Civil Rights Violations in the State of California (Feb. 29, 2024); (7) Macey & Dexter, Goods Movement and Environmental Justice Policy Pathologies (under review); (8) Houston, Macey, Garoupa et al., Community Strategies to Transform Roadways in California’s San Joaquin Valley (in press); and (9) New Approaches to Public Data Make the Invisible Visible: The Environmental Injustice of Pesticide Use in California (Environmental Working Group, 2024). 

In 2024, Dr. Macey presented before the American Society of Civil Engineers, Ecological Society of America, Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, and University of California Office of the President’s Statewide Climate Action Initiative Convening. He also organized and presented before events such as a press conference in Watsonville, California; a Climate Action Science and Policy Forum for the Humanities Research Institute at UC Irvine, a book talk on Nadia Kim, Refusing Death: Immigrant Women and the Fight for Environmental Justice in Los Angeles (2024) (with Professor Stephen Lee) at UC Irvine Law, a workshop on “Research, Data, and Recognition: Centering Decades of Community Research in Climate Action Grants” for the University of California’s Office of the President, and “Best Practices for Affirmative Conservation Programs under the Endangered Species Act,” a policy design workshop at UC Irvine Law.

The year ahead: “It is a privilege to work with some of my heroes in the environmental justice movement and to continue to grow the environmental law center. In 2025, we will storm out of the gate to advance environmental policy and community protection in the world’s fourth largest economy. I am most excited to work with longstanding and new partners on issues of vital importance to the region UC Irvine calls home – Southern California – and to continue our commitment to the San Joaquin Valley, where dramatic land use and sustainability experiments and policy changes happen first. In 2025, we will carry out research and convene policy design workshops on issues such as groundwater management in the Borrego Valley, air and water quality impacts of the receding Salton Sea, goods movement in the Bay Area, legislative strategies for occupational health and safety in the Central Valley, and climate action planning state-wide. We will continue to conduct undone science, build capacity with frontline communities, engage in thoughtful and collaborative policy design, and serve as UC Irvine’s environmental law center. We will file a Title VI complaint on behalf of a statewide coalition, partner with national efforts to influence policy (for example, we will convene a meeting among U.S. environmental law centers in January), and develop durable new institutions. For the latter, in 2024, I worked with two research teams to apply for NSF center grants that focus on resilient infrastructure in the face of climate hazards.”

Nicholas Marantz

Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Public Policy 

In 2024, Nicholas Marantz published: (1) ‘Missing’ No More: Planners Should Harness Private Developers to Build Middle Housing” in the Journal of the American Planning Association (with Jake Wegmann); (2) Evaluating the Potential for Housing Development in Transportation-Efficient and Healthy, High-Opportunity Areas in California, published by the California Air Resources Board (with Huixin Zheng, Jae Hong Kim, Doug Houston, Moira O’Neill, Eric Biber, Youjin B. Kim, and Idil Tanrisever); (3) Just Look at the Map: Bounding Environmental Review of Housing Development in California in Environmental Law (with Eric Biber, Christopher Elmendorf, and Moira O’Neill); (4) Dissolving Districts: Did Property Values Fall When California Terminated Its Redevelopment Agencies? in Economic Development Quarterly (with Huixin Zheng, Jae Hong Kim, and John Hipp); and (5) Harnessing Federal Programs To Improve Local Housing Permit Data for the Federation of American Scientists’ Day One Project. He served as an advisor for state officials in California and Connecticut concerning housing policy and provided invited testimony to the California State Assembly’s Select Committee on Permitting.

The year ahead: “My research centers the roles of state and local governments in addressing the challenges of housing affordability and environmental sustainability. State and local action is likely to become even more important in the coming months and years, in the face of countervailing pressures at the federal level. To tackle climate change and housing unaffordability, California must advance green infrastructure and expand its housing supply. My research and students are driving solutions that promote social equity and enhance environmental quality, mobilizing the university's resources to meet these pressing challenges. Through interdisciplinary research, partnerships with community organizations, and engagement with policymakers, UC Irvine's environmental law program equips students and members of the public with the tools to address real-world challenges at the intersection of environmental protection and social equity.”

Carrie Menkel-Meadow

Distinguished Professor of Law

In 2024, Carrie Menkel-Meadow published two books: International Conflict Resolution Processes (Carolina Press, 2025), which treats environmental and climate change as “wicked problems” to be dealt with through a variety of legal, diplomatic, and other processes; and Dispute Resolution: Beyond the Adversarial Model (4th edition, with others), which considers negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and many forms of hybridized processes for legal problem solving, including an extensive Teacher’s Manual with complex multi-party (e.g. environmental and land use, among others) simulations and problems. Professor Menkel-Meadow also published several book chapters: (1) “Multistakeholder Mediation,” in Springer Handbook on Public Participation in Environmental Governance (edited by Ortwin Renn, Pia-Johanna Schweitzer, Thomas Webler and Peter Weideman) (with commentary on use of the term “stakeholder” in complex multiparty decision making); (2) “Dispute Resolution as Civil Justice: The Evolution of Process Pluralism,” in Elgar Handbook on Civil Justice (edited by Anne Bloom, David Engel and Richard Jolly); (3) “Henry Kissinger as Master Negotiator,” in Great Negotiators (edited volume); (4) “A Systematic Approach to Dispute System Design,” in Discussions in Dispute Resolution II (edited by Sarah Cole, Art Hinshaw, and Andrea Schneider, Oxford University Press); (5) “Negotiation, Mediation, and ADR,” in Elgar Encyclopedia of the Sociology of Law; (6) “Women’s Lawyering Processes,” in Elgar Encyclopedia of Gender, Sexuality and the Law; and (7) “Conflict Resolution,” in Elgar Encyclopedia of Law and Peace.

In 2024, Professor Menkel-Meadow gave a variety of talks and seminars in the U.S. and abroad, including (1) “Wicked Problems in International Law – Stolen Art, Climate Change, and Hybrid Warfare” at the UC Irvine Center for Global Peace and Conflict Resolution Studies; (2) the Bruce Hafen Endowed Lecture, “Why There are Never Only Two Parties to a Dispute” at Brigham Young University; (3) “The Global History and Future of Mediation” at Cardozo Law School; and (4) “Wicked Problems in International Dispute Resolution” at the University of California San Francisco Law School’s Conflict Resolution and Negotiation Program.

The year ahead: In 2025, Professor Menkel-Meadow looks forward to teaching Complex Negotiation and Multi-Party Dispute Resolution (which make considerable use of complex environmental problem-solving simulations) at UC Irvine Law. She will participate in the launch of International Conflict Resolution Processes at the UC Irvine Center for Global Peace and Conflict Resolution Studies in February 2025. She is currently writing a book, Elgar Advanced Introduction to Dispute Resolution (forthcoming).

Michael Robinson-Dorn

Clinical Professor of Law

Michael Robinson-Dorn, who directs the Environmental Law Clinic and serves as Co-Associate Dean for Experiential Education, is continuing collaborations with colleagues in the U.S., Canada, and the UK on research and scholarship focusing on manifestations of geography, and of climate, on pedagogy. Earlier in 2024, Professor Robinson-Dorn spoke at conferences in the U.S. and abroad about climate justice pedagogy, and on the benefits of strengthening networks of environmental law clinics and of those clinics with NGOs around the world. 

The year ahead: “It is an important and exciting time to be part of UC Irvine Law. Law student interest and activism in climate and environmental matters has never been higher. With the support of partners across campus and in the community, we very much look forward to working alongside our clients and in community with other clinics in 2025 to advance justice. There is, quite obviously, much at stake.”

Heather Tanana

Visiting Professor of Law

In 2024, Heather Tanana continued her scholarly focus on advancing tribal water rights, environmental justice, and indigenous perspectives. Her recent publications include a book chapter titled “The Intersection of the Law and Health: Water (In)security in Indian Country,” in COVID-19 in Indian Country; Interdependency of Water and Energy, 61 Found. Nat. Res. & Energy L. 113, and Indigenous Science and Climate Responses, 49 Human Rights 3. She also co-authored Arizona v. Navajo Nation: The Fight for a Permanent Homeland, 85 Ohio St. L.J. __ (with Derrick Beetso), and Indigenous Efforts to Advance the Human Right to a Healthy Environment, 41 Pace Envtl. L. Rev. 221 (with Beth Parker).

Professor Tanana was appointed as a co-author on the southwest chapter for the Sixth National Climate Assessment Report and continues to lead the Initiative on Universal Access to Clean Water for Tribal Communities, which published a Tribal Handbook on IIJA and IRA Funding. Her expertise has been sought at numerous academic and professional venues, including the University of Wisconsin's Native American Center for Health Professions' Distinguished Lecture Series as well as law school symposia at UCLA, Villanova, Vermont Law, and Ohio State. She also participated in international dialogue at the British Academy and University of Melbourne on incorporating Traditional Knowledge into Colorado River management. Tanana maintains leadership roles in several organizations, sitting on the board of Western Resource Advocates and serving as Chair of the AALS Section on Indian Nations & Indigenous Peoples.

The year ahead: “As we face increasingly complex environmental and social justice challenges, I'm energized by the opportunity to connect UC Irvine’s research capacity with communities who need it most. By bridging academic expertise with Indigenous science and on-the-ground community experiences, we can create more effective, equitable solutions for pressing issues such as water security and climate resilience.”

Student Leadership at UC Irvine and Beyond

Andrew Hallak

Andrew Hallak examines the human-environment relationship in the digital era by exploring how transboundary water resources can promote justice-driven cooperation rather than conflict through meaningful participation in decision-making. Inspired by his family’s experiences as Palestinian refugees, Hallak’s dedication is rooted in his work as a former student diplomat in the Middle East and South Caucasus through various University of California initiatives. After two years in UC Irvine’s Urban Planning and Public Policy Ph.D. program, he declared a concurrent J.D./Ph.D. to bridge theoretical environmental governance knowledge with practical legal applications. He chose UC Irvine Law for its strong interdisciplinary emphasis on public interest, environmental justice, and environmental law, coupled with experiential learning opportunities offered through clinical programs, pro bono work, and research centers such as the Center for Land, Environment, and Natural Resources.

Hallak is completing a full-time externship with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva, Switzerland. He focuses on monitoring and promoting digital civic spaces that are increasingly shrinking due to repressive government actions. This position also allows him to support the advocacy efforts of human rights and environmental defenders facing intrusive government surveillance. This builds on Hallak’s work as an advanced student in UC Irvine’s International Justice Clinic, where he traveled to Tanzania and Ghana to participate in coalition building among journalists, legal professionals, and human rights defenders. In Summer 2024, he was a summer associate with Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP’s Los Angeles Real Estate practice group. Previously, he clerked in the Land Use and Conservation Section of the Division of Public Rights at the California Office of the Attorney General and was recognized as a California Lawyers Association Diversity and Inclusion Fellow. At UC Irvine Law, he served as vice chair of the Environmental Law Society, a board member of the Middle Eastern and South Asian Law Student Association, and a UC Irvine Admissions Ambassador.

The year ahead: “During my internship at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, I observed the alarming ways in which governments are constraining the civic space that is essential for advocating for a more just and sustainable environmental future. My commitment to defend environmental rights is deeply inspired by the countless civil society organizations that creatively and courageously advocate for their communities. Now, more than ever, we must forge coalitions to protect civic space and amplify the voices of those fighting for environmental justice, ensuring a resilient and equitable future for all. At UC Irvine Law, students are encouraged to go beyond the black-letter law to understand how the law in practice impacts marginalized communities. From classes like the Environmental Justice Seminar to hands-on training experiences through research assistant positions and internships, UC Irvine Law equips students with the resources and opportunities to pursue their passions while grounding their journeys in a socially informed legal education.”

Ariana Keshishian

Ariana Keshishian is a second-year law student at UC Irvine Law and a “double Anteater,” having earned her B.A. in Sociology from UC Irvine. Her honors thesis examined the integration of a global environmental regime in education systems worldwide throughout history. In the Sustainable Societies program, she researched sustainable urban development in Arizona, retail-level food waste in Denmark, and the environmental consequences of industrialization in Indonesia. She also collaborated with clinical fellows from the Environmental Law Clinic to organize a campus event highlighting the clinic’s work. As an editor for the New University, she covered environmental events in Orange County. After graduating, Keshishian volunteered as a writer and editor at a local ocean conservation nonprofit.

In 2024, Keshishian was selected as a 1L Diversity Intern by the Association of Corporate Counsel. During her in-house internship at Jacuzzi Group, she supported regulatory compliance efforts; contributed to the company’s Environmental, Social, and Governance report; and conducted research on EU environmental regulations. At UC Irvine Law, she was named an Environmental Law Scholar and currently serves as a Legal Research Associate for Professor Alejandro Camacho, researching marine species translocation, energy policy, and environmental history. She is a Pro Bono Student Leader for a program for underserved youth and a Research Fellow for the Lawyering Skills program. She also serves on the UC Irvine Law Review and on the board of an affinity group. Keshishian is enthusiastic about continuing to pursue her passion for environmental research and looks forward to her upcoming role as a summer associate at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP.

Gabrielle Moore

Gabrielle Moore is a second-year law student at UC Irvine Law with a passion for exploring environmental and social justice issues. Prior to law school, she studied Global Environments and Sustainability at the University of Virginia. During her fourth year, she worked as a research assistant for an environmental law professor at UVA School of Law, where she explored the intersectionality of environmental law. Moore is interested in the intersection of environmental law with land use, housing, and civil rights. She is strengthening her understanding of these realms as a student in the Civil Rights Litigation Clinic. She is now a Legal Research Associate for Professor Alejandro Camacho, contributing to projects such as legislation analysis, opposition letters to Congress on proposed bills, and research into the history of environmental law in the United States. Selected as an Environmental Law Scholar, Moore is eager to expand her understanding to contribute to equitable and sustainable solutions for the pressing environmental and social issues we currently face.

The year ahead: “After the election results, I was inspired by writer Rebecca Solnit, who wrote, “The fact that we cannot save everything does not mean we cannot save anything and everything we can save is worth saving.” This inspires me to find hope in the work I am doing – no matter the scale – in 2025. As a law student, I feel especially privileged to have access to the scholarly minds and academic resources that teach, inspire, and encourage meaningful change, and I am excited to continue learning and discovering my role as one small piece of the puzzle. I feel blessed to be in the position that I am in – learning through a legal lens about the extremely pressing issues we face, both environmentally and socially – and doing so in a community that makes me feel as though I have the capacity to do something about them.”

Stanley Shaw

Stanley Shaw is an ardent environmentalist born and raised in Arcadia, California. His concern over climate change dates back to 2004 when he first watched the film, The Day After Tomorrow. Since then, he has tailored his formal education and work opportunities to become a well-rounded environmental attorney serving the public interest. Shaw graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.A. in History, a B.S. in Conservation and Resource Studies, and a minor in Forestry and Natural Resources. Prior to law school, Shaw worked for three years at Save the Redwoods League, protecting coastal redwoods and giant sequoias in conjunction with federal and state agencies, Tribal partners, and other environmental nonprofits. 

Shaw chose to attend UC Irvine Law for its strong environmental law faculty and cohesive community. In his first year of law school, he completed nearly 100 hours of pro bono work and later interned with the South Coast Air Quality Management District in summer 2024. Currently, he serves as the Chair of the Environmental Law Society, Co-Chair of the Public Interest Law Fund, Executive Editor for the Journal of International, Transnational, and Comparative Law, and Historian for both the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association and Tabletop Club. He is also involved with First Generation Professionals, Native American Law Student Association, and the Admissions Ambassador program. Shaw enjoyed participating in the Environmental Law Clinic during Fall 2024 because it provided him with his first substantive experience working on environmental law matters. He also organized and led ELS's sixth Global Day of Action alongside UC Irvine Law's Environmental Law Clinic and the UC Irvine Sustainability Resource Center. In addition, he completed environmental pro bono work for the Surfrider Foundation and American Constitution Society. He will clerk for Earthjustice's California Regional Office this summer. 

The year ahead: “I served as a Legal Volunteer for the Surfrider Foundation during the Fall 2024 semester when they and other partners sued Exxon for the deleterious effects of plastic pollution that Exxon contributes to as a plastics manufacturer. Having that one-on-one opportunity to learn more about this momentous lawsuit from one of the attorneys behind the action made my pro bono and legal education experience feel more tangible. After this experience, I redoubled my efforts to be more actively engaged with reducing plastics usage in the UC Irvine community where I serve on the Student Bar Association's Sustainability Committee. I co-authored "Student Bill 5: Sustainable Lounge Initiative: Ban on Single-Use Plastics" with SBA Sustainability Director Rachel Castillo, which generally bans SBA spending on single-use plastics. SBA passed the bill, proving that we can each effect change, even as law students. I am eager to bring my experiences to bear at Earthjustice, a nationally renowned environmental nonprofit that safeguards the environment and people's health. In Spring 2025, I will be taking an entirely environmental law-focused courseload, including Environmental Law, Ocean and Coastal Law, Environmental Law Practicum, International Environmental Law, Land Use and Development Control Law, and Advanced Environmental Law Clinic. The numerous environmental law courses that UC Irvine Law offers is a dream come true for me and reaffirms my decision to attend UC Irvine Law for its strong environmental law curriculum.”

Shelby Slaughter

Shelby Slaughter is a third-year law student at UC Irvine Law and an aspiring environmental lawyer. Before law school, she studied environmental science and engineering at UCLA. There she led a student research team that examined energy regulatory compliance and industrial impacts on Indigenous populations culminating in a report published by the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. After graduating, she worked for a communications consulting firm that focused on sustainability and social impact in woman-owned businesses. During her first year at UC Irvine Law, Slaughter was a summer intern for the Los Angeles County Counsel’s Office in its Property Division, where she researched issues related to the Subdivision Map Act, conditional use permits, and land use. In her second year, she worked as Legal Research Associate for Professor DiMento, examining arctic environmental law issues, and participated in UC Irvine Law’s Environmental Law Clinic. Slaughter has been active in the First Generation Professionals Program, leads the Land Use and Real Estate student group, and completed over 50 hours of pro bono education casework for the ELDR Center. She is an Environmental Law Scholar and has been a Legal Research Associate for Dr. Gregg Macey and the Center for Land, Environment, and Natural Resources for the past year. With CLEANR, she contributes to projects related to the Integrated and Equitable Climate Action initiative.

The year ahead: “Recent social and political developments have highlighted the importance of individual responsibility in addressing environmental and developmental challenges. Ultimately these events have reinforced my belief in the power of innovation to drive meaningful change. In 2025, I am committed to advocating for policies that empower individuals and community groups alike to take proactive steps towards sustainability, ensuring a future where environmental stewardship and social stability go hand in hand. As a Californian, I am eager to leverage my education and training in environmental law to serve the very communities that raised me. The intersection of law, environmental science, and social justice found in CLEANR projects present a unique opportunity for students at UC Irvine to drive meaningful change, and I am committed to advocating for policies and practices that better our environment in my future career. UC Irvine Law’s environmental law program offers top-tier training and opportunities for its students, combining diverse academic coursework with real life experience working on environmental issues through both clinical classes and research projects. The emphasis the program places on interdisciplinary learning, freedom to explore nuanced fields of interest, and timely research initiatives provide students with the skills and training needed to become meaningful advocates and changemakers.”

Vanessa Vasquez

Vanessa Vasquez is a Chicana from El Monte, California and she is the first person in her family to attend law school. During her childhood, she developed an appreciation for diverse ecosystems after having the opportunity to visit National Parks in the western United States. Her interest in the environment grew at UC Riverside, where she double majored in Public Policy and Political Science/Law and Society. There, Vasquez discovered that she wanted to pursue a career in environmental law with a focus on toxic chemical pollution and environmental justice. These issues have historically impacted her hometown and the neighborhoods where her parents grew up. Vasquez chose to attend UC Irvine Law because of its public interest reputation and environmental law faculty. Since 2023, she has worked on pro bono matters for the Natural Resources Defense Council with a focus on energy issues. She is also an advanced clinical student with UC Irvine Law's Environmental Law Clinic, where she has had the privilege of working closely with a community group on pressing environmental concerns. She has worked at Earthjustice, the United States Attorney's Office in the Environmental Crimes and Consumer Protection Section, and UC Irvine Law's Center for Land, Environment, and Natural Resources. These experiences allowed her to conduct legal research and draft memoranda in areas of law related to city planning, zoning, emissions, pesticides, and civil rights matters. Vasquez was a 2024 recipient of the California Lawyers Association Environmental Law Section Diversity & Inclusion Fellowship Program. She currently serves as the Director of Environmental Justice and 3L Representative for the Environmental Law Society (ELS) at UC Irvine Law. She helped organize ELS's participation in the 2024 Student Law Clinic Global Day of Action for Environmental Justice. She is currently planning an Environmental Justice Panel for the Spring semester. Last year, as Chair of ELS, Vasquez also organized an Environmental Law Career Panel, a student-led breakout discussion for UC Irvine Law's Martin Luther King Jr. Teach-In for Justice, and a joint book discussion on Refusing Death: Immigrant Women and the Fight for Environmental Justice in Los Angeles. She is also involved in the Latinx Law Students Association, Public Interest Law Fund, Native American Law Students Association, and First Generation Professionals Program.

The year ahead: “I am committed to using everything I have learned at UC Irvine Law as I pursue a career doing environmental justice work after graduation. This work is needed now more than ever, given the Trump administration's agenda to deregulate industries and dismantle government agencies. These irresponsible policies encourage me to redouble my efforts to protect marginalized communities from environmental harm. UC Irvine Law's focus on experiential learning offers so many opportunities for students interested in environmental work. During my time here, I gained experience as a clinical student with the Environmental Law Clinic, as a Legal Research Associate with CLEANR, through pro bono opportunities, and as a board member with the Environmental Law Society. UC Irvine Law also has a great environmental law course selection. I have been able to take incredible classes like Climate Justice, Tribal Nations and the Law, International Environmental Law, Toward Abolition Democracy, and Energy Transition in California. In the Spring, I look forward to taking Environmental Law as well as Land Use and Development Control Law."

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