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Law Students for Climate Accountability, a group of U.S. law students critical of law firms that represent fossil fuel clients, has now set their sights on law schools that send a high proportion of graduates into the service of the fossil fuel industry. In a recent report, the group highlighted law schools with the most graduates working for energy industry clients at law firms. It called on these schools to steer fewer students into high-paid law and lobbying jobs serving fossil fuel companies. Instead, it boosted financial aid and assistance for students pursuing alternative careers.
The report emphasized that the careers their graduates go on to perform are the most influential effect law schools have on the climate crisis. It said that the top 20 law schools ranked by U.S. News & World Report produce nearly half of the fossil fuel lawyers in the United States. The University of Texas School of Law, the University of Virginia School of Law, and Yale Law School were identified as the schools with the highest proportion of alumni working on fossil fuel matters.
A spokesperson from the University of Texas declined to comment on the report, while representatives of Virginia and Yale did not immediately respond to requests for comment. According to the report, top-ranked law schools are structured as “pipelines†into large corporate law firms. The high law school debt also drives students into large firms, where starting pay hovers around $200,000. Law Students for Climate Accountability suggests that this structure and the financial pressure on students result in a disproportionate number of graduates ending up in the fossil fuel industry.
Law Students for Climate Accountability was formed in 2020 by Yale and Harvard University students, urging law students to boycott jobs at law firms that represent fossil fuel clients. The group produces an annual scorecard detailing the law firms it says have done the most work for fossil fuel clients. Focusing on law schools is a new tactic for the group, though co-founder Tim Hirschel-Burns said they plan to keep up the pressure on law firms.
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“We realize that law firms operate in a broader ecosystem, and law schools play a significant role in creating pressures that push students towards careers at fossil fuel-friendly law firms,†he said.
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Law Students for Climate Accountability hopes its report will encourage law schools to take more significant steps to address the climate crisis. The group believes that law schools are responsible for preparing their students to tackle the pressing legal and policy challenges related to climate change. By reducing the number of students entering the fossil fuel industry and providing more support for alternative careers, law schools can help produce a new generation of lawyers committed to protecting the planet.
