In the article “Trends in Clinical Legal Education Affecting Agriculture” by Caroline Lobdell and Scott Horngren, the authors provide a thorough look into the current state of environmental, agricultural, and animal law programs in law schools throughout the country. Though environmental law programs have steadily increased since the passage of groundbreaking environmental laws in the 1970s, the authors argue that these programs fail to offer a balanced education on agriculture and environmental law. Instead, they often focus exclusively on fighting for environmental causes. In doing so, they neglect to cover the interests of farmers, ranchers, and other natural resource users, who make up a huge part of environmental and agricultural interests.
Rather than viewing natural resource use as inherently wrong or not worthy of study, the article urges law programs to educate students on the interests of natural resource users and the cases they may come across in these industries as lawyers. In doing so, law students will get a more well-rounded understanding of environmental and agricultural issues, be better equipped to anticipate opposing arguments, and even work together with natural resource users in pursuing conservation efforts.
To showcase the positive impact of a well-balanced environmental and agricultural education, the article uses Lewis & Clark’s Western Resource Legal Center (WRLC) as a case study. The law clinic, incorporated by Laura A. Schroeder, aimed to help students understand the interests of ranching, farming, timber, and other resource dependent industries. WRLC was later incorporated into Lewis & Clark to follow a seminar format to address legal issues affecting these industries in addition to an externship program that has partnered with the Oregon Farm Bureau, the Oregon Cattleman’s Association, American Forest Resource Council, Schroeder Law Offices, and others. With so many students willing to share positive experiences, the article makes a compelling argument for law schools to implement similar programs in their environmental law curriculums.
WRLC’s founder and former Dean of Lewis and Clark Law School, James Huffman described the program as “a little boat that is finally afloat.” On WRLC’s inception, Huffman stated “[t]here is a lot more to be done to make it seaworthy and expand the fleet, but it can be done.” As budding law students with agricultural backgrounds, WRLC alumni, such as Schroeder Law Offices’ Associate Attorney Caitlin Skulan, were able to obtain a more balanced legal education as it pertains to the natural world and the resources we rely on. WRLC was a life raft in a sea full of environmental advocacy opinions on the Lewis and Clark campus. The balance of working with farmers, ranchers, timber harvesters, and other sustainable natural resources users offers law students a reprieve from viewpoints that organizations like Farm Bureau and Cattlemen’s Associations are the villains of the environmental story.
Similar to environmental advocacy focused clinics, students are still exposed to a whole host of environmental laws including the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Water Act, and state and federal Administrative Procedure Acts. WRLC students have an opportunity to participate in real cases with the people who work and rely on natural resources and take pride in their roles as stewards of the land their livelihoods rely on. As an employer of WRLC Alumni, Schroeder Law Offices hopes to see similar programs emerging at other law schools to better prepare future lawyers to represent our valued clientele.
To learn more about WRLC and the current state of environmental, agricultural, and animal law programs, check out the link to the full article here.
