Chair Report

Hello, ELS Members,

I’m honored to begin my one-year term as Chair of the Environmental Law Section (“ELS”), joined by Officers Darcy Brown (Vice Chair), Leuwam Tesfai (Treasurer), and Julia Forgie (Secretary). We thank Miles Hogan for his service as last year’s chair and ongoing contributions as Immediate Past Chair.

The theme for the 2025-2026 term is resilience. California has the fourth largest economy in the world, an extensive coastline and abundant natural resources and biodiversity. The state also grapples with significant environmental challenges, such as having amongst the most Superfund sites in the United States, areas with high levels of pollution and poverty, frequent wildfires, extreme heat, sea level rise, water shortages, and rising costs and growing disparity, all within a shifting federal legal landscape.

As California environmental law practitioners, we have many opportunities to make a difference. ELS is dedicated to supporting your career development through its express commitment to “promoting excellence, diversity and inclusion in the legal profession and fairness in the administration of justice and the rule of law.”  With well over 2,000 members, ELS continually strives to foster dialogue among practitioners from various sectors to advance our state, communities and profession. Our mission is exemplified in our flagship Environmental Law Conference at Yosemite^®, taking place on October 16-19, 2025 (see below for more about the  34th annual Yosemite conference).

In 2026, ELS will offer you opportunities to:

• Deepen Your Knowledge.  ELS will offer a Housing Symposium (late winter/early spring), the Law Student Negotiation Competition (March), and an Energy Conference (late spring/summer). Other educational programs include monthly webinars, outdoor activities, the free Summer 101 series, and a Book Club frequently featuring author participation.
• Grow Your Career.  ELS administers a Mentorship Program tailored for law students, early-career attorneys, and those seeking entry into the profession. In addition, we offer a distinguished Diversity & Inclusion Summer Fellowship and host a job board. ELS recognizes outstanding contributions by leading professionals, innovators and role models in the field through the Lifetime Achievement Award and Trailblazer Award.
• Build Your Network.  You can connect with ELS by writing or editing for our Environmental Law News journal, reviewing proposed state legislation, judging the Law Student Negotiation Competition, volunteering as a mentor, attending mixers, or joining our monthly Chairs’ Corner on Zoom.

We can’t wait to engage with you, and hope to see many of you at Yosemite.

Please follow ELS on LinkedIn, Instagram, and X/Twitter.

Peter Ton
Chair, Environmental Law Section