Environmental Law Section

The California Lawyers Association offers a monthly complimentary on-demand MCLE program to CLA members. The MCLE program for March will be “Lock It Down: Data Security, Ethics & Best Practices for Growing Law Firms.” Read more

Are you searching for new employment opportunities in the environmental world? Or are you aware of firms, governmental agencies, or non-governmental organizations with openings for environmental lawyers or other professionals? As a service to our Section, we are pleased to offer an on-line job board, where we post employment opportunities relevant to members of our Section. We currently have multiple job postings available, and we encourage interested members of the Section to review those postings. We welcome input from Section members who may be aware of other relevant opportunities. Please send information to environmental@calawyers.org. Read more

Mark your calendars! We're excited to share next year's dates – October 15-18, 2026, at the Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite – for the 35th Annual Environmental Law Conference at Yosemite®. Join us as we celebrate a historic 35th year, bringing another outstanding conference filled with valuable sessions, fun activities, and networking opportunities. Read more

Volunteering with the Environmental Legislation Review Committee is a low commitment way to get involved and connect with other environmental lawyers. Members typically track five to seven environmental and energy bills, reviewing them for legal sufficiency and flagging technical issues in coordination with legislative staff. The committee meets a few times over the course of the session, beginning with a brief Leg 101 training via Zoom on March 10. The committee’s only in-person meeting is at the Capitol in March 2026 (“Leg Day”), where members receive briefings on the current session from senior policy consultants to the environmental committees of both houses. Throughout the session, members will occasionally convene via Zoom to brief the group on their active bills. At the end of the session, members draft two-to-three-sentence summaries of their chaptered bills. In return for a modest time investment, volunteers gain behind-the-scenes insight into the legislative process, briefings Read more

The Environmental Law Section will hold its annual Student Negotiations Competition on March 6, 2026, at UC Law San Francisco. Read more

In February, the Section’s Executive Committee gathered for its annual planning retreat—an energizing session focused on shaping the future of our flagship event, the 35th Annual Environmental Law Conference at Yosemite®, which will take place October 15–18, 2026, at the beautiful Tenaya Lodge along the borders of Yosemite National Park. A significant portion of the retreat was devoted to crafting a dynamic and forward-looking conference. Each year, we look for new ways to elevate the conference experience by introducing engaging… Read more

On February 13, the Environmental Law Section hosted a Housing Law Symposium at UC Law San Francisco with co-partnership from California Lawyers Association’s Real Property, Public Law, and Litigation Sections, the Housing Action Coalition, the Urban Land Institute San Francisco, and Environmental Law Section of the Bar Association of San Francisco. The Housing Law Symposium brought together over a hundred law students, practitioners, petitioners, and advocates, as well as local and state regulators to discuss recent housing element litigation, housing… Read more

The Environmental Law Section’s Executive Committee is now accepting applications for three-year terms beginning Fall 2026. Participation on the Executive Committee is a terrific way to contribute to the practice of environmental law in California, expand your network with other environmental professionals throughout the state, bring new ideas to the volunteer leadership, and refine your knowledge of environmental law. Read more

Approaching the halfway point of my year as Chair of the Environmental Law Section, I am grateful to submit this report reflecting on our work and inviting you to join us. The Section is now accepting applications for its Executive Committee through March 31 for three-year terms opening up in Fall 2026. Read more

Join us for our first ELS Housing Symposium on February 13 at UC Law School, San Francisco. Topics will include housing element litigation, affordable housing, and the intersection of state and local regulation. Read more