Unveiling The Independent Spirit of Harvard's Environmental Law Review: An Inside Look

Summary

This article discusses the Harvard Environmental Law Review (HELR), a student-run journal at Harvard Law School. Founded in 1977, HELR is the premier environmental law journal in the United States and features articles, book reviews, and student notes on legal and policy issues related to the environment. The journal strives to provide a space for interdisciplinary dialogue and scholarly discourse on emerging environmental issues.


HELR publishes a semi-annual print volume and also releases works on its website throughout the year. The journal is managed by a student editorial board, which is elected each year by the entire HELR membership. In addition to the twelve editors, HELR also employs an administrative staff of fourteen. The editorial board is responsible for managing the editorial and production process from start to finish.

The journal seeks to encourage and facilitate collaboration between environmental lawyers, scientists, and policy makers. HELR sponsors symposia and conferences, as well as other events, centered around important environmental issues. These events provide an opportunity for students, academics, and professionals to discuss and debate current topics in the field.

HELR prides itself on its commitment to diversity and inclusion. The journal strives to ensure that its authors and editors represent a wide range of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. HELR also publishes works from both established and emerging scholars.

HELR is an independent and student-run journal that serves as a platform for collaboration between environmental lawyers, scientists, and policy makers. The journal strives to be inclusive and publishes articles, book reviews, and student notes on various legal and policy issues related to the environment. In addition to its bi-annual volume, HELR sponsors symposia and conferences centered around important environmental issues, providing an opportunity for students, academics, and professionals to discuss and debate current topics in the field. Harvard Environmental Law Review is a respected journal in its field and a testament to the power and dedication of its student editorial board and staff.

Questions Answered In This Article

 

What is the Environmental Law & Policy Review?

The Environmental Law & Policy Review (ELR) is a student-run journal at Harvard Law School that focuses on environmental law issues. It publishes articles from students, professionals, and professors on the latest legal developments in environmental protection.
 

Who makes up the ELR staff?

The ELR staff is composed of Harvard Law School students from a variety of backgrounds. Experienced editors train them, and many have been selected to participate in the prestigious Harvard Law Review after their first year.
 

What makes ELR unique?

ELR receives partial faculty support like other law journals at Harvard, yet it has maintained a high staff retention rate. It is known on campus for its relatively laid-back attitude and student satisfaction. ELR also sponsors events with the Environmental Law Society each year to create an environmental community among students.
 

How do ELR editors train their staff?

ELR editors take pride in training their staff to become well-rounded law professionals. They provide guidance and feedback and allow staff members to be as involved as they want in the journal’s operations. Additionally, ELR is agile enough to promote those who show the ability and interest quickly.
 

What benefits does working for ELR provide?

Working for ELR provides beneficial opportunities to learn about environmental law and gain real-life legal experience. Students can build their resume and networking skills, plus have the chance to be accepted into the prestigious Harvard Law Review. Additionally, ELR creates a friendly atmosphere where staff is supported and encouraged in their goals.

In 1976, six years after the first annual Earth Day put environmental issues on the map; the Harvard Environmental Law Review (ELR) was founded at Harvard Law School. ELR has published two issues a year ever since — one in the winter and one in the spring — on environmental topics ranging from land use to the control of toxic substances; from governmental regulation to the use of energy and other natural resources; and from air, water, and noise pollution to the newest environmental technologies.

The most recent issue includes articles about the chemical compound methyl tertiary-butyl ether; the preservation of natural resources; the law behind Environmental Protection Agency enforcement actions, written by environmental law professors at top schools; as well an examination of water trusts written by a graduate student in environmental science, policy, and management. The issue also contains eight case comments on recent environment-related Supreme Court rulings written by law students; indeed, one of the things that help ELR stand out among its peers is its dedication to publishing the work of students. Each summer the journal sponsors a writing competition, and the winner's article gets published in the following winter's issue.

The journal has an advisory board composed of leaders in the environmental community, including Barry Breen of the EPA, James P. Leape of the Packard Foundation, and professors at top institutions including Richard Lazarus from Georgetown.

What makes ELR unique at Harvard is that it does its work without full-time faculty support: Harvard Law School does not have any permanent environmental law professors. This means that the most environmentally minded students sometimes choose other law schools and ELR loses out. Still, even without permanent faculty help and competition from peer institutions for potential staff members, the journal continues to survive and thrive.

ELR is one of the smaller journals on the Harvard campus — Harvard's 11 specialty journals are open to the entire student body, so there is a lot of competition — but is known on campus for its relatively laid back attitude and high rate of student satisfaction. Its staff retention rate — on a campus where a good number of students join journals during their first year (1L) for resume purposes and then leave once the second-year (2L) interview season has passed — is "spectacular compared to the other specialty journals," according to third-year law student (3L) and editor-in-chief Read Porter because "people at ELR like each other and hang out together." In fact, 2Ls occasionally leave the journals they worked on as 1Ls and come to ELR at the start of the 2L year, despite the pressures of interview season taking up time and energy.

Porter says the high staff retention rate and overall satisfaction with the journal is because ELR is "actually a community. We care about the staff and want them to enjoy their journal experience. We train them well and take pride in their achievements. We also let our staff be as involved as they desire. They know there's always a place for them at ELR, no matter what they're looking to do." In addition, a number of 1Ls who make the prestigious (and highly selective) Harvard Law Review each spring come from the ranks of ELR, a testament to the way they train their staff and give them the opportunity to gain real experience during the 1L year. While some journals on the Harvard campus are so large and bureaucratic that students don't have the chance to grow their skills and increase their involvement each semester, ELR is nimble enough to move people up the ranks quickly, as they show the ability and interest.

ELR sponsors speakers and events each year with the Environmental Law Society on campus, trying its best to create an environmental community despite the lack of faculty support and the stiff competition from other journals. But because of its collegial spirit and camaraderie among the staff, ELR has lasted for almost 30 years, with what looks like clear skies — and articles about how to keep them that way — up ahead.