Looking into environmental law...

Environmental law is a growing field of law that is becoming increasingly important. More and more law schools have begun including environmental law courses and programs, and some have developed specializations in environmental law. I have been interested in law and environmental law for the past few years and have subsequently spent many hours researching the different law school opportunities in Canada, specifically with respect to environmental law.

It is important to consider the implications of studying at a particular law school. For instance, most law (particularly environmental law) is taught provincially, meaning that the law you learn in BC might be quite different from that in Ontario. As a result, many people who study law in a given province end up staying in the province they studied in. This is not to say you can not work in other provinces, but it may be more difficult to learn the different laws and to re-establish yourself, as many people make their most important connections in law school.

Because Canada has such a wide variety of climates and landscapes, each province and even each law school may have a different type of environmental issue that its environmental law courses focus on. For example, in BC much of the law may focus on forestry, fresh water and coastal wildlife. Alberta schools have a tendency to focus on the more industrial side of environmental law, such as oil and natural gas law, while the schools in the Maritimes focus primarily on marine environmental issues.

It is also important to note that going into environmental law does not necessarily require that you take numerous environmental law courses or that you go to a school that specializes in environmental law. This may be the case for people like myself, who are more interested in policy and government approaches to the environment and the law, in which case you may not necessarily have to take courses focused on environmental law, but rather bring an environmental perspective to other areas of law. Chances are, if have an undergraduate degree in something like environmental studies or science, you probably know more about the environment that most of the others in your law class.

This list largely focuses on Canadian schools, but there are hundreds of law schools in the United States, many of which focus on environmental law. But many of them are private (approx. US$40,000 tuition) and you can't practice law in Canada with a degree from the U.S. 

That being said, here is a quick summary of the schools I feel are noteworthy from an environmental law standpoint:

University of Victoria, Victoria, BC

• Small school (approx. 80 students in the first year class) right on the Pacific Ocean 
• Has an Environmental Law Centre and offers several env. law courses
• Relatively inexpensive tuition (approx. $7500)
• Incredible climate and progressive university (similar to Trent)
• Victoria is among the most expensive cities in Canada (pricier than Toronto) and usually has about a 1.5% vacancy rate. You'll be hard-pressed to find cheap housing
• BC has the highest average cost of living among Canada's provinces 

University of Calgary, Calgary, AB

• Focuses on natural resources law (oil, gas etc)
• Has a combined Law/Masters degree in Environmental Studies
• One of the easier law schools to get into
• Calgary is uber-expensive
• Maybe not the right school for those who want to save whales and whatnot

York University, Toronto, ON

• One of the most respected law schools in Canada
• Massive first year enrollment (approx. 300 students)
• Many environmental law courses offered and a combined Law/Masters Degree in Env. Studies
• Located in Toronto, so much of the law teaching is Toronto focused
• Difficult to get into
• One of the pricier schools in Canada (tuition is approx. $15,000) 

University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON

• Very large law school, offering a specialization in environmental law
• Many courses focus on policy and government (it is Ottawa after all)
• Has an Environmental Law Centre
• Ontario is very large and affordable, so the opportunities to live and work in Ontario comfortably are very promising
• Middle of the road admissions standards
• Ottawa, I feel, is a great city 

Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS

• Often considered the best environmental law school in Canada
• Focuses largely on marine law, but other aspects are included
• Offers the most environmental law courses in Canada
• Halifax is very affordable and an enjoyable city right on the Atlantic Ocean
• The Atlantic provinces are not as wealthy, so salaries as a lawyer may be slightly lower than those in other provinces

These are only my interpretations of the schools and I encourage anyone whose interested to look seriously into the schools on their own. Happy hunting...