Climate Change and the Legal Profession: A Call to Action

Strategic Insights -

Professor Adam Orford, a specialist in climate change, clean energy, and environmental law and policy, has underscored the importance of environmental law intersecting with seemingly unrelated legal issues. He advocates for climate-informed lawyering, considering climate change a pervasive and intricate topic that requires expertise from multiple disciplines. In a recent Q&A, Orford emphasized the novel approach of the current administration in dismantling federal spending on climate-related measures and the development of new legal arguments challenging the separation of powers between the federal branches.

Key Takeaways:

  • Professor Adam Orford, a climate change expert, believes that environmental law has a significant impact on all lawyers, regardless of their field of practice.
  • Climate change is a multifaceted issue, necessitating expertise from various disciplines, including law, science, technology, and policy.
  • The current administration is adopting a unique approach by dismantling federal spending on climate-related measures, which has implications for the separation of powers between the federal branches.
  • Environmental law intersects with seemingly unrelated areas, such as immigration, corporate, and other fields, making it essential for lawyers to be climate-informed.
  • Orford is developing novel research on the legal arguments surrounding the current administration's actions, set to contribute to the climate law space.
  • The American Bar Association's Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources' Climate Task Force promotes climate-informed lawyering, recognizing the intersection of climate change with various legal fields.
  • Climate change raises questions about the role of lawyers in addressing its impacts, including being an ethical lawyer in a world with climate change.
  • Orford's scholarship in climate change law is integrated into his teaching, ensuring students receive up-to-date knowledge and essential background on the complex issues surrounding climate change.

Statistics:

  • Four COPs (Conferences of Parties) attended by the American Bar Association's delegation, with the aim of enhancing the engagement of the legal profession in climate change challenges.
  • The host of the 29th Conference of Parties (COP) to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change was Baku, Azerbaijan.

Sources:

  • Fordham University School of Law. "Big Idea: All Lawyers Should Be Climate-Informed Lawyers." September 8, 2025.
  • American Bar Association. "Environmental, Energy, and Resources Section."