Sharing research in a law school class is a highly valuable experience, but for students and recent graduates like Emily Hurley ’25 (above: 3rd from l), “nothing compares to presenting on environmental law issues with other passionate environmental lawyers.”
Hurley got to do just that as a Fedder Scholar this summer at the Universidad Cientifica del Sur Law School in Lima, Peru. She joined University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law Environmental Law Program faculty and three other Maryland Carey Law students to participate in the 22nd Annual Colloquium of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Academy of Environmental Law. The colloquium theme surrounded the achievements and challenges of sustainable development goals and environmental law.
At this year’s prestigious global event, which featured more than 140 speakers from 38 countries across five continents, Hurley presented her paper, “A Tale of Two Incinerator Cases: Comparing Waste Incineration Litigation in China and the U.S.” Her talk, alongside those of environmental law professors, was part of a panel exploring legal and social dimensions of climate litigation and fisheries governance.
Fedder Scholars, explained Bill Piermattei, managing director of the Environmental Law Program, gain confidence when they learn that their research measures up to that of the distinguished academics at the conference. Students with the best research papers, typically from Professor Bob Percival’s global environmental law seminar, are invited to submit them for consideration by the colloquium host institution, just like the professors seeking to be panelists. If student pieces aren't comparable to faculty submissions, they don’t get accepted.
Hurley, who will clerk at the Baltimore City Circuit Court in the fall, appreciated the opportunity to practice her presentation skills in a professional setting. She also brought home a broadened global perspective.
“There is a lot we can learn from other nations' environmental laws and policies,” she said, “as we work together to help build a more equitable and sustainable global society.”
Samantha Bingaman ’25, who graduated first in her class, also presented at the colloquium. Her paper, titled, “Colonialism in the Color Green: North American Indigenous Law and the Green Energy Transition” fit well into a panel discussion on the legal dimensions of the green energy transition as it pertains to Indigenous law, just transition, and local voices in energy governance.
Bingaman, who will clerk in the Western District of Virginia before returning to Maryland for an associateship with Beveridge and Diamond, says the Peru trip “was an especially helpful experience because we were immersed in a new culture surrounded by a knowledgeable, passionate environmental law crowd.” She even made a connection with a Brazilian attendee about an international environmental-indigenous justice working group for practitioners, an opportunity she is eager to explore.
Bingaman’s biggest takeaway from the colloquium? Law students should be confident on presentation panels and in workshops. “It can be daunting to be a student presenter next to experts in the field,” she said. “But everyone can be an expert in their own research, and the audience wants to hear about it!”
Two other Maryland Carey Law students also presented work at the colloquium. Jenna Schaeffer ’25 shared her research on, “Driving the Future: A Comparative Analysis of Electric Vehicle Policies in the U.S., Norway, & China.” Timothy Cohn ’26 presented his paper, “Sovereign-ish: A Comparative Analysis of the Intersection Between Environmental and Tribal Law in the United States and Canada.”
As well as Piermattei and Percival, Visiting Associate Professor Jon Mueller attended and presented at the colloquium.
For over a decade, Fedder Scholars from Maryland Carey Law have presented at the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law colloquium, which moves to a different continent annually. Previous destinations include Australia, Finland, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Spain. Environmental Law Programs from Maryland Carey Law and Pace University jointly serve as the secretariat for the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law.
Piermattei hopes to travel with Fedder Scholars for years to come.
“The colloquium is a platform for students to stand up and see that their work is as good as that of environmental professors,” he said. “They learn that they are capable of great things.”
Funding enabling students to participate in the colloquium comes from the Fedder Environmental Scholars Endowment, established in 2007 through the generosity of Joel ’58 and Ellen Fedder to support the Environmental Law Program and its students.