Seema Kakade joined the University of Maryland Carey School of Law in July, 2017 and is currently an Associate Professor and Director of the Environmental Law Clinic. Professor Kakade’s research interests are in the area of air pollution, climate change, and energy. She has published articles in the top environmental law journals including the Harvard Environmental Law Review and the Ecology Law Quarterly. Professor Kakade’s legal practice experience is in environmental regulation and enforcement. Her legal practice in the Clinic specifically focuses on environmental justice matters in the mid-Atlantic region. In 2018, the Clinic received the American Bar Association’s “best student program” award.
Prior to joining the law school, Professor Kakade served as a federal government attorney with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Civil Enforcement, and the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of General Counsel. At both agencies, Professor Kakade won numerous awards for her work, including several bronze and silver medals for service, and twice received the Administrator’s Award for Excellence. Before her federal government practice, she worked as a research attorney and Co-Director of the India Program at the Environmental Law Institute. She also spent time as a litigation associate in private practice.
Professor Kakade holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a JD from the George Washington University Law School. She is the recipient of the 2019 Environmental law Institute’s “Future’s Award” and is a Fellow with the American College of Environmental Law. She is also an active member of multiple organizations dedicated to serving the greater Asian American community.