ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICUM
COURSE DESCRIPTION

Professor Tracy Hester

(713) 743-1152 (office)
(713) 775-8874 (cell)
tdheste2@central.uh.edu

Course Subject Matter: This course will overview key areas of practice within environmental law such as regulatory counseling and permitting, civil enforcement, criminal liability, private litigation over environmental contamination, policy advocacy, and environmental aspects of commercial transactions. Each lecture topic will be paired with a separate presentation by a guest speaker who practices in that area, and who will provide examples of live projects and cases for class review. These speakers may include the Harris County Attorney (civil enforcement), the Galveston Bay Foundation (permitting), the Harris County District Attorney (criminal), the Audubon Society (policy advocacy), large and small law firms, and others.

Course objectives:   To prepare students to counsel clients on environmental law matters and ways to assure or enforce environmental compliance strategies and obligations.

Textbook: I will provide a collection of selected readings to students.  I will also try to have these materials posted on a class website.

Office Hours: My office is at TUII 142, and my office hours this semester are Tuesdays from 1:30 to 4:00 pm. Many of you will likely have schedule conflicts based on other classes or daytime work obligations, so I'm also glad to schedule any direct conferences or meetings (including during the evenings) if you have difficulty getting to my office during those hours.

Grading and Explanation: Final grades will be based on the following allocation: 50% based on your completion of a semester-long project for presentation to a prospective client in an individual meeting; 40% performance on three to four smaller work projects provided to you directly from guest speakers; and 10% for class participation.

I will follow the Law Center attendance policy.  You will not be allowed to receive a final grade in the class unless you attend 80% of the classes.  Excused absences will be liberally granted.