Changing Times - Changing Practice: New Roles for Lawyers in Resolving Complex Land Use and Environmental Disputes

Abstract:     
In their lead article in a recent symposium issue of the Pace Environmental Law Review, Professors Nolon and Bacher discuss the work of the Kheel Center for the Resolution of Environmental Interest Disputes. Their article highlights the practical implications to the practice of law of rapid changes in urban development and the natural world, and describes how lawyers can create new dispute resolution forums and practices to manage the inevitable conflicts that arise because of these environmental changes.

Change is visible everywhere today in the built and natural environment. The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that our domestic population will grow by 100 million, or 33%, by 2040, and urban scholars report that two-thirds of the development on the ground by mid-century will be built between now and then. The cautious reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change make it clear that human behavior is causing climate change and that the consequences of business as usual could be catastrophic. This article argues that the conflicts climate change causes implicate the legal profession and that the practice of law is changing as a result.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 34

Accepted Paper Series