Career Fair – Career Data Card: Environmental Lawyer
During our career fair today we connected girl scouts with professionals – this is from the series of the Career Data Card we provided:
Environmental Lawyer
Brief job description: I help companies who make things (i.e., milk producer; oil and gas; chemical plant; fertilizer, coffee; tortillas, air conditioners, airplanes) comply with environmental laws related to clean air, clean water, and solid and hazardous waste. I also represent a nuclear waste disposal company in Texas who is safely disposing of nuclear waste from hospitals, electric companies and government facilities located all over the country.
Skills needed: critical thinking, reading, writing, researching, public speaking, scientific background a plus, but not required
Education needed: undergraduate degree and law school degree
Fun fact about my job: One time I got to visit an organic milk dairy on the Eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay and see how the cows are raised and organic milk is produced. The accumulation of cow manure in leaky collection ponds had caused groundwater contamination under the dairy and had to be cleaned up!
Favorite thing about my job: I get to learn how things are made and take “behind the scenes tours” of factories, manufacturing plants, landfills and refineries. I even have my own hard hat!
Similar jobs or jobs I work with everyday: I work with other lawyers and paralegals. I also work with technical consultants, engineers and environmental managers at companies.