Lindsay Brewer ’17 JD/MEM

I decided to attend Yale Law primarily because of the community here. From speaking with students and faculty, I really got the impression that the small student body fostered a supportive environment for students to share their passions, to challenge each other, and to really grow together. I was also struck by what a large role the faculty played in students’ everyday lives and in their intellectual pursuits.

I decided to pursue a joint degree here at Yale because I was really interested in setting aside some dedicated time to learning about the environmental issues I care about. In the four-year, joint-degree program between Yale Law School and the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, I’ve really been able to take advantage of the resources not only available here at the Law School but at the University more generally.

Because I came to Yale with the intention of pursuing this joint degree program, I allowed myself to explore many different areas of interests with indirect relations to environmental issues. I sought out classes like Business Organizations, Intellectual Property, and Negotiations, and each of these provided me with a different lens to use to analyze environmental issues.

I also represented Yale at the National Environmental Moot Court Competition, which was a really great way to dive into environmental issues with my two teammates. During that competition, we presented all three sides of the case, which was a really interesting intellectual pursuit. And, finally, I’ve been a part of the Environmental Protection Clinic here at Yale, and I’ve really loved the client work I’ve been able to do in that Clinic. Last semester, the Clinic actually took me to the historic Paris climate conference, where I served on the delegation for a small island state. That was an incredibly eye-opening and inspiring opportunity and I’m really happy to have been a part of it.