On Thursday, May 22, the Coleman P. Burke Center for Environmental Law at Case Western Reserve University hosted its second Junior Faculty Workshop for law school pre-tenured faculty and fellows who are currently pursuing teaching careers in environmental law, energy law, climate law or natural resources law. The in-person gathering commenced with a dinner the evening of May 21.
Nine junior faculty were selected on the basis of a scholarly work in progress as well as past accomplishments and future promise. Each of the scholars presented and received feedback from distinguished environmental, energy, climate and natural resources senior faculty. The senior faculty participating included Carol Rose (Yale, Arizona, emeritus), Wendy Wagner (Texas), Dean Marcilynn Burke (Tulane), Dean Hari Osofsky (Northwestern), Jonathan Adler (Case Western and William & Mary), and Victor Flatt (Case Western). In addition to workshopping works in progress, a portion of the day's program was devoted to discussions of career trajectory, scholarship placement and teaching issues.
The Burke Center was particularly excited this year to have two outstanding environmental law scholars who are also experienced Deans. This provided the Junior Scholars an opportunity to better discuss the relationship between junior faculty and law school administration.
Last year’s junior scholar workshop (the first) assisted in producing several high quality law review articles, gaining distinguished placements in the Harvard Environmental Law Review, Utah Law Review, and Alabama Law Review. The Coleman P. Burke Environmental Law Center was created in 2019 with a generous gift from alumnus Coleman P. Burke to foster more robust student education and national policy discussions in Environmental Law.
Participants in the Burke Center Second Annual Junior Scholar Conference are pictured above (from L to R) Dean Marcilynn Burke, Caroline Cox, Camila Bustos, Alex Erwin, Taylor Nchoka, Victor B. Flatt, Lingxi Chang, Gabriel Weil, Jaclyn Lopez, Wendy Wagner, Carol Rose and Caroleen Dineen. (Not pictured are Jonathan Adler, Chinonso Anozie and Dean Hari Osofsky)