The Case Western Reserve University School of Law again has the highest rated environmental law program in the state of Ohio, according to the just-released 2026 US News & World Report law school rankings. In the latest rankings, the environmental law program’s ranking moved up six spots, from 36 to 30.
The law school’s precipitous rise in environmental law rankings is particularly notable given how young the program is. The Coleman P. Burke Center for Environmental Law was launched in 2019 after the law school received a $10 million endowment gift from alumnus Coleman P. Burke (LAW ‘70). Jonathan H. Adler was named the Center’s founding director and has since been joined by Victor Flatt as Associate Director. The law school’s environmental law clinic, under the leadership of Miranda Leppla, opened its doors soon thereafter in 2022.The law school has also enlisted alumni with extensive environmental law experience to serve as adjuncts and expand its environmental law offerings.
Since the center’s founding, the law school has become a hub for the study, examination and discussion of environmental law. Center programs and conferences have included senior environmental issues from each of the last seven presidential administrations, including senior officials from the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice. The center also supports an annual workshop for junior environmental law faculty and regular symposia on emerging environmental law issues.
Since its founding the center has also supported students with an interest in environmental law through scholarships, with over $4.6 million committed to scholarships through 2027. The center also provides stipends to support externships and experiential capstone placements, including placements at the EPA, Environmental Law Institute, Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services and the Ohio Environmental Council.