Students

Our Student group serves the interests of students in law, environmental science and any other discipline with relevance to environmental law. We aim to assist you to establish yourself within your area of practice, by enhancing your professional skills - through providing professional and social networking opportunities, continuing education and development and through supporting the aims of UKELA generally. You are welcome to participate in our activities and make the most of the very valuable opportunities such participation provides.

However, please note that we are unable to give specific advice about essays or careers.

Join Us!

If you want to join UKELA as a student it's only £15 and you have the chance to attend UKELA events free of charge or at low cost. You get to hear about all our events and competitions first - so do consider it if you're interested in Environmental Law.  If you would like to know more, get in touch with our student advisors, who will be delighted to chat to you about the opportunities we offer. Once you have become a member of UKELA, you can join our exclusive Facebook group, an online platform that connects a community of students interested in environmental law.

Student Vocational Bursary Scheme 2019

The 2019 competition is now closed.

Andrew Lees Essay Prize 2019

We are pleased to announce that the winner of the Andrew Lees essay prize 2019 is Ryan Ross. Ryan is a History graduate (MA, MSc) from the University of Glasgow.

Please see the Andrew Lees Essay Prize page for more details.

Student Environmental Law Conference UKELA prize winner announced!

We are pleased to announce that the winner of this prize is Yahya Al-Qaq. His presentation at the Student Environmental Law Conference has earned him a year's free UKELA student membership. Yahya was born in Florida, USA, where he subsequently lived for several years. He currently resides in Jerusalem, Israel but is currently concluding his 3rd year of LLB studies at Cardiff University. He plans on pursuing a commercial-based LLM next year. Well done Yahya!

Events and Competitions

Competitions

MOOT - The 2019 Moot Competition semi-finals and finals were held on the 22nd of February 2019 at Kings College London. Details on the competition and winners are on our Moot Competition page

ESSAY - The 2019 essay, also known as article, competition question has been announced. Please see the Andrew Lees Essay Prize page for more details.

BURSARY - The Student Bursary Fund is intended to enable students to undertake a period of vocational placement (such as an internship or externship) in the field of environmental law. It is offered on a yearly basis, subject to funding being available. Please see the Student Bursary fund page for more details

SIMON BALL PRIZE - The Simon Ball prize for academic achievement is awarded to recognise and celebrate student achievement in the field of environmental law. This award is not currently active.

Events

We run a wide range of events, the majority of which are free for students to attend. We sometimes charge a small deposit to secure your place, which is refunded on attendance. We also charge for attendance at some of our larger events such as the Annual Conference and Wild Law weekend. Some of our events are listed below, but take a look at our events page for more.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE - usually held in June or July, we offer a limited number of discounted student places

SEMINARS - held in the early evening in London and other cities, on hot topics, with free student places

PIEL CONFERENCE - we are pleased to support the annual PIEL Conference organised by students. You may have seen our student advisers at the UKELA stand this year. The papers from the conference are now available.

You are also encouraged to join in with the activities of our Working Parties, Regional Groups and Devolved Administration groups, as well as our Special Interest groups such as Wild Law. Take a look at the relevant pages for more details.

CAREERS EVENING 2019

Monday 18th November, 6.30pm

Francis Taylor Building, Inner Temple, London EC4Y 7BY

Our annual careers evening and social is open to students and anyone else interested in a career in environmental law; once again kindly hosted by Francis Taylor Building in London. A variety of professionals will be on hand for informal chats and careers advice - helping you make the most out of your CV, including private practice solicitors, barristers, the Environment Agency, DEFRA, environmental consultants and NGOs.

Book your free place

e-law Student Publication Opportunity

Interested in co-authoring a hot topic article with a environmental professional? We provide opportunities for students to publish their work in our members' journal, e-law, circulated to over 1400 practitioners.

Please submit a short (less than 500 words) abstract for consideration by email to one of our Student Advisors. If selected, your article should be written with the assistance of a practitioner in that field. Articles can be on the e-law issue theme or on any topic related to environmental law. Find out more about e-law.

WE OFFER a wide range of activities and events for students to get involved in which will help to develop your knowledge of and interest in environmental law. Becoming an active member of UKELA by attending events, participating in working parties and regional groups and volunteering to help with UKELA’s various charitable activities is a fantastic way to meet interesting people from a wide range of backgrounds that share your passion for the environment. Getting involved will also provide you with insight into the current issues facing environmental law and hopefully help to set you on your path to a career in environmental law.

Getting involved as a student volunteer is highly regarded in the very competitive legal job market.

WE RECEIVE a lot of enquiries about internships and work placements. As a small organisation without an office, we are rarely able to offer these ourselves. Any opportunities we do have will be advertised on our jobs page. However, many law firms, government bodies and NGOs do offer placements, so you are advised to apply directly (we can't supply a list). The Law Society website identifies firms which practise environmental law.

SECURING a placement or pupillage is competitive. Being a member of an organisation like UKELA will broaden your experience and knowledge, and also enhance your profile by providing networking opportunities with professionals working in relevant areas. It will also allow you to contribute to the development of environmental law as a volunteer through the groups and other activities.

Contacts

We currently have two student advisers who bridge the gap between our student members and UKELA's senior management team. Their role includes keeping our Council up to date with student activity; keeping you informed about forthcoming competitions, opportunities and events via this page, Facebook and Twitter and promoting the benefits of membership to students across the UK.

SOPHIE TREMLIN is a current LLM Environmental Law and Policy student at University College London, after graduating in law from Cardiff University. Sophie has been involved with many environmental law matters, from pro bono cases to conferences, and is excited to be working with UKELA to widen the audience of environmental law to students around the UK.

BEATRICE PETRESCU is currently a final-year student reading Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick. She has been involved with UKELA since 2018, and is looking to do her GDL next year and pursue a career in environmental law. Beatrice helps UKELA understand the needs of non-law students looking to convert to law and find out about career opportunities in the environmental sector.