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
The bursary will not be awarded in 2020.
Andrew Lees Essay Prize
The winner of the Andrew
Lees essay prize in 2019 was 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. The prize was not awarded in 2020.
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 2020 Moot Competition finals were
held online on 6th May 2020. Details on the
competition and winners are on our Moot Competition page
ESSAY - The 2020 competition did not run. 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
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 evenings around the UK or online, on hot topics, with free student places
PIEL CONFERENCE - we are pleased to support the annual PIEL
Conference organised by students.
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.
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 have two student advisers who bridge the gap
between our student members and UKELA's senior management team. They keep our Council up to date with student activity and keep you
informed about forthcoming competitions, opportunities and events via this
page, Facebook and Twitter. They also promote 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.