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LAW 7872 - [Land Use, Development, and Natural Resource Protection Clinic]


(CU-CEL, CU-SBY)     
Spring. 4 credits. Letter grades only.

Permission of instructor required. Satisfies the skills requirement. This course may require travel for some projects.

K. S. Porter, C. G. Bowman.

Land use laws are a vital aspect of sustainable development. Balancing social, economic and environmental factors involves a rich and multi-faceted body of laws. This clinic provides students with the opportunity to work hands-on to identify, design and implement economically and legally viable solutions to problems arising from land and natural resources management. Participating students will assist clients such as developers, government agencies, community leaders, and NGOs according to their selected project. An increasingly critical concern is the role of land use and development on the quantity and quality of water resources. Another high priority, of national as well as local importance, is the development of energy resources, and the complexities of the legal issues posed by their environmental and land use impacts.

Students have the opportunity to work on an international issue. Issues include sustainable development, transboundary conflicts, stresses in rural and indigenous communities, and the role of women. For students undertaking an international project, products may include consultative papers or other briefing materials and presentations. The Clinic will cosponsor an international conference in Spring 2012.

With faculty guidance, students conduct their own selected project on a topic or dispute of theoretical and practical legal importance. Projects may include or involve: a detailed theoretical and practical legal analysis of a selected problem; drafting or critically reviewing municipal ordinances and inter-municipal agreements; consulting on design parameters for development sites; drafting petition/explanatory documents for clients who wish to obtain variances; resolving compliance issues with state and local laws; and developing alternative dispute resolution or collaborative options.

Students commonly attend meetings, and draft briefing papers or give presentations to their clients, such as local governments and agencies. Because this clinic offers a great variety of transactional work, it will benefit students interested in transactional practices, particularly in a career in real estate, land use, energy issues, finance, general practice, and environmental law. No exam.


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