Law Schedule of Classes

NOTE: Course offerings change. Classes offered this semester may not be offered in future semesters.


271 sec. 001 - Environmental Law & Policy (Fall 2023)

Instructor: Robert Donald Infelise  (view instructor's teaching evaluations - degree students only | profile)
View all teaching evaluations for this course - degree students only

Units: 4
Grading Designation: Graded
Mode of Instruction: In-Person

Meeting:

TuTh 3:35 PM - 5:25 PM
Location: Law 12
From August 22, 2023
To November 30, 2023

Course Start: August 22, 2023
Course End: November 30, 2023
Class Number: 31822

Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 30
Waitlisted: 0
Enroll Limit: 41
As of: 02/07 02:03 PM


This introductory course will explore fundamental legal and policy issues in environmental law. We will focus on the challenges posed by threats to the environment, and four approaches to address environmental degradation: a litigation model, so-called “command-and-control” regulation, market instruments and information dissemination mechanisms. We will study three major federal environmental statutes - the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act – to illustrate these approaches. We will also analyze the controversies surrounding risk assessment, environmental federalism and enforcement.

Robert D. Infelise received his A.B. from Cal in 1977 and his J.D. from Berkeley Law in 1980. Upon graduating, Mr. Infelise joined the Los Angeles office of Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP, one of the nation’s premier law firms specializing in the real estate and financial services industries. Since the mid-1980’s, he has specialized in litigation involving soil and groundwater contamination. In 1998, Mr. Infelise helped found Cox, Castle & Nicholson’s San Francisco office and later served as its managing partner.

Mr. Infelise writes and speaks on issues involving soil and groundwater pollution, as well as climate change. His scholarly work begins and ends with an article co-authored by Professor Robert A. Kagan entitled “American State Supreme Court Justices, 1900-70,” American Bar Foundation Research Journal, 1984 (V ol. 2, Spring). In addition to this course, Mr. Infelise teaches the Environmental Law Writing Seminar; Climate Change and the Law; Pathways to Carbon Neutrality; Remedies and Evidence. He is the former chair of the Advisory Committee, as well as former acting executive director, of Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy and the Environment. In 2002-2003, Mr. Infelise was the acting head of Berkeley Law’s environmental law program. In 2014, he was given an honorific title, and is now a Christopher Edley, Jr. Lecturer. Mr. Infelise proudly serves as the faculty advisor to the Ecology Law Quarterly.

View teaching evaluations for this class - degree students only

Exam Notes: (TH) Take-home examination
(Subject to change by faculty member only through the first two weeks of instruction)
Exam Length: 6 hours
Course Category: Environmental and Energy Law

If you are the instructor or their FSU, you may add a file like a syllabus or a first assignment to this page.

Readers:
No reader.

Books:
Instructor has indicated that no books will be assigned.

Go to Course Search