Skip to main content Skip to navigation

Warwick LinC Environmental Law Clinic

Applications are now open for our new Warwick LinC Environmental Law Clinic

Warwick Law in the Community (LinC) is excited to announce that we will be collaborating with the Environmental Law Foundation to offer students volunteering opportunities with our new Environmental Law Clinic in Term 2 of the 2024/25 academic year.

Students will work on the Rights of Nature Project to identify legal and policy opportunities to introduce Rights of Nature at a local authority level.

Rights of Nature Project

In response to concerns about pollution of the River Ouse, working with a local councillor, the Environmental Law Foundation (‘ELF’) co-authored a motion, subsequently adopted by Lewes District Council in February 2023, acknowledging the growth of the global Rights of Nature(RoN) movement as a framework for rethinking our relationship with Nature. The motion provides a two-year period to provide a ‘Declaration of the Rights of the River Ouse’ for adoption by the council. ELF has been working with local group Love Our Ouse, the council and other stakeholders to produce a draft Declaration and supporting documentation. This work has involved reviewing potential legal and policy opportunities at the Lewes District Council level to recognise the rights of the river in decision-making processes.

Taking the learning from the experience in Lewes, the ELF would like to explore the availability of such opportunities elsewhere around the UK. On the legal side these may include via a local authority’s constitution, petitions, byelaws, or the enhanced biodiversity duty. For policy these could be via a local authority’s corporate plan, planning policy documents, climate plan, biodiversity strategy, the Local Nature Recovery Strategy, or other plans. The WarwickLinC Environmental Law Clinic will focus on Coventry City Council with the River Sherbourne as the environmental entity.

Eligibility

Opportunities with the Environmental Law Clinic are open to all Warwick Law students, both undergraduate and postgraduate. PPL students are also eligible to apply. Students who have volunteered for LinC before are welcome to apply.

What’s Involved?

Students will be expected to commit 3-5 hours per week across term 2. Students will be expected to attend a weekly group session (time to be confirmed based upon successful applicants’ availability).

How to apply

Students should submit their CV along with a cover letter (of no more than 300 words) explaining why they want to volunteer for the clinic to WarwickLinC@warwick.ac.uk 

You must submit your CV and your cover letter as ONE PDF document

The deadline for applications is Thursday 28 November by 8pm.

Shortlisted candidates will be informed by the end of Friday 29 November.

Interviews to be held w/c 2 December (Date and time TBC).

If you have any questions, please contact Rosie Narayan, LinC Coordinator:

warwicklinc@warwick.ac.uk