Climate litigation careers: A lesson for secondary aged students�

CLIMATE JUSTICE EDUCATION: LESSON 5

Climate litigation careers: A lesson for secondary aged students.

This lesson was initially designed to accompany the Right Here Right Now summit at the University of Oxford, June 2025.

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All lessons in the Climate Justice Education educational resources pack are available at: https://climate.web.ox.ac.uk/globalclimatesummit

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Teacher notes are provided before the lesson and answers to questions/pedagogical suggestions are in the speaker notes.

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This lesson is meant to take 20-25 minutes minimum but can be expanded with further discussion.

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Authors: Dr. Travis T. Fuchs, Phoebe Mortimer

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Teacher Notes

Resources:

Mini whiteboard - or improvise an equivalent

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4 mins (or fewer if you can manage it) - register, students write lists - mention that we are shifting to think about this professionally

2 mins - intro to legal training

4 mins - specialising in legal training�2 mins - differentiating solicitors and barristers

3 min - which course for which wave of litigation

2 mins - scientific training and work - 2 slides

3 mins - what course for what case

5 mins - writing task - students reflect on careers they could pursue

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RATIONALE FOR: CLIMATE LITIGATION CAREERS

Notes - The focus of this session is on directions students can go in for further study/careers. This is for a few reasons:

1. Careers is one of the four components of the DfE Sustainable Education Strategy, so delivering session will go towards meeting their requirements
2. One way to help students feel able to engage with the climate and nature crisis without weighing them down with worry is to clearly point out interesting and ambitious possibilities in this field

WHO ARE THE PEOPLE WORKING TO PROTECT MY RIGHTS?

Today we are going to talk about the experts working in climate litigation so that we understand what we need to do should we want to pursue a career in this field.

While you wait to start, please make a list of different people who would be involved in mounting a climate litigation case.

E.g.

• A plaintiff - for example a young person’
• A solicitor..
• ..

To become any kind of lawyer you need to:

• Complete an undergraduate degree (for example an LLB or Bachelor of Law) for 3-4 + a one year law conversion course (if your undergrad was not in law)
• Begin to specialise:
• If you want become a solicitor you will need to spend a year on a vocational course preparing for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE)
• If you want to become a barrister you will take a one year Bar Course
• Move on to work based training:
• A prospective solicitor goes for two years to a law firm
• A prospective barrister need to secure a year long pupillage (a barrister to train under)

Climate litigation lawyer

TASK:

How many years does it take to become:

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1. A solicitor
2. A barrister

A An undergrad in earth sciences

From criminal, to corporate, to human rights, there are many many branches of law you can specialise in. Studying law will make you legally literate and will educate you in the core and most common areas of law. However every trainee lawyer will be thinking about the area of law they ultimately want to practise in and will make choices along the way to get themselves there.

For example they will need to think carefully about:

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1. What subject to study for their undergraduate degree
2. Whether to undertake an LLM (Masters in Law ) - a postgraduate degree that will deepen your understanding of a particular area of law
3. Where to apply for work experience
4. The law firm or chambers you apply to for your final years of training.

Climate litigation lawyer

TASK: Choose a letter and then suggest an action that might support a career in environmental law.

C work experience in the legal department of Greenpeace

barrister

Solicitors and barristers both play key roles in environmental law, but their work differs. Solicitors focus on behind-the-scenes tasks—giving legal advice, drafting documents, and helping clients navigate regulations. Barristers, on the other hand, represent clients in court and handle the advocacy side of legal cases.

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Solicitors might:

• Advise clients on following environmental laws and avoiding legal issues.
• Carry out due diligence for large projects, such as checking land for pollution.
• Work for international organisations like the UN, advising on treaties and ensuring projects meet legal standards.

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Barristers might:

• Represent clients in court for serious legal disputes.
• Prosecute companies or individuals who break environmental laws.
• Work with international courts on high-level disputes or treaty violations.

Climate litigation lawyers:

Barristers and solicitors

TASK: Which role appeals to you more?

solicitor

Wave I: Cases focus on challenging emissions producing projects (like coal mines and pipelines) through environmental & planning laws.

Wave II: Cases focus on government climate inaction or action which violates basic human rights – like the right to life, health, or culture.

Wave III: Cases target corporations and investors that ignore or obfuscate climate change facts.�

Remember the three waves?

TASK: Imagine you are training to be a lawyer. Which wave would the courses below be relevant preparation for?

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A LLM in Human Rights, Bristol University - In-depth study of global human rights legal frameworks. You will explore international and regional institutions and mechanisms, as well as specialised areas like employment law, health law, and migration law, with a variety of optional units to choose from.

B Transnational Environmental Law, elective unit within LLM at LSE - explores key environmental law issues beyond national borders, focusing on international treaties, corporate responsibility, scientific and indigenous knowledge, rights-based approaches, and the integration of environmental concerns into other legal areas, using case studies on climate change and biodiversity.

Harj trained in environmental and human rights law, including at the Environmental Defenders Office and as a refugee lawyer in Papua New Guinea and Greece.

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He has worked on high-profile climate litigation in over 15

countries and various regions, and before major courts like the

Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the International Court of

Justice, and the European Court of Human Rights. He also advises governments, NGOs,

and the UN on climate law, and researches climate justice at Oxford and the LSE.

Harj Narulla, barrister at Doughty Street Chambers, specialising in climate law and litigation.

Example Cases:

• He represented the Solomon Islands in a landmark advisory opinion case at the International Court of Justice, addressing state obligations to prevent harm to future generations from climate change
• He represented a Serbian NGO in a complaint against the Serbian government for heavy metal river pollution causing transboundary harm, defending the rights of nature.

To become the kind of scientist who might be called on as an expert in a climate litigation case you need to:

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• Complete an undergraduate degree in maths or a science for 3-4 years
• Undertake further study to develop your specialism - most people would spend another year, or several, completing postgraduate degrees
• Seek out internships in or work as a researcher for example a summer internship at the Met Office or as a research assistant in a lab or group
• Present at conferences and publish scholarly work

Scientific expert

TASK:

How many years do you think it takes before you can count as an expert?

Where could you work as an environmental scientist?

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• Within a university department
• You could act as an expert witness in a climate litigation case
• You could take advisory roles, for example the IPCC (intergovernmental panel on climate change)
• You could work for a government agency like the Met Office or the Environment Agency
• You could work for not-for-profit organizations or local communities

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Scientific expert

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TASK: Which role(s) appeals to you more?

1. Serbian NGOs filed legal charges against the Serbian government and mining company, Dundee Precious Metals, for environmental damage and potential ecocide linked to a lithium mining project.

2. Mathur v. Ontario, the youth argued that their right to life and security of the person was violated given the real climate harms they were experiencing now, and would continue to experience in the future.

TASK: Which degree below would be the best preparation for being called as a witness in which case above?

Challenge: Which wave does each case belong to?

A BSc Environmental Science at Manchester University

Study humanity's effect on nature as well as how physical, chemical and biological processes maintain and interact with all life on Earth. Tackle pressing issues such as ensuring that human has access to clean water and air, and the resources required for agriculture and industrial activity.

B BSc Meteorology and Climate at Reading University.

In this course you will tackle the biggest issues facing the planet today, including ozone depletion and climate change, alongside world experts in the UK’s only dedicated meteorology department.

LAST TASK: Imagine you are going to pursue a career in climate litigation. Would you rather be a lawyer or a climate scientist? Write a reflection explaining which and why.

If I pursued a career in climate litigation, I would most like to be a …… working in ……

This work would particularly interest me because I would be able to….

I like the idea of…..

It would be amazing to be able to….

….. make important contributions to society because…

Begin by saying what you would like to be.

Go on to describe the kind of work you’d do and what you would enjoy about it.

Challenge: include a dream scenario e.g. a big win in court or a breakthrough in your research

Finish by saying what is important about this area of work.