This advanced, practice-focused seminar examines the legal and regulatory frameworks governing the production, transmission, financing, and transition of energy in the United States and global markets. The course integrates energy law, environmental regulation, administrative law, and commercial transactions, emphasizing how lawyers operate in real-world energy projects and policy environments.
Students will explore how energy systems are structured and regulated—from fossil fuels to renewable energy—and how legal rules shape markets, infrastructure development, and climate policy. The course focuses on practical lawyering skills, including regulatory compliance, project development, contract structuring, risk allocation, and dispute resolution.
The seminar treats energy law as a dynamic, high-stakes field at the intersection of economics, geopolitics, and environmental policy, preparing students to advise clients across the full lifecycle of energy projects and regulatory frameworks.
This course assumes prior study of administrative law, environmental law, or business law.
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
1. Understand the structure of energy markets and regulatory systems.
2. Analyze federal and state regulation of energy production and distribution.
3. Evaluate legal frameworks governing fossil fuels and renewable energy.
4. Structure energy project transactions and contracts.
5. Assess compliance risks in regulated energy markets.
6. Understand permitting and siting challenges for energy infrastructure.
7. Analyze disputes in energy law and policy.
8. Evaluate energy transition strategies and climate policy integration.
9. Apply legal doctrine to real-world energy projects.
10. Develop practical legal strategies for advising energy clients.
