Andrew Mergen, faculty director of the Emmett Environmental Law and Policy Clinic, was named an assistant clinical professor at Harvard Law School, effective January 1.
Mergen brings extensive experience as a leading environmental litigator and educator. In 2022, he joined the Harvard Law School Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic, where he mentors clinic students, strengthens partnerships with environmental advocacy organizations, and provides strategic leadership. Under his direction, the clinic has begun a novel Environmental Moot Court Initiative, which brings together students and experts to help green law organizations prepare for court by staging comprehensive moot arguments. This winter, Mergen launched a new course Environmental Legislation and Regulation Lab, which introduces students to legislative and regulatory drafting.
“Andrew Mergen brings to HLS exceptional depth of expertise in environmental law, shaped by his many years at the U.S. Department of Justice. His insights into today’s most pressing environmental law challenges — and the innovative solutions they demand — will be an invaluable asset to our students and to the entire community. We are delighted that he will be bring his knowledge and experience to our school to educate and inspire the next generation of leaders in the field of environmental law,” said John C.P. Goldberg, the Morgan and Helen Chu Dean and Professor of Law at Harvard Law School.
“I have practiced environmental law for a long time, and things are especially tough in this field right now,” says Mergen. “Still, my work at HLS and in the clinic makes me especially hopeful about the future. Our students are bright, hardworking, kind, and empathetic. I know they are going to do great things. It is an enormous privilege to help them obtain the skills that will hasten their success.”
Mergen served for many years in the Appellate Section of the Environment & Natural Resources Division at the United States Department of Justice. He began his career at the Justice Department in the Honors Program and concluded his service as chief of the Appellate Section. During his tenure, Mergen presented oral arguments in all 13 federal courts of appeals, including two en banc courts, and before several state intermediate and supreme courts. He has also worked on more than a dozen merits cases in the U.S. Supreme Court.
In 2009, Mergen assisted the Office of White House Counsel on the confirmation of Sonia Sotomayor as associate justice of the Supreme Court. During his career at the Justice Department, Mergen received the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service three times and the Environment and Natural Resources Division ‘s Muskee-Chafee Award, honoring his significant contribution to protecting the nation’s natural resources.
“Andy Mergen is a phenomenal teacher and a vital member of our clinical teaching community,” said Chris Bavitz, WilmerHale Clinical Professor of Law and vice dean for Experiential and Clinical Education. “I am delighted that our students and colleagues will continue to have the benefit of his expertise on some of the most important issues of our time.”
Before joining the clinic four years ago, Mergen had garnered extensive teaching experience, having previously taught advanced environmental law at Harvard Law School, natural resources law at the University of Michigan Law School, environmental law at American University, and administrative law at the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii-Manoa.
Mergen has written extensively on environmental and natural resources law. His scholarship includes articles on federal water rights, energy development on public lands, climate change and the Endangered Species Act, and the accommodation of Native American sacred sites on federal land. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and his J.D. from the George Washington University Law School.
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