The American Bar Association has named Richard J. Lazarus ’79, the Charles Stebbins Fairchild Professor of Law at Harvard, the recipient of Lifetime Achievement Award in Environmental, Energy, or Resources Law and Policy. The award recognizes the extraordinary accomplishments of leading practitioners and scholars whose work has profoundly shaped environmental, energy, and natural resources law and policy in the United States.
In recognizing Lazarus, the ABA cited his impact as a scholar, teacher, and advocate, noting that his work has helped shape modern environmental law and informed courts, policymakers, and practitioners at the highest levels of the legal system.
Widely regarded as one of the nation’s foremost experts on environmental law and a leading U.S. Supreme Court practitioner, Lazarus joined the Harvard Law School faculty in 2011.
Over the course of his career, he has represented the United States, state and local governments, and environmental organizations in 40 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, presenting oral argument in 14 of those cases. His scholarship focuses on environmental and natural resources law, with particular emphasis on constitutional law and Supreme Court decision-making.
He is the author of several influential books, including “The Making of Environmental Law” (University of Chicago Press, 2nd ed. 2023), widely hailed as the definitive history of the emergence and evolution of modern environmental law in the United States; “The Rule of Five: Making Climate History at the Supreme Court” (Belknap Press, 2020); and “Environmental Law Stories” (Aspen Press, 2005), co-edited with Oliver Houck.
He also served as executive director of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, and was the principal author of “Deep Water – The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling” (2011), the commission’s report to the president analyzing the causes of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill and recommending reforms to reduce future risks.
This is not the first time the ABA has recognized Lazarus’s contributions. In 2011, he received the association’s Award for Distinguished Achievement in Environmental Law and Policy, honoring his leadership in improving environmental protection and advancing sustainable development.
Before joining Harvard Law School, Lazarus was the Justice William J. Brennan, Jr., Professor of Law at Georgetown University, where he also founded the Supreme Court Institute, a pioneering center dedicated to Supreme Court advocacy and scholarship.
He earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1979, and holds a B.S. in chemistry and a B.A. in economics from the University of Illinois.
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