Meg Holden, a 3L, is deeply interested in environmental law, which she hopes to build into a career in environmental litigation and policy work. Prior to attending law school, Meg worked for two years for an environmental NGO in New Delhi, India. She came to law school in large part to prepare for a career focused on protecting the environment, both at home and abroad.
Last summer, Meg interned at the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in Washington, D.C., where she supported the organization’s environmental litigation and broader policy efforts. Meg loved her experience; she particularly enjoyed the autonomy that she was given in determining her areas of focus, as well as the diversity of her assignments (her work covered a wide variety of topics related to climate change and international policy). One of the highlights of her internship was helping to research/write a brief for a case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
During her 1L summer, Meg worked in the Environmental Crimes Section of the U.S. Department of Justice. Throughout the summer, she worked on criminal litigation in which the defendants, typically corporations, had broken laws aimed at protecting ecological and wildlife resources. Meg really enjoyed the work and found that it provided her with a more nuanced appreciation for the demands of environmental litigation. She particularly valued the opportunity to work on substantive assignments alongside a team of such high-caliber attorneys.
As someone planning a career in litigation, Meg found her 1L summer experience in litigation particularly valuable. She also underscores how important it is to network before, during and after 1L summer.
Meg will be clerking in Washington, D.C. next year and eventually hopes to continue to work on environmental litigation and policy.
Written by OPIA 1L Section Representative Ilan Stein