Individuals or organizations who have distinguished themselves in environmental law and policy, contributing significant leadership in improving the substance, process or understanding of environmental protection and sustainable development. Eligible individuals must be lawyers and may include academics, policymakers, legislators, practitioners, members of the judiciary or journalists. Nominated practitioners must be duly licensed members of a bar association in good standing. Eligible organizations may include non-profits, bar associations, law school clinical programs, legal services programs, tribal nations, and law firms. In its discretion, ABA may carry over a nominee from 2007, and also welcomes re-nomination of candidates who were proposed unsuccessfully in a prior year. Current ABA/SCEL and Section Council members, and ABA staff and entities, are ineligible. Self-nominations will not be accepted.

1. Individual lawyers who, through an environmental law practice, scholarship or other significant career involvement with programs, services, regulatory systems, legal cases, journalism, education or legislation, have exerted leadership that directly resulted in significant improvements in the substance, process or understanding of environmental law or policy;
2. Organizations/Programs – U.S. bar associations, law school clinical programs, non-profit institutions, non-profit legal services programs, law firms, government offices or programs, tribal programs, and law-related programs that provide representation, education or advocacy on environmental matters – that have exerted leadership that directly resulted in significant improvements in the substance, process or understanding of environmental law or policy.

Submit a nomination packet consisting of the following: (a) Nomination Form containing (i) name and contact information for candidate and nominating party; (ii) summary of accomplishment(s), with dates, that demonstrate the singular achievement for which the award is sought; (iii) names and contact information for up to three (3) professional references who will attest to the accomplishment(s) in question; and (iv) the nominating party’s familiarity with the nominee and the accomplishments in question; (b) nominee’s resume or similar summary document detailing professional and volunteer accomplishments; and (c) optional supplementary supporting documents not to exceed a total of 10 pages. Each party may nominate one candidate for the individual award and one candidate for the organizations/programs award. If ABA is asked to reconsider a prior year nominee by the party, the prior nomination package will be used unless new material is submitted.

Click here for an on-line nomination form. Click here for a .pdf nomination form and send via fax or e-mail to scel@staff.abanet.org.