Student Opportunities Through HELI
There are various opportunities available to Iowa Law students interested in environmental law, such as stipends for unpaid environmental law work, awards to ease the burden of unpaid summer work, or conducting research with associated faculty. These opportunities are explored in more detail below, including profiles of students who have taken advantage of these opportunities.
Hubbell Scholars
Incoming students with a Hubbell Environmental Law Scholars designation will be guaranteed stipends of $6,000 for unpaid environmental law internships at government agencies or nonprofits during the summer after their first year.
See examples of these opportunities below, from the testimony of Alec Goos and Jonathan Humston.
HELI Summer Fellowships
HELI Fellowships are designed to ease the financial burden of University of Iowa law students working in unpaid summer positions. There are $6,000 awards to support students in unpaid public interest or public service positions in environmental law.
See examples of these opportunities below, from the testimony of Andrew Hamilton and Kegan Peters.
Research Assistants
During their time at the Law School, our students take regular advantage of opportunities to conduct Research Assistant roles with associated faculty, during the academic year and over the summer.
See examples of these opportunities below, from the testimony of Sean Conrad and Madison Rush.
Hubbell Scholars
Incoming students with a Hubbell Environmental Law Scholars designation are guaranteed stipends for unpaid environmental law internships at government agencies or nonprofits during the summer after their first year.
Alec Goos - J.D. Candidate, 2025
Hometown: Adel, Iowa
About Alec: Alec is a graduate of Boston College, where he studied Political Science. Alec is a member of the College of Law's Environmental Law Society (ELS) and a Mentee in the ABA's Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (SEER) Bridge Program. After graduation, he hopes to have a fulfilling career in environmental law to promote environmental justice. Over the summer 2023 as a Law Clerk at the Iowa Environmental Council, Alec will assist IEC in conducting legal research, drafting documents, and supporting litigation or other advocacy efforts. The work will support IEC’s efforts on climate, environmental justice, clean water, and clean energy.
In Alec's own words: “As a Hubbell Scholar, I have been able to explore different opportunities and have access to valuable resources. There have been numerous speaker events and conversations with alumni that have enabled me to explore aspects of environmental law that I had not previously considered. HELI allows Iowa Law to be a leading voice in environmental law as we work to improve sustainability efforts in our communities. I think HELI places conversations around environmental law to be at the forefront; I think that it will create lawyers who are cognizant of not only the importance of environmental law, but also the intersectionality between environmental law and other fields of law.”
Jonathan Humston, PhD - J.D. Candidate, 2025
Hometown: Iowa City, Iowa
About Jonathan: Jonathan's undergraduate degrees are from The University of Northern Iowa in chemistry and teaching. He taught high school science at Iowa City High. Then, he got a PhD from The University of Iowa in chemistry. Most recently, Jonathan was a chemistry professor at Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids.
Jonathan enrolled in law school because he wants to make a positive impact on the community, state, and the world as a scientifically trained, environmentally focused attorney. As a lifelong resident of Iowa, Jonathan cares deeply about our communities and our state. He has three children and believes it is important to pass on a world with clean and abundant energy and water, a healthy climate, and optimism about the future. "A summer working as a HELI Summer Law Clerk at IEC will be a great opportunity to apply science and law from the classroom to real world problems," Jonathan says.
Over the summer 2023 as a Law Clerk at IEC, Jonathan will assist IEC in conducting legal research, drafting documents, and supporting litigation or other advocacy efforts. The work will support IEC’s efforts on climate, environmental justice, clean water, and clean energy.
HELI Fellowships
HELI Fellowships are designed to ease the financial burden of University of Iowa law students working in unpaid summer positions. There are awards every summer to support students in unpaid public interest or public service positions in environmental law.
Jonathan Picado, J.D. Candidate, 2024
Hometown: El Paso, TX
Hubbell Fellow, 2022
Last summer, Jonathan worked at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment & Natural Resources Division in their Natural Resources Section. "I was able to work on matters ranging from Fifth Amendment takings arising out of natural disasters to water rights disputes between states. My work with the Department of Justice was exactly what I envisioned environmental advocacy to look like––one that is informed by both the law and the science surrounding many environmental issues," he said. "HELI’s mission to incorporate students, academics, and local community members is incredibly inspiring, and
"I will be working with the Transportation Section of the Alaska Department of Law’s Civil Division in both Anchorage and Fairbanks. My work will primarily focus on providing legal support and counsel for an array of land, sea, and air projects that impact Alaskans while working with a wide range of stakeholders.
Having a background within geospatial sciences and geography, I have been naturally drawn to creating a career based upon environmental advocacy and development. I believe efforts can almost always be made to better facilitate environmental issues regardless of the project at hand –
Andrew J. Hamilton, J.D. Candidate, 2025
Hometown: Colorado Springs, CO
Hubbell Fellow, 2023
Kegan Peters, J.D. Candidate, 2025
Hometown: Ames, IA
Hubbell Fellow, 2023
"This summer I will be interning with Clean Wisconsin, which is an environmental non-profit in Madison, WI. I will be assisting them in challenging water permits issued by the DNR and representing them in utility rate cases and construction cases. While at Clean Wisconsin, I am also excited to have the opportunity to design and complete a research project on a specific area of environmental law. I became interested in environmental work after the 2020 derecho. The derecho provided every Iowan, including me, a glimpse into the severe weather events that will be become more and more common if we
Research Assistants (RAs)
During their time at the Law School, our students take regular advantage of opportunities to conduct Research Assistant roles with associated faculty during the academic year and over the summer.
Madison Rush, J.D. Candidate, 2025
Hometown: Clinton, IA
Research Assistant for Professor Gronstal
Madison Rush, J.D. Candidate, 2025 will conduct Research Assistance for the HELI Research Fellow Ingrid Gronstal over the Summer 2023 session, while working as an intern for Chief Justice Patrick J. Schiltz for the U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota. Her work will primarily focus on completing research projects for upcoming opinions. Madison has been interested in environmental law since she was an undergraduate. Her undergraduate degree was in International Relations, and she studied the impact of environmental law on populations globally. Additionally, growing up in the Midwest she
Sean Conrad, J.D Candidate, 2024 has been conducting research assistance for the UI College of Law’s Labor Center since Fall, 2022. Sean received his undergraduate degrees in Spanish and Business Administration. In law school, his focus has been on public defense work, as well as issues in labor and employment law. Sean has explored contemporary labor issues in Iowa, primarily focused on drafting guidance for unions and elected officials so that they can best navigate complicated issues under federal and state law. This includes key questions about the application of IRA labor standards issues
Sean Conrad, J.D. Candidate, 2024
Hometown: Swisher, IA
Research Assistant for the UI Labor Center
Hubbell Award for Excellence in Environmental Law
Environmental Law Moot Court Team
Other Ways to Engage in Environmental Opportunities at Iowa Law
Environmental Law Society
Iowa ELS is a student-run organization that aims to increase awareness of environmental issues. HELI supports the Environmental Law Society at Iowa Law by supporting student ideas and advocating for issues that are raised during regular ELS meetings. Iowa Law’s ELS is a member of the ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources' (SEER) Environmental Law Society Network (ELSN). The ELSN brings environmental law students from schools across the U.S. together to exchange ideas, succeed professionally, and positively impact their communities. The ELSN fulfills this mission by (1) providing resources for students to start or improve environmental law societies at their schools, (2) fostering a relationship between environmental legal professionals and students, and (3) hosting national events.
Moot Court
Iowa Law is an enthusiastic participant in Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition (NELMCC) at Pace University Haub School of Law. The Pace Moot Court Competition is one of the nation’s largest interschool moot court competitions. With Iowa Law’s Clinical Professor Mary Ksobiech, Iowa Law has established a moot court participation and elimination process, with the plan to have an Iowa Law cohort represented in the competition that will take place this Fall, 2023 and into Spring 2024. This experience will provide another robust opportunity for students to deepen their experience in environmental, natural resources, and energy law during their time at Iowa Law.
Professional Opportunities - Internships and Externships
During their time at the Law School, our students take regular advantage of externships with state agencies, federal agencies, nonprofit and advocacy groups, and other nonprofit organizations. In the past three years, Iowa Law has supported students who have externed at numerous locations, including the Iowa Environmental Council, Iowa Attorney General – Environmental Division, Deere & Company Law Services Group, and the Office of the Tribal Attorney at Yurok Tribal Council.
Students work part-time during the school year and full time on internships during the summers at companies, state and federal agencies, and law firms around the country and internationally on a range of natural resources, environmental, and energy law projects.
Clinical Work CELP
The University of Iowa College of Law’s Community Empowerment Law Project (CELP) clinic has provided opportunities for students interested in environmental law to engage in clinical practice during their time at Iowa. While the CELP clinic is relevant to anyone interested in pursuing public interest environmental advocacy, there are several specific projects of note that are directly connected to the mission of FNRELs projects with a direct connection.