Student Opportunities Through HELI
Through the Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative, Iowa Law students gain hands-on experience, national exposure, and critical support to launch careers in environmental, energy, and natural resources law. HELI provides summer stipends, conference travel, field-based learning, and mentorship to help students engage directly with environmental law.
HELI Summer Grant Program
HELI's summer grants are designed to ease the financial burden of University of Iowa law students working in unpaid summer positions. These grants awards support students in unpaid public interest or public service positions in environmental law. Applications open in January for the upcoming summer positions.
Professional Development
HELI provides funding for students interested in environmental law to travel to professional development opportunities. We support students who have been invited to present their papers at conferences, as well as students interested in going to environmental conferences.
Field-Based Learning
The Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative hosts a recurring environmental law field course. The interdisciplinary intersession course, titled “Wildlife and Habitat Conservation Law,” introduces law students to the law of species and habitat protection, focusing on animals and plants located in the Macbride Nature Recreation Area.
Hubbell Summer Grants Program
Through HELI, Iowa Law continues to support students passionate about public interest and public service careers in environmental law by providing summer stipends that make these experiences possible. Over the 2024–2025 academic year, the HELI team built and strengthened partnerships with a broader range of environmental organizations whose work focuses on issues relevant to Iowa and neighboring states.
2025 Summer Grants Recap
15
students were awarded summer grants in 2025 alone
86 %
of placements were at organizations in the midwest
8
different states students are working in
Partner Organizations
For Summer 2025, students are gaining valuable experience with the following organizations:
Clean Wisconsin
Driftless Water Defenders
Ducks Unlimited
Environmental Investigation Agency
Illinois Environmental Council
Iowa Environmental Council
Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy
Missouri Coalition for the Environment
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Polk County Air Quality Division
Sierra Club – Iowa Chapter
Sierra Club – National Organization
The Nature Conservancy – North America Agriculture Program
University of Iowa's Environmental Compliance
Summer Grant Student Profiles
HELI Summer Grant Student Profiles
All Summer Grant Profiles
Hubbell Graduation Award for Excellence in Environmental Law
Environmental Law Moot Court Team
Iowa Law Environmental Moot Court Team Advances to Quarterfinals at National Competition
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.
Upcoming Events of Interest - See You There!
Our Water, Our Future: A Look at the Central Iowa Water Quality Report
From the Driftless to the Delta: Rethinking Water Protections in the Mississippi River Watershed
Join us for a timely panel discussion exploring how states, communities, and advocates are responding to the regulatory and environmental uncertainties left in the wake of the Sackett v. EPA decision. With a focus on wetlands and water protections across the Mississippi River watershed—from the bluffs of the Driftless Region to the bayous of the Delta—this conversation brings together regional experts to highlight innovative legal, policy, and collaborative approaches for safeguarding critical...
Finding Common Ground: Bypassing Polarization on Energy Issues Fireside Chat
The Private Sector and the Planet: Environmental Governance Across Industries series presents:
Watch Party – Finding Common Ground: Energy and Bipartisanship
Join us for a live watch party of “Finding Common Ground: Bypassing Polarization on Energy Issues,” featuring former Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, a nationally recognized leader in clean energy and pragmatic policymaking. Hosted by Vanderbilt Law School, this conversation explores how collaboration can drive real progress on...