HELI Events and Programming
The Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative hosts a wide range of events that bring together legal experts, policymakers, industry leaders, academics, and the public to explore timely environmental law and policy issues. HELI programming includes panel discussions, book talks, faculty presentations, and symposia that foster dialogue on the intersection of law, climate change, and environmental justice. Events are open to all - from students, faculty, professionals, and community members - and often include both in-person and virtual attendance options.
Upcoming HELI Events
The Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative events are here.
For our past events, visit our previous events here.
Upcoming Events
The Return of Nuclear: Duane Arnold, Energy Security, and Iowa's Energy Future
As interest in nuclear energy grows across the United States, Iowa has become part of the national conversation with the proposed restart of the Duane Arnold Energy Center near Cedar Rapids. This timely discussion brings together leaders from the surrounding community, industry, government, environmental advocacy, and the scientific community to think through the legal, scientific, economic, and community issues raised by the proposed Duane Arnold restart. The panel will explore how policymakers...
Hidden in Plain Sight: Environmental Law Across Iowa Practice
Environmental law isn't just for environmental lawyers. Join the Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative for a CLE exploring how environmental issues arise across a wide range of legal practice areas in Iowa. Through practical examples and real-world scenarios, panelists will discuss environmental due diligence in business and agricultural transactions, farm succession and estate planning, land use and local government decisions, and litigation involving contamination, nuisance claims, and...
Communities as Clients: Challenges in Environmental Justice
Environmental justice presents unique legal and ethical challenges that extend beyond traditional environmental law. Join the Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative for a CLE exploring the role of attorneys representing communities affected by environmental harms. Using real-world examples from Iowa, this program will examine environmental justice principles, community lawyering, and the ethical issues that arise in representing individuals, organizations, and coalitions. Topics include...
Environmental Legislative Preview for the 2027 Iowa Legislative Session
What environmental and natural resource issues could be on the agenda when the Iowa Legislature returns in January? Join the Environmental Law Society and the Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative for a preview of the 2027 Iowa legislative session with Kerri Johannsen, Senior Director of Policy and Programs at the Iowa Environmental Council, and Threase Harms, President and CEO of Advocacy Strategies. Drawing on their extensive experience with Iowa policy and the legislative process, Johannsen...
Healthy Iowa: Environmental Science, Public Health Data, and the Law
Environmental contaminants, from PFAS and pesticides to emerging contaminants that may not yet be fully understood, raise complicated questions for communities: What are we being exposed to? What are the potential health effects? How do we know when there is a problem? Who is responsible? And what can communities and individuals do when contamination is discovered?
This public-facing panel will bring together experts in science, public health, and environmental law to explore those questions and...
2026 Environmental Law Seminar
The 2026 Environmental Law Seminar is a dynamic CLE program navigating the intricacies of environmental law and its broader impact. Propel your practice forward by being a pioneer in environmental law's evolution in Iowa.
REGISTRATION FEES
More information coming soon.
ATTENDANCE OPTIONS
In-person attendance will take place simultaneously at both the Boyd Law Building (130 Byington Rd., Iowa City, IA 52246) and the ISBA Building (625 E. Court Ave., Des Moines, IA 50309). Lunch is provided to in...
A Recap of 2025-2026 Events
Throughout the 2025-2026 academic year, HELI hosted a diverse lineup of events centered around the overlap of environmental law, ethics, industry leadership, human rights, and activism. Highlights included a collaborative year-long speaker series with Vanderbilt on the role of private environmental governance, a panel on data center development in Iowa, a conversation with Pulitzer Prize-Winning journalist Elizabeth Kolbert, and the launching of our Practitioner in Residence Program featuring renowned Liberian Environmental litigator, Alfred Brownell. These events represented HELI's continued commitment to spotlighting critical environmental issues and providing platforms to diverse voices.
Some highlights of our events are here.
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What kinds of events does HELI organize and support?
The HELI team hosts various kinds of events during the academic year. Those events generally fall into the following categories:
Hubbell Lecture Series
Leading voices from academia, government, environmental groups, and industry. Some lecturers are co-sponsored by other schools and programs at the University of Iowa or the larger community. The lecture series provides Iowa Law students the community the opportunity to learn from leaders of the environmental movement in the United States, builds relationships between the Law School and the environmental community, and contributes to debate about the environmental challenges facing our nation and the world. Students have the opportunity to meet privately with speakers during their visits to Iowa Law. All lectures are free and open to the public.
Careers in Environmental Law Speaker Series
HELI offers an event series focusing on careers in the large umbrella of environmental law. This event series includes public service and public interest attorneys, as well as attorneys in private practice and within larger firms and corporations. The practice areas encompass areas of environmental law, such as energy and sustainability programs, as well as more traditional compliance counseling and enforcement practices. Most speakers in this series are Iowa Law alums.
Panel Discussions and Special Events
HELI routinely sponsors panel discussions and special events throughout the year on current issues in environmental law with a particular emphasis on issues affecting the state of Iowa and the midwest region. The panel discussions are moderated by members of Iowa's distinguished and extensive environmental and sustainability faculty, staff and researchers. The discussions include presentations by academics, practitioners, and policy makers. Many of the events and panels are presented in conjunction with classroom discussions.
News about past events
Exploring the crossroads of human health and the environment in HELI's fall event series
HELI welcomes New York Times reporter, authors, and scholars to Iowa Law this Spring
HELI's Fall Programming Highlights Campus, Community, and Academic Partnerships
