S.J. Quinney College of Law

Named after the Pulitzer Prize-winning author and conservationist, the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment offers students one of the top environmental and natural resources law programs in the United States. We also offer unparalleled access to the mountains, rivers, and desert landscapes that inspire our students, staff, and faculty to pursue environmental law.

Modern society has the power to profoundly alter our natural surroundings. The choices we make today and legal institutions we craft to implement those choices will impact the air we breathe, water we drink, and landscapes we tread for generations to come. Those choices are also intimately intertwined with efforts to promote a just, equitable, and thriving society. The Stegner Center positions itself at the intersection of those choices. We encourage legally rigorous solutions that are grounded in the best available science and information, fidelity to the law, and that promote transparency and meaningful community engagement.

The Stegner Center offers a variety of educational opportunities, including a certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law for JD students, an LLM degree where students can focus on environmental law, numerous substantive environmental law courses, and faculty supervised research opportunities. Our students can also engage with our Law and Policy Program, Great Salt Lake Project, Energy Transition Initiative, Environmental Justice Clinic, and International Law Clinic (which works on environmental issues) as well as attend events on a variety of emerging topics in environmental and natural resources law.

The Stegner Center boasts a talented and diverse team who are working to shape environmental law and policy, and who are committed to involving students in that work. Our faculty and staff serve on local and national NGO boards and advisory committees, collaborate with state and federal government officials to improve environmental policies, and they advocate for the rule of law, sound science, and engaged decision-making in the courtroom and halls of government.

At the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment, we believe that well-conceived and carefully implemented laws and policies are the cornerstones of society, and we invite you to join us in that pursuit.