Sommer Engels, Harvard Law School’s Emmett Environmental Law and Policy Clinic

In this episode of Her Way Climate, we speak with Professor Sommer, a clinical instructor at Harvard’s Emmett Environmental Law and Policy Clinic. Professor Sommer shares her journey from litigator at the DOJ to Deputy General Counsel at the White House Council on Environmental Quality and now an educator. She discusses the similarities and differences between these roles, her passion for working with students, and the various impactful projects at the law clinic, including amicus briefs and comment letters. Sommer also delves into the influence of political polarization on environmental litigation, the importance of federal agencies like the EPA, and strategies for combating climate change through legal frameworks. Professor Sommer emphasizes the critical role of resilience and public engagement in environmental law and shares hopeful perspectives on the future of climate action.