Previous Competitions

Congratulations to Duffy and Jessica Kweon, Adam Fetian, Hannah Krehely, Cameron Luzarraga, Abby Badro, Carmen Perry, Paige Lauenstein and Spencer Baldacci from Baltimore Law School who won the 2024 Environmental Law and Policy Hack Competition. The team was coached by Professor Sonya Ziaja, Lisa Scianella, Lisa Blitstein, and Grant Foehrkolb.

The team finished first in the nation for its brief and presentation, “Achieving a Circular Economy for Textile Waste in Baltimore City: Improving a Significant Public-Private Partnership Through Targeted Legal Reform.”

• Read more about the 2023 Competition
• Watch the Final Round of the 2023 Environmental Law and Policy Hack Competition

Congratulations to the winners of the 2022 Environmental Law and Policy Hack Competition, Vanessa Forbes-Pateman, Alyssa Huffman, Clara Tomé, Gabriella Berman, and Katie Geddes, from the University of Miami School of Law, coached by Jessie Owley!

• Watch the Final Round of the 2022 Environmental Law and Policy Hack Competition

Meet the Top Four Finalists and Read Their Qualifying Briefs

• University of Vanderbilt School of Law (PDF)
• University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law (PDF)
• University of Miami School of Law (PDF)
• Yale School of the Environment, Yale School of Management (PDF)

Meet the Judges

María José Gutiérrez Murray
Senior Director of International Programs for Tradewater
Founder and Director of the Consulting Company RE Responsabilidad y Estrategia

Roger Martella
Vice President, Chief Sustainability Officer for the General Electric Company

Maram Salaheldin
Attorney at Law
Clark Hill's Environmental and Natural Resources and International Trade Practice Groups

Congratulations to the winners of the 2021 Environmental Law and Policy Hack Competition, Samantha Cristol, Jordan Maun, and Nteboheng Mokuena, from the University of Miami School of Law, coached by Jessie Owley!

• Click here to watch the Final Round of the 2021 Environmental Law and Policy Hack Competition.

Meet the Top Three Finalists and Read Their Qualifying Briefs

• University of Baltimore Law School (PDF)
• University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law (PDF)
• University of Miami School of Law

Meet the Judges

David Kanter
Associate Professors of Environmental Studies, New York University
Vice Chair of the International Nitrogen Initiative

Peter Lehner
Managing Attorney, Director of Sustainable Food and Farming Program, Earth Justice

Sarah Matsumoto
Assistant Professor of Clinical Education, Williamette University College of Law

Margot Pollans
Professor of Law, Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University

Congratulations to first place winners Bradley Adams and Kathryn Leidahl representing Drake Law School.

• Watch the Final Round of the 2020 Environmental Law and Policy Hack Competition

Meet the Top Three Finalists and Read Their Qualifying Briefs

• Vermont Law School (PDF)
• Drake University School of Law (PDF)
• University of Colorado Law School (PDF)

Meet the Judges

Professor Julie Cheslik: Julie M. Cheslik received a bachelor of arts with highest distinction from the University of Iowa in 1982 and a J.D. with high distinction from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1985, where she was an associate editor of the Law Review. She was admitted to the Missouri Bar in 1985 and was law clerk to estados unidos District Judge Joseph E. Stevens Jr. from 1985 to 1987. From 1987 until joining the Law School faculty in the fall of 1989, she was in practice with the firm of Stinson, Mag and Fizzell, specializing in commercial litigation and general corporate practice. In 1987 and 1988, she served the school as a volunteer writing instructor. Professor Cheslik teaches the courses Property I and Property II, Land Use and Estates and Trusts. Cheslik also served as the Editor of The Urban Lawyer until 2017.

Professor Shelby Green: Professor Shelby Green teaches Real Estate Transactions and Finance, Historic Preservation Seminar, and Property at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. After graduating from law school at Georgetown University Law Center, Professor Green worked as an associate at Nixon, Hargrave, Devans & Doyle (now Nixon Peabody), in Rochester, N.Y. and Washington, D.C., where she focused on corporate, litigation, communications, labor law, and tax (kicking and screaming) matters. For many years, she served as a member of the Board of Directors of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, White Plains, N.Y. She is currently a member of the Board of the John Jay Heritage Center, Rye, N.Y. Professor Green also serves the community through her pro bono work for which she received a service award from the New York State Bar Association. For three years, she served as the director of the Pace LL.M. Program in Real Estate Law. Currently, she is the editor of the “Keeping Current—Property” column in Probate & Property, a magazine published by the Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section of the American Bar Association. She has authored articles in the areas of property law and corporations.

Christopher Rizzo, Esq: Christopher received his B.A. in 1997 from Manhattan College (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) and completed his J.D. in 2001 from Pace University School of Law School (cum laude; Articles Editor, Pace Environmental Law Review; Certificate of Environmental Law) Chris Rizzo’s practice includes a wide variety of litigation, environmental and land-use matters. They include litigation and transactional matters arising out of environmental impact reviews for state and city-sponsored projects, compliance with local zoning and preservation laws, open space preservation, open space easements, development agreements and licenses, management of hazardous materials and energy generation. His practice also includes general litigation, often related to land-use disputes, construction and contracts. He works closely with the firm’s real estate department and corporate department on due diligence related to land transactions and corporate mergers and acquisitions. In a pro-bono capacity, he is involved in several community-based organizations focused on revitalization of New York City’s parks and public spaces.

Daniel Zarrilli: Daniel is a licensed Professional Engineer in New York and holds an MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from MIT and a BS in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University. He resides in Staten Island with his wife and three children.As New York City’s Chief Climate Policy Advisor and OneNYC Director, Daniel Zarrilli is preparing America’s largest city for the future and delivering on New York City’s Green New Deal. Under Daniel’s leadership, New York City recently released its newest long-term strategic plan, OneNYC 2050, which includes bold new actions to confront our climate crisis, achieve equity, and strengthen our democracy, demonstrating what a Green New Deal looks like in action. Since 2013, he has positioned New York City as the global leader in the fight against climate change. Notable successes include launching a comprehensive $20 billion climate adaptation program, aligning the city’s GHG reductions with the 1.5C target of the Paris Agreement, committing to divest the City’s pension funds from fossil fuel reserve owners and invest billions into climate solutions, suing fossil fuel companies for the damage caused by climate change, reaching a first-of-its-kind agreement with FEMA to provide new climate-smart flood maps, and delivering on Mayor de Blasio’s groundbreaking 2015 OneNYC resilience strategy, which for the first time incorporated equity into New York City’s sustainability efforts. Until recently, Daniel served on NOAA’s advisory committee for the Sustained National Climate Assessment. He also concluded a 3-year term on FEMA’s National Advisory Council and advised the State of Louisiana on its 2017 Coastal Master Plan update. Previously, he was Senior Vice President for Asset Management at the New York City Economic Development Corporation and spent five years with Bechtel Infrastructure Corporation.