Career opportunities in environmental, regulatory and patent law are available for people with strong science backgrounds. Although some scientific disciplines, and the legal profession itself, suffer from overpopulation at present, those who combine science and law can create satisfying career alternatives and meet needs in industrial and governmental organizations.
Susan Poulter, who teaches environmental law at the University of Utah, says: “There are many legal clients who are eager to assess the risk of their operations in the light of environmental regulations. But the pesticide, clean air and water statutes are complex, and interpreting them requires good scientific understanding on top of legal knowledge.” Poulter, who holds a PhD in organic chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, and taught at Utah before embarking on her legal education, foresees environmental law work remaining abundant in the future, even if it is not today quite the rising star it was a few years ago.
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