Careers in Climate Law

Thinking about a Career in Climate Law?

What is the best way to combine law and climate action?  Would you like to use your law degree to fight for the planet?  Would you like to find out about career pathways and opportunities for climate lawyers?

The Faculty of Law at Bond University would like to invite you to the Climate Law Careers Symposium, featuring Hawaiian Supreme Court Judge, Justice Michael Wilson as keynote speaker.

We have an outstanding panel who will discuss their career pathways in Climate Law.  

A free event, which is not to be missed.   The event will be held multi-modal (in-person and online).  

Justice Michael Wilson

Justice Wilson will be presenting a keynote speech on "Climate Hope Law"

Associate Justice Michael Wilson was appointed to the Hawaii Supreme Court on April 17, 2014, after serving as a Circuit Court Judge of the First Circuit since May 10, 2000.  As a Circuit Court Judge, he presided over adult drug court, adult mental health court and the felony criminal trial court.   

Justice Wilson is a founding member of the Global Judicial Institute on the Environment and an adjunct faculty member of the Jindal Global University Law School in Sonipat, India.

Prior to his appointment as a Circuit Court judge, Justice Wilson was the Director of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Chair of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, Chair of the State Water Commission and a Trustee of the Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission.  He was awarded a lifetime membership in the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife agencies in 1999.  Previously, he was a partner in the law firms of Pavey Wilson & Glickstein and Hart Wolff & Wilson where he practiced civil and criminal trial and appellate law.

Justice Wilson received his law degree from Antioch School of Law in Washington D.C., and bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

David Barnden

David is the Principal Lawyer and Founder of Equity Generation Lawyers.  He oversees the firm's work on climate change, biodiversity and First Nations related matters.  

Prior to establishing the firm in 2019, David was a Principal Lawyer at Environmental Justice Australia.  He gained significant experience litigating complex class actions at Maurice Blackburn in Sydney and was involved in human rights and finance advocacy on behalf of impacted communities whilst working in Latin America and Europe.

David holds a degree in Law and Applied Science (Coastal Management).  He respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land and pas respect to Elders past, present and emerging.

Susan Higginson, MLC

Sue is an elected Greens Member of the NSW Legislative Council.  She is an environmental law expert and has practiced as a public interest environmental lawyer. She is the former Principal Solicitor and CEO of the Environmental Defenders Office, Australia's leading public interest environmental law centre.

Sue has been responsible for high profile environmental litigation in Australia. She has represented communities challenging mining giants, proponents of environmentally harmful development and holding Governments to account for the environment. She has delivered environmental legal services to rural, remote and regional communities and First Nations communities across NSW.

Sue has operated her own legal practice where in addition to her environmental legal practice, she assisted environmental protestors who came into contact with the criminal justice system as a result of their activities to protect the environment. She has represented hundreds of people in relation to forestry, mining and coal seam gas and climate change protests in courts across Australia.

Sue has lectured and taught environmental law in universities across NSW. She holds a Bachelor of Laws, with First Class Honours and was awarded the University Medal upon graduation.

Sue has sat on a number of Boards of not for profit charitable environmental organisations in Australia where she advised on governance and compliance.

Sue is a farmer, she grows dry land rice, and other crops, with her partner on their farm on the Richmond Floodplain in the Northern Rivers. Central to her farming practice is biodiversity management and conservation. Her farm is home to koalas, where she has planted thousands of trees to try to secure their future.

Eddie Lloyd

Eddie Lloyd practices law and activism on Bundjalung country. Eddie was a former Councillor on Lismore City Councillor and a law lecturer at Southern Cross University.  She is an accredited specialist in criminal law but as the planet moved towards further breakdown, she moved into environmental law and spends most of her time representing climate change activists and forest protectors who are relying on the defence of necessity in NSW.

She also advises campaign strategy to various NGO’s in the climate change space and is a volunteer with the Bob Brown Foundation, recently organising a successful forest festival and rally in Lismore.  Eddie is a mum to a 10-year-old son, who is also a citizen scientist and forest protector and who motivates her to continue campaigning for the end of native forest logging and fossil fuel operations.  In her spare time, she enjoys hiking and caring for country. 

Event Details

Careers in Climate Law will be held in multi-modal format (both in-person and online).   

For in-person attendance, food will be served.  For those attending in-person, the event will be held in the Princeton Room, Building 6, Bond University, University Drive, Robina.

For any questions, please do not hesitate to contact:

• Nadia Singh, Engagement Manager for the Faculty of Law| E: [email protected] | P: (07) 5595-2067.
• Meg Mckenna, Events Coordinator | E: [email protected] | P: (07) 5595-1162