Dear students,
Today, you are facing a milestone of your life – to choose your future specialty. This is an important step that will shape you as a law specialist in the future. Let me suggest you to choose an optional course “Environmental and Natural Resources Law”. In recent decades, the issue of rational environmental resources management has been one of the leading in the policy formation of developed countries and all EU member states, to which Ukraine is heading. The right of citizens to a healthy and safe environment is a trend and challenge of the 21st century. It is worth recalling the cult movie ‘Erin Brockovich’ directed by Steven Soderbergh; its key topic is the protection of human rights, when a person fought against pollution and obtained millions in compensation from polluting companies. The choice to protect the right to a healthy and safe environment is not only moral, but applied one. Lawyers specializing in the protection of environmental rights are in great demand and highly paid in developed countries, and this trend is also developing in Ukraine.
The legal environmental front is of one of the most important issues under the conditions of Ukraine’s resistance to armed aggression, when the russian federation commits crimes against humanity and ecocide. The issue of responsibility under international law for environmental damages is extremely urgent and will require the involvement of qualified experts in the field of law and ecology. Having received in-depth knowledge on the specified course, you will receive an opportunity to be involved as experts in this field of law – natural resources law, law of environmental compliance and radioecological safety, not only at the national, but at the international level, too.
Another important professional occupation for you is the opportunity to work on implementation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, namely, in the field of environment and climate change, and to be involved in the implementation of international environmental programs, including the European Commission’s LIFE Program, which Ukraine joined in 2022, and many others. Such work requires highly qualified specialists in the relevant field, which you can become in the future.
Our company, GRECO Law Company, can be observable evidence of the development of environmental law in Ukraine. We specialize in litigations related to environmental protection, energy and consumer rights, are focused on claimants, and were the first to launch a completely new legal institution in Ukraine – class actions. Currently, the GRECO Law Company team is the advance party of the Legal Front and is already working on a class action lawsuit in the interests of Ukrainians affected by the military aggression of the russian federation, with claims for environmental damages, as well damages to health, non-pecuniary and pecuniary damages to be a mandatory component. You can also join this new challenge for the entire legal community and gain valuable new knowledge. Therefore, this is not just an opportunity for you to choose a certain specialization, but the potential to gain practical experience in this field and obtain a highly paid job in the future.
My recommendation to you is to decide on the optional course “Environmental and Natural Resources Law”. I would like also to add that the best students of the course will have the opportunity to complete an internship at GRECO Law Company, with further employment prospects.
Best regards,
Ph.D. in law
Chair of the Environmental Law Committee of the Association of Advocates of Ukraine (AAU)
Managing partner of GRECO Law Company
Pavlo Kuftyryev