Ƶ

Research and Scholarship

Representing Climate Wreckers

Posted
June 9, 2025

In her article, Representing Climate Wreckers, published in the NYU Environmental Law Journal (2025), Pace | Haub Environmental Law Professor Camila Bustos examines the ethical responsibilities of attorneys representing fossil fuel companies—termed "climate wreckers"—and argues for a reevaluation of professional conduct standards in light of the climate crisis. She contends that the legal profession must adapt to the challenges posed by climate change, suggesting that lawyers should reconsider representing clients whose activities significantly contribute to environmental degradation.

“Tackling climate change demands a regime shift where lawyers who hinder the transition away from fossil fuels no longer enjoy the social license to do so,” she writes. “These accountability efforts build on “moral remainders” to create reluctance to certain types of representation and “ensure that lawyers stay within permissible limitations” in the course of their work.”

More from Pace

Research and Scholarship

In his article, The 'Realness' Key to Compelled Passcode Production, published in the Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology (Vol. 115, 2025), Pace Haub Law Visiting Assistant Professor Gabriel Pell offers a novel framework for applying the Fifth Amendment’s Foregone Conclusion exception to compelled passcode entry.

Research and Scholarship

In his article, The Sound of Science in Major Questions Doctrine Jurisprudence, published in Natural Resources & Environment (ABA, Spring 2025), Pace | Haub Environmental Law Professor Josh Galperin (with co-author Terra Baer) examines how the U.S. Supreme Court’s use of the major questions doctrine undermines core constitutional and statutory principles—particularly when the Court treats congressional silence as legislative intent.