Seema Kakade is an Assistant Professor and Director of the Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law. Kakade runs a nationally recognized law school clinic that allows students to provide free legal advice and representation to non-profit organizations advocating for a wide range of public health and natural resource protections. The clinic operates at the local, state, national, and international level. In 2018, the clinic received the American Bar Association Award for the best student program. As a legal scholar, Kakade focuses her research and writing in the area of implementation, enforcement, and compliance with environmental law. Kakade has a forthcoming article on available remedies in settlement of environmental violations upcoming in the Harvard Environmental Law Review.
Prior to joining the law school, Kakade served as a federal government attorney with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Civil Enforcement, and the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of General Counsel. At both agencies, Kakade won numerous awards for her work, including several bronze and silver medals for service, and twice received the EPA Administrator’s Award for Excellence. Kakade worked on some of the largest environmental enforcement actions and programs during her time in the federal government, including the Clean Power Plan and the Volkswagen diesel emission case. Before her federal government practice, Kakade worked as a research attorney and Co-Director of the India Program at the Environmental Law Institute. Kakade also spent time as a litigation associate in private practice. Kakade holds a bachelor degree in Economics and International Relations, with a Certificate in Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a law degree from the George Washington University Law School.
Seema Kakade will participate in the World Justice Forum working session Legal Tools for Advancing Environmental Justice and Public Health.