- Adjunct Faculty
Barry Hill
Titles
- Adjunct Faculty
Contact
Biography
Barry E. Hill is a recognized expert on environmental justice and sustainable development issues. Professor Hill is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Vermont Law School, where he has taught an environmental justice and sustainable development course for more than 20 years. He has been a Visiting Scholar at the Environmental Law Institute, an environmental law and policy think-tank in Washington, D.C., since he retired from federal service in March 2015. Professor Hill was Senior Counsel for Environmental Governance, Office of International and Tribal Affairs, United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) from 2007-2015. Previously, Professor Hill was Director of the U.S. EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice from 1998-2007. Prior to that, he was the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Associate Solicitor, Division of Conservation and Wildlife, and the Director, Office of Hearings and Appeals. Prior positions include: Of Counsel to the law firm of Dickstein Shapiro, LLP, where he practiced environmental law; Project Manager of the Superfund Business Unit of ICF International, an international consulting firm; Special Counsel to the Corporation Counsel (now the Attorney General) of the District of Columbia; Legal Counsel to the Inspector General of the U.S. EPA; Law Secretary to the Deputy Administrative Judge of New York City (Criminal Division), and Administrative Judge of the Supreme Court (Manhattan); Clinical Law Professor of the Prisoners’ Rights Clinic of the Antioch School of Law; and an Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn, New York.
Professor Hill has lectured in the Middle East, Africa, South and Central America, and the Caribbean on the following topics: establishing an environmental law and policy framework for national governments; environmental justice and sustainable development; capacity-building training in environmental law for judges, prosecutors, government regulators, citizens, and the bar; citizen involvement in the environmental enforcement process; and the impact of global warming on indigenous populations. In 2011, Professor Hill delivered the Distinguished Lecture for the Trinidad & Tobago Environmental Commission, and the Supreme Court of Trinidad & Tobago.
In 2011, Professor Hill was presented the “Distinguished Alumnus Award” by Brooklyn College of the City University of New York for his “commitment to environmental justice and sustainable development, and pioneering leadership in the field of environmental law and policy in the U.S. and abroad.”
In 2001, Professor Hill was presented the “Award for Distinguished Achievement in Environmental Law and Policy” by the American Bar Association for his work—teaching, research, and leadership—in the areas of environmental justice and sustainable development, and environmental law and policy.
Since 1999, Professor Hill has been a Fellow of the American Bar Association’s American Bar Foundation in recognition of his professional accomplishments, distinguished service, and commitment to the study of law and legal research.
Professor Hill received his B.A. degree in Political Science from Brooklyn College; M.A. degree in Political Science from Howard University; and a J.D. degree from the Cornell University Law School.
In 2012, Professor Hill received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from California’s Thomas Jefferson School of Law, since he “steadfastly fought environmental injustice by taking action to decrease environmental risks and to raise awareness of these issues, and by providing communities with the appropriate tools needed to address serious environmental problems.”
Expertise
- Environmental Ethics
- Environmental Law
Courses Taught
- Environmental Justice
- Independent Research Project