The University of California, Irvine School of Law has announced a $2 million grant to start an environmental law clinic, the first of several legal clinics envisioned for the new school.

The grant from an unidentified foundation "of global reach" will help advance research in areas of environmental law, health, and sustainability. Closely associated with the UCI Program in Public Health, the clinic will give students an opportunity to conduct hands-on, meaningful, real-life, and real-time environmental legal and policy work.

Erwin Chemerinsky, founding dean of the law school, said he is delighted that the school's first clinic will be dedicated to protecting the environment. "This environmental law clinic will provide our students with an incomparable, hands-on experience, allowing them to learn up close what environmental lawyers do on a day-to-day basis," said Chemerinsky. "It will also provide students with the opportunity to help protect the natural resources of Southern California, enhancing the contribution of law in promoting sustainability on Earth."