The Divergent Paths of Environmental Law Practice: A Reply to Professor Manaster

In my 2009 essay, Private Public Interest Environmental Law: History, Hard Work, and Hope, I wrote about the rich possibilities for practicing private public interest environmental law, which means representing clients seeking environmental protection through a private-practice entity rather than in a non-profit. Professor Kenneth Manaster has responded (Kenneth A. Manaster, The Many Paths of Environmental Practice: A Response to Professor Bonine, 28 PACE ENVTL. L. REV. (2010)), expressing his admiration for business environmental law as a career choice, while ruing my failure to express the same enthusiasm in my own essay. In fact, he asserts that my essay painted a distorted picture of such practice. Respectfully, I submit that it is Professor Manaster‘s article that has the potential to mislead public interest-oriented law students regarding the reality of a business environmental law practice. My reply is intended to clarify my own perspective as well as highlight some of what he says about business and public interest environmental law practice.