Professor Heidi Gorovitz Robertson travelled to Ireland with the Irish-American Law Society of Cleveland to participate in the group’s 2022 Law and Business Symposium.  Events took place in both Dublin and Cork and included visits to The Honorable Society of King’s Inn, Four Courts of Dublin, Blackhall Place, Cork City Hall, and University College-Cork’s Center for Executive Education. 

Robertson worked with Professor Owen McIntyre of UCC-Cork to plan and present a seminar on environmental law that included presenters on EU law, Irish law, and American law.  Robertson and McIntyre were joined by Joanne Spalding, Acting Legal Director and Chief Climate Counsel for the Sierra Club’s Environmental Law Program, and Mr. Fred Logue, a prominent Irish environmental litigator.  Robertson presented Systemic Issues in the U.S. Legal System Effecting Enforcement of US Climate Regulation.  This talk followed Spalding’s presentation on the history of US climate litigation efforts and focused on the recent West Virginia v EPA case as well as Congress’ responses to that case in the Inflation Reduction Act.  Following presentations on United Nations, European Union, and Irish approaches to human rights to a clean environment, she presented US Approaches to Environmental Rights: Focus on Sub-National and Local Initiatives.

Ohioans travelling to and participating in this event included many C|M|Law alumni including Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, and Justices Melody Stewart and Michael Donnelly.

Robertson is the Steven W. Percy Professor of Law at C|M|Law and Professor of Environmental Studies at the College of Education and Public Affairs.