Colin Dobell L’23

Colin is an aspiring environmental lawyer with a particular interest in environmental justice and how climate change will adversely affect communities already pushed to the margins.

Colin received a BS in Engineering Physics from Fordham University. After completing their undergraduate degree, Colin worked in climate change resilience and disaster recovery in communities affected by Hurricane Sandy in south Brooklyn and Queens. They chose to come to law school so they could more proactively address climate change and other environmental issues. They are also pursuing a Master of Environmental Studies; their thesis examines state and local regulatory efforts to address environmental racism and cumulative impacts from pollution sources.

Colin is the former chair of Penn Carey Law’s Environmental Law Project and Trans Empowerment and Advocacy, which they co-founded. They are also on the board of Penn Carey Law’s chapter of If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice. During their time in law school, Colin has worked with Clean Air Council, the Sierra Club, and Earthjustice on a variety of issues, including energy grid decarbonization, access to clean water, and stopping the continued expansion of pipeline infrastructure.