The University of Denver (DU) Sturm College of Law is the new home for the international Journal of Energy & Natural Resources Law, a product of the International Bar Association, making DU the first United States-based university in the Journal’s 30-year history with the responsibility for editing a publication that sparks discussion among some 2,000 of the most recognized international practitioners in energy and natural resources law.
Professor Don Smith, who directs the Environmental & Natural Resources Law & Policy Graduate Program at the law school, says the strengths of the DU program – environmental, natural resources, and energy law at both domestic and international levels – are well suited to editing what has been called the leading refereed journal in the field of energy and natural resources law.
“It’s quite prestigious to have been chosen by the IBA to edit this Journal,” Smith says. “For us, as an institution, this is a great achievement. It’s a ‘vehicle,’ in a manner of speaking, to have access to the very best minds in the world, and it will introduce our program to all of these people around the globe. It puts us on the map, really.”
The Journal was most recently edited at the University of Calgary (Canada). Prior to Calgary, the journal was based at the University of Dundee, in Scotland.
Dean Martin Katz says hosting the Journal is a perfect fit for DU.
“Our strategic plan commits to demonstrated excellence in environmental and natural resources law,” Katz says. “To us, this means being at the center of the international dialogue on cutting edge resources issues. This Journal advances our ability to do exactly that. We are very excited to be able to host the journal at Denver Law.”
The Journal of Energy & Natural Resources Law is published quarterly. Students and faculty at DU will commission pieces and reports and distribute them for peer review to leading attorneys, putting students in direct contact with those who shape environmental and natural law.