Jody Freeman
Archibald Cox Professor of Law
Jody Freeman is the Archibald Cox Professor of Law and founding director of the Harvard Law School Environmental and Energy Law Program. She served as Counselor for Energy and Climate Change in the Obama White House in 2009-2010. Recognized as the second most cited law professor in public law, her scholarship on climate change, agency regulation, and environmental policy has shaped the field. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Council on Foreign Relations.
Teaching Style
Professor Freeman combines scholarly depth with real-world policy experience from her time in the Obama White House. She uses the Socratic method to walk students through complex regulatory and environmental law questions, cold-calling regularly and expecting students to engage with both legal doctrine and policy analysis. Her classes emphasize how administrative law actually works in practice, drawing on her extensive government experience.
Cold Call Tips
- 1Understand the major environmental statutes (Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, NEPA) and how they are administered
- 2Be prepared to discuss the role of executive authority in environmental and energy regulation
- 3Know the key administrative law principles -- notice and comment rulemaking, judicial review standards, agency discretion
- 4Stay current on major climate and energy policy developments and litigation
Areas of Expertise
Education
- B.A., Stanford University
- LL.M., Harvard Law School
- S.J.D., Harvard Law School
Notable Publications
- Global Climate Change and U.S. Law (co-editor)
- Environmental Law and Policy (casebook, co-author)
Research Interests
More Professors at Harvard Law School
Constitutional Law, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Supreme Court Advocacy
Constitutional Law, Law and Religion, International and Comparative Law, First Amendment
Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, Behavioral Law and Economics, Regulatory Policy
Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Mass Incarceration
Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, Legislation, National Security Law
American Legal History, Constitutional Law, Property