28 The environmental lawyer and dean of Bar-Ilan’s FacultyofLawwantstotellamoreempoweringstory aboutcitizens’ relationshiptotheirsurroundingsand the actors within it. “Communities often assume that a lack of knowledge of the law or of science, or a lack of experience in the process of planning and zoning, means that they’re helpless to stop things like contamination from happening in the first place,” explains Prof. Oren Perez. “But with the right policies, average citizens can take part in complex regulatory processes, protect the environment, and prevent industrial pollution. And we can show them how.” By “we,” Perez means the Environmental Regulation Clinic, which is currentlyworking on a long-termproject to encourage citizen involvement in the licensing process for high-risk industries. Other projects handled by the one-of-a-kind clinic include efforts to ensure environmental protection at the site of a new power plant near Kfar Kassem and the extension of the Haifa Port. The Environmental Regulation Clinic is one of eight legal clinics operated by the Bar-Ilan Faculty of Law over the last decade. By offering legal assistance and undertaking research on behalf 8 legal clinics creating a more just society of Holocaust survivors, people with disabilities, women in divorce proceedings who face financial distress, and more, the clinics champion social causes that tend to receive insufficient attention. Equally important, they provide Bar-Ilan lawstudents with hands-on training in the name of public good. A look at the year’s activities reveals that they’re doing just that: The Clinic for the Promotion of Equality, for example, advanced a petition to compel theMinistry of Education to implement an approved curriculum for coexistence, human rights, and democracy, and the Clinic for the Rights of People with Disabilities worked to secure the equal rights andbenefits of parenthood for individuals with special needs. “There is no doubt that the faculty’s legal expertise is up there with the best firms in the country, and in certain areas, like environmental regulation, even in the world. But our goal isn’t merely to produce superb lawyers, although we definitely do that,” concludes Perez. “We also aimto produce superb lawyers who believe in giving back to the community.” The Faculty of Law
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