5:30-6:00 pm: Reception; 6:00 pm -7:00 pm: Program
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Julia Olson, Founder, Executive Director, and Chief Legal Counsel of Our Children’s Trust, has been named the recipient of the 2022 Katharine & George Alexander Law Prize for her groundbreaking contributions to the practice of climate law.
Julia has been a trailblazing leader, litigator, and legal strategist in climate and environmental law for over 25 years. After graduating from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 1997, she created her own law practice in the Bay Area to litigate public interest environmental cases on behalf of grassroots conservation organizations in the West. Julia founded Our Children’s Trust – a non-profit public interest law firm that provides strategic, campaign-based legal services to youth from diverse backgrounds to secure their legal rights to a safe climate system – in 2010 when, as a new mother, she realized the shortcomings of environmental statutory law in redressing the greatest threat to her children and children everywhere: the climate crisis. She and her team at Our Children’s Trust have since pioneered a globally replicated model for youth-led legal action that draws from and integrates children’s rights, constitutional rights, climate science, and the public trust doctrine in order to protect the planet’s most vulnerable citizens: children.
Today, Our Children’s Trust is the only legal organization on the planet dedicated exclusively to representing young people in lawsuits against their governments to protect their fundamental human rights from the dangers of fossil fuel energy policy and resulting climate disruption, all at no cost to the young plaintiffs or their families. In addition to developing and litigating numerous youth-led state, federal, and global lawsuits and legal actions, Julia is also lead counsel in Juliana v. United States, the groundbreaking constitutional climate change case brought by 21 young Americans, including 11 Black, Brown and Indigenous youth, against the U.S. government for violating their Fifth Amendment rights to life, liberty, property, public trust resources, and equal protection of the law; this case is pending in U.S. District Court and could soon proceed to trial.
Julia and the young plaintiffs she represents in Juliana v. United States were featured in the award-winning feature length documentary film about their landmark case, “YOUTH v GOV.” She has been a recipient of the Kerry Rydberg Award for Environmental Activism, serves as a member of Rachel’s Network Circle of Advisors, and was named as one of Bloomberg’s “Green 30 for 2020.” Julia and Our Children’s Trust were also recipients of the Rose-Walters Prize for Global Environmental Activism.
The first Katharine & George Alexander Law Prize was presented in March 2008 and has been awarded annually thereafter. This award has been made possible through the generosity of Katharine & George Alexander to bring recognition to legal advocates who have used their legal careers to help alleviate injustice and inequity.
Katharine & George Alexander
The late Katharine Alexander practiced law for 25 years as a public defender for Santa Clara County and taught law courses for several years at San Jose State University.
The late George Alexander served as professor of law at Santa Clara University for 34 years and as dean of its School of Law for 15 years.
Both Katharine and George dedicated their lives to instilling in students and lawyers a commitment to justice. Their service to humanity serves as a model for other lawyers.
2021-2022 Law Prize Committee:
Deborah Moss-West, Co-Chair
Executive Director, Katharine and George Alexander Law Center, Santa Clara Law
Ellen Kreitzberg, Co-Chair (Spring)
Professor of Law, Santa Clara Law
Scott Maurer
Associate Clinical Professor, Katharine and George Alexander Community Law Center, Santa Clara Law
Lynette Parker
Associate Clinical Professor, Katharine and George Alexander Community Law Center, Santa Clara Law
Francisco Rivera Juaristi
Associate Clinical Professor and Director, International Human Rights Clinic, Santa Clara Law
Steve O’Brien (ex officio)
Senior Assistant Dean for External Relations, Santa Clara Law