Abigail Fleming has spent her entire career working on behalf of communities throughout Miami-Dade County and with students at the School of Law. In cases ranging from toxic torts to stormwater pollution, representing communities such as the West Grove, Overtown, and Opa-locka, she has been a relentless advocate and an outstanding teacher.
A 2019 graduate of the School of Law, Fleming’s work with the Environmental Justice Clinic now spans over nine years, as she interned there as a law student, returned after graduation as a lecturer, became its Fredman Foundation Practitioner in Residence, and served as the clinic’s interim director before becoming its associate director. Her work on toxic pollution in the Dunbar community in Fort Myers earned her the 2019 HOPE Award for Exemplary Service to the Poor.
Fleming leads the clinic’s work on Indigenous justice, stormwater pollution, and housing, and has built dynamic partnerships with many organizations, including the Gullah Geechee Community Cultural Trust, Catalyst Miami, Everglades Law Center, Miami Waterkeeper, Miami Climate Alliance, Legal Services of Greater Miami, the CLEO Institute, the Miccosukee Tribe, Florida Rising, Earthjustice, Overtown Parks Group, and many homeowners’ associations. She has also built strong professional relationships with outside attorneys who consult on the Clinic’s cases, many of whom are also graduates of the University.
In addition, Fleming led a recent collaboration in filing an amicus curiae or “friend of the court” brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that supported 18 youth in their constitutional lawsuit, Genesis B. v. United States Environmental Protection Agency, which alleges the U.S. government discriminates against youth by failing to confront the climate crisis. The brief, with assistance from professors Doug Ruley, director of the EJC, and Bernard Perlmutter, was joined by nearly two dozen prominent children's law scholars and activists. The core legal argument asserted that when government policies deliberately discount the lives of children, they violate the fundamental promise of equal protection under the law. Perlmuttter, co-director of the Children and Youth Law Clinic, described the brief as “brilliant, cutting-edge advocacy on behalf of children and the climate.”
Fleming’s leadership is particularly valuable to her students, whom she encourages to reflect on, develop, and practice who they truly are as attorneys. Her service and impact go well beyond the law school, as she also has guest lectured at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science, the College of Engineering, and Schools of Architecture, Communication, and Medicine, and at the Frost Institute for Data Science & Computing at the University of Miami. Fleming has also published multiple articles and contributed a chapter to a book that was published this summer.
“Abigail is incredibly dedicated to her work, her students, and the law school,” said Ruley. “She is a tireless advocate for communities in South Florida and a remarkable teacher and colleague.”
Read more about the Environmental Justice Clinic.
Read more about Miami Law’s environmental law area of study.
