The courtroom can often feel like a world away from the communities it serves, but at the University of Miami School of Law, the Environmental Justice Clinic (EJC) is bridging that gap. Through high-stakes litigation, scientific partnerships, and grassroots advocacy, clinic students are actively engaged in environmental law, defending historic neighborhoods and local natural resources.
Two major ongoing battles, the historic litigation surrounding the "Old Smokey" incinerator and the defense of Silver Blue Lake, demonstrate the clinic's unique power to turn legal education into real-world impact.
Old Smokey: A Historic Courtroom Triumph
The clinic is celebrating a monumental milestone in the decades-long battle over "Old Smokey," the former City of Miami municipal waste incinerator that left a toxic legacy in Coconut Grove. Working alongside firms including the Caro Law Firm, Downs Law Group, and Bryson Harris Suciu DeMay, the clinic took the lead in drafting the successful motion and briefs for class action certification.
The five-day hearing in March was not just a legal battle; it was a deeply emotional moment of community truth. Approximately 50 community members packed the courtroom daily to support the class representatives. The judge even welcomed residents to sit in the empty jury box to make room.
"When the class representatives testified, the community members chimed in with statements like 'that's right' and 'preach it,' almost like a call-and-response," says Doug Ruley, director of the EJC. "One of the best things about the hearing, in addition to the outcome, was that the community got to tell its story in court for the first time."
On June 16, the trial court officially entered its written order granting class certification against the City of Miami—a massive victory that allows thousands of residents to seek medical monitoring and property remediation.
Third-year clinic fellow Tania Garcia-Solis worked tirelessly to prepare the witnesses and legal research that secured this win.
"I learned so much from working with the large Old Smokey litigation team, participating in the class certification hearing, seeing how different attorneys approach complex legal and factual questions, and collaborating as part of a student team," says Garcia-Solis. "Our Clinic team put in tremendous time and effort to assist the residents of Coconut Grove in obtaining class certification, so the Court's favorable ruling was incredibly rewarding."
While the City of Miami has appealed the decision, the student team has already drafted and the attorneys have filed a motion to vacate the automatic stay so that merits discovery can proceed without further delay.
Saving Silver Blue Lake: Law Meets Science
Since 1960, Silver Blue Lake has served as a vital community sanctuary for fishing, boating, wildlife, and spiritual renewal in Miami, Florida. However, a planned development threatens to replace this natural oasis with artificial fill, housing, roads, noise, and pollution.
The EJC initially brought a case on behalf of property owners who have used the lake for decades, but its request for a preliminary injunction was denied. While the EJC's appeal of this denial injunction is pending before the Third District Court of Appeals, the fight continues on another front: state and local environmental permitting. This is where the law meets rigorous science.
Through a unique partnership, the clinic has teamed up with Florida International University (FIU). Under a National Science Foundation summer program, FIU Professor Tiffany Troxler, along with FIU staff and students, recently conducted water and sediment testing in and around Silver Blue Lake to establish critical baselines for water quality and wildlife habitats.
Third-year EJC clinic fellow Lindsay Sheldon has been at the center of this multidisciplinary defense.
“It’s exciting to be involved in a case with everything—litigation, permit proceedings, and working with experts in hydrology and water quality,” says Sheldon. “I see my research, drafting, and other work in our filings and am glad that I’ve contributed to seeking justice for the lakeside community.”
Bringing Elite Practice into the Classroom
The real-world work of the clinic is constantly enriched by top-tier legal minds. In March, eminent toxic tort attorneys Patrick Montoya and Markus Kamberger of Bryson Harris Suciu DeMay—both key members of the Old Smokey litigation team—guest-lectured in the University of Miami School of Law’s Environmental Law course.
Montoya, a distinguished Miami Law alumnus, guided students through the legal elements of proving trespass, nuisance, and negligence using landmark examples like the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
"I believe that it is incredibly powerful for our students to interact with Miami Law graduates who are at the top of their profession and who also are good people," Ruley says.
By immersing students in litigation, permitting battles, and scientific partnerships, the Environmental Justice Clinic makes clear that tomorrow’s lawyers are already delivering justice today.
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Read more about the environmental law area of study at the School of Law.
