Tad Bartlett Returns to Tulane Law to Co-Teach Coastal & Wetlands Seminar; First Class Features John Bel Edwards

Partner Tad Bartlett has returned to Tulane University Law School for the eighth consecutive year to co-teach Coastal and Wetlands Litigation and Policy, a seminar that examines both remedial solutions for harm from past use of coastal spaces and future-looking policies to optimize society’s use of coasts. The seminar focuses on lessons learned in one of the most geologically and hydrologically dynamic coastal zones, Louisiana, but then widens the students’ lens to other coastal zones in the United States and internationally.

The semester’s first class featured a guest presentation by Fishman Haygood Special Counsel John Bel Edwards, who led a wide-ranging discussion on the coastal master planning process and the state’s actions and policies regarding restoration. A former leader in the Louisiana Legislature and then a two-term Louisiana governor, John Bel championed landmark coastal and climate initiatives, including the unanimous passage of the Louisiana Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast, and later chaired the Outer Continental Shelf Governors Coalition, focused on responsible energy development and coastal stewardship. The second year he has been a guest of the seminar’s opening class, his presentation prompted wide-ranging questioning and discussion among the students regarding the balancing of competing stakeholder concerns and the role of environmental law and advocacy in a changing political landscape.

Co-taught with Christopher Dalbom (Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy) and Bessie Daschbach (Center for Asset Retirement and Accountability), the seminar challenges students to develop solutions to real-world problems with lasting impact. The final third of the semester is devoted to workshopping the students’ original research identifying and redressing coastal concerns all over the globe.

A Tulane Law graduate himself, Tad began his career with the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic and later helped develop coastal land-loss litigation on behalf of landowners and governmental entities. Known as an exceptional teacher and mentor, he brings deep litigation experience to the classroom and helps students recognize opportunities to pursue sophisticated legal work addressing large-scale environmental harm – an increasingly vital path as Louisiana continues to lose land at an alarming rate.

Fishman Haygood attorneys regularly share their knowledge and experience through teaching, scholarship, and civic engagement. Learn more here.