Overview
Barry E. Hill is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Vermont Law and Graduate School, where he teaches courses related to environmental justice and sustainable development. Hill is also a Visiting Scholar at the Environmental Law Institute, an environmental law and policy think tank in Washington, DC. Hill has extensive legal experience, including roles at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Interior, and in private practice. Hill has expertise in Environmental Ethics, Law, and Justice, and is a highly regarded figure within the American Bar Association.
Selected Publications
Hill, B. E. (2020). Environmental Rights, Public Trust, and Public Nuisance: Addressing Climate Injustices through State Climate Liability Litigation. Environmental Law Reporter, 50, 11022.
Hill, B. E. (2020). Human rights, environmental justice, and climate change: Flint, Michigan. Human Rights, 46, 14.
Hill, B. E. (2022). Environmental Justice: Legal Theory and Practice (Fifth Edition). Environmental Law Institute.
Hill, B. E. (2023). Equal Protection for All. Environmental Forum, 40, 40.
Hill, B. E. (2023). Environmental Justice and the Transition from Fossil Fuels to Renewable Energy. Environmental Law Reporter, 53, 10317.
Early Life and Education
Hill grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where his family lived in the public housing project, Farragut Houses. Hill received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Brooklyn College. Hill then pursued a Master of Arts in Political Science from Howard University and a J.D. degree from Cornell University Law School. In 2012, Hill received an honorary Doctor of Law degree from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in California for his pioneering leadership in environmental law and policy, environmental justice, and sustainable development in the US and abroad. In 2011, Hill received the “Distinguished Alumnus Award” from Brooklyn College for his commitment to environmental justice and sustainable development.
Career
Hill has taught an environmental justice and sustainable development course at Vermont Law School for the past 25 years as an Adjunct Professor of Law in the summer program. Hill taught an environmental justice course as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the American University Washington College of Law for 1 year. Hill taught a criminal law course and served as a Clinical Law Professor for the Prisoners’ Rights Clinic at Antioch Law School for 1 year. Hill taught political science courses at Brooklyn College as an Adjunct Lecturer for 3 years.
Hill has lectured in the Middle East, Africa, South and Central America, and the Caribbean on the following topics: (1) establishing an environmental law and policy framework for national governments; (2) environmental justice and sustainable development; (3) capacity-building in environmental law for judges, prosecutors, government regulators, citizens, and the bar; (4) citizen involvement in the enforcement process; and (5) the impact of global warming on indigenous populations. Delivered the Distinguished Lecture (“Addressing Human Environment Challenges Related to the Need for Clean Water and Sanitation: A Silent Tsunami”) for the Trinidad & Tobago Environmental Commission, and the Supreme Court of Trinidad & Tobago (September 2011).
Hill retired from federal service in 2015, where he most recently served as Senior Counsel for Environmental Governance at the Office of International and Tribal Affairs in the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Before that, Hill served as Director of the United States EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice, a position he took in 1998. Before 1998, Hill was the United States Department of the Interior’s Associate Solicitor in the Division of Conservation and Wildlife.
Hill is a Fellow of the American Bar Association’s American Bar Foundation. The American Bar Association also presented Hill with the “Award for Distinguished Achievement in Environmental Law and Policy.” Hill has held countless legal positions, such as law clerk to the Deputy Administrative Judge of New York City (Criminal Division), Legal Counsel to the Inspector General of the United States EPA, Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn, New York, Special Counsel to the Corporation Counsel of the District of Columbia, and Project Manager of the Superfund Business Unit of ICF International.
Importance of Mentoring to Career
The writer William Arthur Ward once wrote that: “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” Hill was inspired to study political science and law by his college professor, Inez Smith Reid. She inspired him to mentor others as a teacher. She has mentored him throughout his legal and teaching careers.
Advice to Young Professionals
“Make plans, but write them in pencil since there will always be changes to your professional life as you continue to grow as a professional. As you grow, read better books as you seek to solve harder problems. Finally, make sure that you give back to society since it is not about money or success or possessions or love relationships: it’s about service to others.”
Sources
Survey and interviews conducted by the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Sustainability Initiative staff. 2022-2024. Yale University-School of the Environment. New Haven, Connecticut.
Vermont Law and Graduate School. (n.d.) Adjunct Faculty: Barry Hill. Retrieved July 20, 2026, from https://www.vermontlaw.edu/directory/person/hill-barry
Vermont Law and Graduate School. (n.d.). Adjunct Faculty: Barry Hill [Photo]. Vermont Law and Graduate School. July 20, 206, from https://www.vermontlaw.edu/directory/person/hill-barry