June 01, 2026

Environmental Litigators Conference Brings Together Midwest Defenders

ELPC and the University of Chicago Law School convened environmental attorneys from around the Midwest.

By Howard A. Learner, Chief Executive Officer & President

Last week, ELPC and the University of Chicago Law School jointly convened the First Midwest Public Interest Environmental Litigators Conference in the ELPC Chicago office. Starting on Wednesday evening and running until Friday afternoon, the conference was an incredible opportunity to share knowledge and build networks of success. 60 public interest environmental attorneys from around the Midwest and many different NGOs and private law firms attended.

The Goals Were:

First, share our knowledge, learn from each other, sharpen our strategies and sharpen our skills. In other words, be at the top of our games because in these challenging times, that’s essential to Getting Stuff Done.

Second, get to better know each other and our organizations. Forge more connections and networks among us so that we can inspire each other, support each other, combat isolation and frustration, and be better positioned to Get Stuff Done.

Third, learn and have fun. This convening should have happened a while ago. It didn’t. This is not a one-and-done. This can and should be a springboard for better collaboration and more effectiveness among all of us and our organizations going forward to Get Stuff Done.

As I always say, we are fighting everyday to succeed in protecting the Midwest’s environment, people and communities, especially in these extraordinary times. We are working hard and effectively to protect healthy clean air, safe clean drinking water, and the right to live in communities without toxic threats for all people in the Midwest.

We’re all in this together!

Howard A. Learner,

Chief Executive Officer & President

Howard Learner is an experienced attorney serving as the Chief Executive Officer & President of the Environmental Law & Policy Center. He is responsible for ELPC’s overall strategic leadership, policy direction, and financial platform.

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