2022-23
Bri Ziegenhagen
Bri Ziegenhagen joined Sierra Club’s D.C. office after earning her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law with a concentration in environmental and energy law. Bri has a passion for environmental justice, which she fostered throughout her work as an intern at the Conservation Law Foundation, the Environmental Law Institute, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. She also served as a chair for the Northeastern Environmental Law Society and as a senior editor for the Northeastern University Law Review. Bri received her B.B.A. from Temple University. Her favorite activities include playing guitar, solving jigsaw puzzles, and spending time with her two black cats.
Eliane Holmlund
Eliane joined the Sierra Club’s D.C. office after graduating from Yale Law School. As a law student, she worked on climate change advocacy with the Environmental Protection Clinic and the Climate Change and Animal Agriculture Litigation Initiative in the Law, Ethics, and Animals Program. Eliane also litigated civil rights and labor cases with the Worker and
Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic. She interned with the Natural Resources Defense Council in San Francisco, Earthrights International, and the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office. Eliane is originally from Oakland, California and studied philosophy at the University of Chicago. She loves to hike, ski, sail, and sew in her free time.
2021-22
Anna Ziai
Anna joined the Sierra Club's D.C. office after graduating from the University of Chicago Law School. As a law student, she worked with UChicago's Environmental Law Clinic, litigating to protect species such as the ancient lake sturgeon under the Endangered Species Act. She also helped grassroots nonprofits appearing before the Michigan Public Service Commission to bring community solar to low-income and POC communities in Highland Park, Michigan. As a summer associate, Anna interned at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP in Chicago, IL. She grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada and earned her B.A. from the University of Southern California in Philosophy, Politics, and Law. In her free time, she scuba and free dives, contemplates how to make her rescued cat’s life even better, and studies the cultural lives of whales and dolphins.
2020-21
Amneh Minkara
Amneh Minkara joined as a legal fellow for Sierra Club’s D.C. office after earning her J.D. from Emory University School of Law. As a law student, she focused on environmental law and worked for the U.S. Department of Interior, Southern Environmental Law Center, and Emory's Turner Environmental Law Clinic. She also served as President of both the Emory Law Student Bar Association and National Lawyers Guild Chapter and organized with the Sunrise Movement in Atlanta. In her free time, she enjoys live music, science fiction, hiking, and volunteering in her community.
Colin Parts
Colin joined the Sierra Club's D.C. office after graduating from the University of Chicago Law School. As a law student he worked in UChicago's Environmental Law Clinic, partnering with residents of East Chicago, Indiana to oppose an inadequate cleanup of toxic sites both nearby and inside the residential neighborhood. He interned at the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Environmental Defense Fund, and the Environment and Land Law Section of the California Attorney General’s office. He grew up in Towson, Maryland and got his B.A. from the University of Chicago in Environmental Law and Public Policy. In his free time, he reads, plays guitar, runs, and loses solidly 75% of the chess games he plays with family and online.
2019-20
Ankit Jain
Ankit joined the Sierra Club's D.C. office as a Legal Fellow after graduating from Columbia Law School. As a law student he worked at Columbia's Environmental Law Clinic litigating against the construction of a natural gas pipeline, directed the NYC March for Our Lives, and interned at the Environmental Defense Fund and ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief. Before law school, Ankit worked as an opposition researcher for the Patrick Murphy Senate campaign. He grew up in northern Virginia and got his B.A. from the University of Chicago. In his free time, he plays tennis and basketball, tweets at @ankitjain992, and tries not to despair as he cheers for D.C. sports teams. Ankit is now an Associate Attorney with the Sierra Club Environmental Law Program.
Sari Amiel
Sari Amiel joined the Sierra Club's D.C. office after graduating from the University of Chicago Law School, where she participated in the Abrams Environmental Law Clinic and was an Articles Editor on The University of Chicago Law Review. Sari has been interested in tackling environmental issues (especially climate change) ever since high school, which led her to earn a B.A. in Economics and Global Environmental Change & Sustainability at Johns Hopkins University. In her free time, Sari enjoys traveling, reading (especially foreign fiction), writing, and hiking. Sari is now clerking at the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.
2018-19
Aaron Messing
Aaron Messing joined as a legal fellow for Sierra Club’s D.C. office after earning his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. As a law student, he focused on environmental law and worked for the U.S. EPA, Georgetown Climate Center, and California Air Resources Board in addition to serving as a managing editor for the Georgetown Environmental Law Review. Prior to law school, Aaron lived in Chicago where he performed as a musician. He has a B.M. from Northwestern University in trumpet performance but he also plays piano, sings, and composes. In his free time he records musical projects, creates digital animations to accompany his music, and hikes as often as he can. After his fellowship, Aaron joined Adams Broadwell Joseph & Cardozo in California as an Associate practicing Environment & Natural Resources; Land Use; and Energy & Utility law.
Kathleen Riley
Kathleen Riley joined the Sierra Club's D.C. office after graduating from the University of North Carolina School of Law. Kathleen has worked previously with the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, where she focused on environmental crimes, and with the Southern Environmental Law Center's Chapel Hill and Atlanta offices. Before going to law school, Kathleen studied birds in the Southeast U.S., and in Australia. After her fellowship, Kathleen joined Earthjustice to practice environmental law in their Washington, D.C. office.
2017-18
Olivia Glasscock
Olivia Glasscock graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law, where she was the managing editor of the Virginia Environmental Law Journal. She worked for the Sierra Club as a legal fellow from 2017-2018 in the Washington, D.C. office. Olivia grew up in Auburn, Alabama and received degrees from Auburn University in English and Political Science. From an early age, she was passionate about environmental stewardship and conservation biology, but while at Auburn, she also worked on food waste and sustainability projects, which prompted her to turn her passion for environmental issues into a legal career. Olivia is an avid backpacker, has an on-again, off-again relationship with running, and is always looking for new craft projects. Winning the award for Farthest-Away-Fellow, she now is an Associate Attorney for Earthjustice in Juneau, Alaska.
Andrea Marshall
Andrea Marshall was a legal fellow for the D.C. office from 2017-2018 and now serves as outside Counsel for Sierra Club. Originally from the New York City area, she attended Barnard College of Columbia University, earning a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations. Between college and law school, Andrea worked as a paralegal and then taught English and environmental conservation courses in Tanzania and Zambia. Following her return to the States, she attended Washington and Lee University School of Law in Virginia, where she was a Managing Online Editor for the Washington and Lee Law Review and a Senior Articles Editor for the German Law Journal. In her spare time Andrea enjoys traveling to as many places as possible (she's been to all seven continents!), hiking, and playing tennis.
Nathan Taylor
Nathan Taylor graduated from Georgetown Law and received his PhD. from Texas A&M University in Atmospheric Science, both in 2017. He then came to the Sierra Club Environmental Law Program as a legal fellow from 2017-2018. A transplant to the Mid-Atlantic by way of Oklahoma and Texas, Nathan loves the green hills and rocky trails of rural Maryland, sweet baloney from farmers markets in Pennsylvania, and sailboats on the Chesapeake. He now puts his PhD to good work at the EPA as a PMF appointment.
Michael Lenoff
Michael Lenoff was a legal fellow in the Sierra Club’s Washington, D.C. office from 2017-2018. He holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law, and both a M.A. in International Business and a B.S. in Economics from University of Florida. Before law school, Michael served as a volunteer in the Peace Corps in Paraguay and as an analyst in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. During law school, Michael worked at the Frank J. Guarini Center for Environmental, Energy, and Land Use Law and in a clinic with the Natural Resources Defense Council. In his spare time, he enjoys playing basketball, practicing yoga, and introducing his Paraguayan dog to new flora and fauna. He is now an employee of the federal courts.
2016-17
Steve Goldstein
Steve Goldstein graduated from Georgetown Law in 2016 where he was a student attorney in the Institute for Public Representation's Environmental Litigation Clinic; Events Coordinator of the Environmental Law Society; and Executive Editor of Submissions for the Georgetown Environmental Law Review. Steve was a finalist in Georgetown's 1L moot court competition in 2014, ran the same competition in 2015, and competed in three national moot court competitions. Steve was a fellow for the Environmental Law Program from 2016-2017 and his work involved issues ranging from implementation of the EPA's Effluent Limitation Guidelines for Electric Generating Units, EPA's response to state petitions for greater action on interstate ozone pollution, the allocation of Volkswagen Settlement Trust Funds, and the use of financial mechanisms by Florida's largest utilities to hedge against price volatility in gas markets. Steve is an avid birder, amateur naturalist, and member in good standing of the Maryland Bar. After his fellowship, Steve went on to pursue another fellowship at Defenders of Wildlife, and has since joined the Maryland Attorney General's office as a Special Assistant Attorney General practicing environmental and energy law. He did not invite Josh Stebbins to his wedding, but he invited everyone else.
Jean Zhuang
Jean Zhuang graduated from Yale University in 2013 with a B.A. in Art and went on to earn her J.D. in May 2016 from University of Virginia Law School. She worked for the Sierra Club as a legal fellow from 2016 – 2017 with a focus on energy issues. She currently works as an associate attorney at Southern Environmental Law Center and is tackling environmental issues such as the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and defending Red Wolves. In her spare time she loves both appreciating and creating art, and she experiments with different mediums, ranging from modeling clay to assorted office supplies.
2015-16
Joe Halso
Joe Halso is a staff attorney with the Sierra Club Environmental Law Program. He first joined Sierra Club in 2015 as a Law Fellow after graduating from the University of Michigan Law School. During law school, Joe interned at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan and with the National Wildlife Federation. He was Articles Editor of the Michigan Journal of Environmental and Administrative Law, a student attorney with the Environmental Law Clinic, and a recipient of the Dow Sustainability Fellowship. Joe also served Co-Chair of the Environmental Law Society and as a supervisor for Professor David’s Environmental Crimes Project. He received his undergraduate degrees in English and Environment from the University of Michigan.
Lane Johnson
Lane Johnson joined Sierra Club as an Environmental Law Fellow in 2015 after graduating from Georgetown University Law Center. Lane previously worked on the Governors’ Accord for a New Energy Future, and interned with EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance and the Southern Environmental Law Center. She has her BA in Journalism and International Affairs from the University of Georgia. Lane has since joined Hunter Maclean in Georgia as an Associate in their Real Estate practice.
Jeff Mansbach
Jeff Mansbach joined Sierra Club as a Legal Fellow in 2015 after graduating from the George Washington University Law School. He is currently Legislative Counsel for DC City Council’s Committee on Transportation and the Environment led by Councilmember Mary Cheh.
2013-14
Ethan Barnes
Ethan Barnes was a Sierra Club Fellow in 2013, after graduating from the University of Minnesota Law School. He is now an attorney at Gary Gilbert and Associates in DC.
2012-13
Elizabeth Toba Pearlman
Elizabeth Toba Pearlman was a Sierra Club Fellow in 2012 and Outside Counsel with Sierra Club from 2012 to 2014. Prior to Sierra Club, she was a Legal Fellow with the United Nations Environment Programme. She worked for SolarCity as a Deputy Director and Regulatory Counsel in their Policy and Electricity Markets Division, worked for Tesla for their Regulatory Counsel, and is currently a Staff Attorney with NRDC in Chicago. She is a graduate of the University of George Washington Law School and the College of William and Mary.
Tamara Evans
Tamara Evans joined Sierra Club as a Legal Fellow in 2012 after graduating from the George Washington University Law School. She is currently the Advocacy Director for the Washington Area Bicyclist Association.
Philip Goo
Philip Goo first joined Sierra Club as a Legal Fellow in 2012, after graduating from the University of Georgia School of Law, and has been Outside Counsel for Sierra Club since 2013.
2011-12
Maggie Wendler
Maggie Wendler was a Sierra Club Legal Fellow in 2011 and Outside Counsel with Sierra Club from 2012 to 2013 after graduating from Emory University School of Law. She is now an attorney at Paul Weiss in DC and serves on the board of DC EcoWomen.