PUBLISHED:April 27, 2007
Charles S. Murphy Award Presented to Durwood Zaelke '72
Mr. Durwood J. Zaelke received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of California - Los Angeles in 1969 and his law degree from Duke University School of Law in 1972. While in law school, he was an editor of the Duke Law Journal. Mr. Zaelke began his legal career in private practice in Los Angeles and in 1975 joined the Environmental Law Institute as a staff attorney. In 1978, he joined the Department of Justice as a special litigation attorney responsible for the design of a government hazardous waste enforcement strategy, which led to the investigation at Love Canal, the design of an energy conservation litigation program, and leadership of the department's investigation into the accident at the Three Mile Island. From 1980 to 1989, Mr. Zaelke served as director of the International Program of the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund, also serving as director of the Washington, D.C. and Alaska offices.
Mr. Zaelke is currently the president and founder of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, and also serves as the director of the International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (INECE) Secretariat. He is the founder and director of the Research Program on International and Comparative Environmental Law at American University’s Washington College of Law, where he serves as an adjunct professor of law and scholar-in-residence. Mr. Zaelke’s research focuses on the resolution of trade and environmental conflicts, implementation and enforcement of international environmental laws, and growth of public interest movements in developing countries. Mr. Zaelke was appointed by President Clinton to the White House Trade and Environment Policy Advisory Committee (TEPAC); his service on this committee continues under President Bush. Mr. Zaelke is the author of five books, including a leading textbook, International Environmental Law and Policy (1998 University Casebook Series) which he co-wrote with David Hunter and Duke Law professor James Salzman. Mr. Zaelke is also a partner at Zelle Hofmann Voelbel Mason & Gette in Washington, DC.
The Law Alumni Association’s Charles S. Murphy Award honors an alumnus whose career has been devoted to public service or education, reflecting the ideals exemplified in the life and career of Charles S. Murphy T’31 L’34. A native of North Carolina, Mr. Murphy held positions in the administrations of Presidents Truman, Kennedy and Johnson. He served as a Duke Trustee and on the Law School’s Board of Visitors, and was honored with an honorary doctorate from Duke in 1967.
Mr. Zaelke is currently the president and founder of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, and also serves as the director of the International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (INECE) Secretariat. He is the founder and director of the Research Program on International and Comparative Environmental Law at American University’s Washington College of Law, where he serves as an adjunct professor of law and scholar-in-residence. Mr. Zaelke’s research focuses on the resolution of trade and environmental conflicts, implementation and enforcement of international environmental laws, and growth of public interest movements in developing countries. Mr. Zaelke was appointed by President Clinton to the White House Trade and Environment Policy Advisory Committee (TEPAC); his service on this committee continues under President Bush. Mr. Zaelke is the author of five books, including a leading textbook, International Environmental Law and Policy (1998 University Casebook Series) which he co-wrote with David Hunter and Duke Law professor James Salzman. Mr. Zaelke is also a partner at Zelle Hofmann Voelbel Mason & Gette in Washington, DC.
The Law Alumni Association’s Charles S. Murphy Award honors an alumnus whose career has been devoted to public service or education, reflecting the ideals exemplified in the life and career of Charles S. Murphy T’31 L’34. A native of North Carolina, Mr. Murphy held positions in the administrations of Presidents Truman, Kennedy and Johnson. He served as a Duke Trustee and on the Law School’s Board of Visitors, and was honored with an honorary doctorate from Duke in 1967.