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By his freshman year of college, Robert Zavarella ’26 knew he wanted to pursue law. Interested in history since childhood, he found learning about the basis and development of different legal systems across the world especially fascinating. Zavarella says he views legal systems as a reflection of a society’s values, priorities, and philosophy. This interest sparked his enthusiasm for law and the idea of attending law school. He views a JD as opening the door to a career with flexibility, with attorneys able to work in most industries.

In addition to his law course work, Zavarella serves as the president of the Native American Law Students Association at Duke Law. Recently, he published an article in the Cherokee Phoenix regarding challenges to tribal sovereignty. Outside of the law school, he enjoys traveling, playing chess, and cooking.

While at Duke, Zavarella participated in a pro bono environmental law project for the Human Rights Pro Bono Program, and his experience motivated him to continue working on environmental-related cases and apply to join the Environmental Law and Policy Clinic’s (ELPC) summer internship program.

He shares his experience working with the ELPC team below:

Can you please talk about your path to Duke Law?

I knew that I wanted to study law because I could dive deeper into a lot of the topics that I had learned about in history. My decision to come to Duke was a confluence of different factors. A law degree from Duke would allow me a great degree of flexibility and would more or less open any door I wanted, so I think that was a big part of it for me. Additionally, Durham seemed like it would be a nice place (largely because of the weather) to spend three years. I’ve certainly found those things to be true so far, so it was a good decision for me.

Why did you decide to apply to the Environmental Law and Policy Clinic, and did you find the experience valuable for your career goals?

I decided to apply to the Environmental Law and Policy Clinic because in my limited prior exposure to environmental law I had found it to be interesting. Additionally, I thought it would be a good opportunity to have some continuity with things I had already studied and be able to really take a deep dive into a particular area of law.

I certainly did find it valuable to my career goals. I feel like I got solid exposure to a lot of the relevant governing law, such as the Clean Water Act, and a good sense for how things like legal battles over contaminated site remediation efforts evolve. Additionally, it gave me enough exposure to know that environmental law is something that I am interested in practicing long-term. Next summer, I will be working in Beveridge & Diamond’s New York office as a summer associate, and I largely owe that opportunity to the time I spent at the clinic.

What was it like connecting with the clients you’re working with, and how did you feel about your work overall?

It was very impactful. I feel like at times, as a law student, some of the concepts and real-world effects of the things you’re learning about can feel far away. However, getting to meet with folks like the Concerned Citizens of West Badin is very important because it grounds you with the knowledge that these are real cases that affect real people with real concerns.

How have you been able to apply your existing skills?

For my history background, just having a lot of experience reading and writing, all day, every day, is a skill that I have certainly been able to apply as a law student, and I will continue to apply when I am an attorney. My prior work experience in restaurants has been very useful. Working in restaurants teaches you a lot about handling stressful situations and how to interact with clients, and I have found that experience to be quite useful so far.

During our discussion, you mentioned an interest in history and travel. Have you been able to incorporate your interests into your law school experience?

I have certainly been able to incorporate my interest in history into my law school experience. Simply put, it’s everywhere, even while reading cases for class, it often requires you to have at least a basic understanding of the historical context, so I would say I see history all the time in law school. As for traveling, yes and no. I feel like my travels haven’t been directly relevant to my future legal practice because I don’t plan on practicing abroad. However, I would say that they have permanently changed how I view the world and the legal profession. I’m a very no-frills traveler, I like to just explore with an open mind and see where the journey takes me.

The part of my travels I always find the most interesting is getting to meet the locals and asking very simple questions: where are you from, tell me about your family, what was your country like growing up, etc. I’ve found that regardless of whether I’m gallivanting through the cities of Central Europe or sharing lunch with a young couple (who had apparently just moved back from Des Moines, Iowa, of all places) in a small town in the middle of the Salvadoran jungle, I tend to hear some pretty remarkable answers to those questions. More often than not, unfortunately, those stories are marked by things such as civil conflict or political instability. Seeing firsthand the impact of countries' legal and political situations on lives is an experience I wouldn’t trade for the world. When I think about the power that people in the legal profession hold, I still think about many of those people that I have met.

What advice would you share with students who are considering applying to ELPC?

If you have an inkling that you might be interested in environmental law, it is a no-brainer. You will have the chance to get hands-on experience and see what cases in this field of law look like. Additionally, environmental law is a niche enough field that I think having prior experience and a demonstrated interest in it is quite important in securing future opportunities. Additionally, even if you end up deciding that environmental law isn’t for you, the clinic will teach you many skills that can be applied to any legal practice. Reading cases, writing, combing through regulations, and meeting with clients, are all valuable skills no matter what you decide to do long term.

What are your plans after graduation?

I hope to practice environmental law in New York after graduation. I’m not totally sure which specific areas of environmental law I want to focus on yet. However, I am very excited that next summer I will continue to get exposure to more practice areas.