Joseph A. Siegel
Biography
Adjunct Professor Joseph Siegel is a mediator, facilitator, and climate change lawyer, and has been an adjunct professor at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at 91视频 since 2001 teaching climate change and air pollution courses. He served as Interim Executive Director of the 91视频 Energy and Climate Center following a 38 year career with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 2 office in New York where he was a Senior Attorney, co-chaired the Region 2 Climate Change Workgroup and the Office of Regional Counsel鈥檚 Climate Change Workgroup, managed the Region 2 Environmental Collaboration and Conflict Resolution program, and served on the Steering Committee of the Mid-Atlantic Federal Climate Partners. Much of Professor Siegel's legal work at EPA involved regulation of the energy sector under the Federal Clean Air Act. He has also been a leader on national policy related to climate change, air pollution and dispute resolution.
As a mediator and facilitator for over 20 years, Professor Siegel often serves as an impartial third-party on matters involving climate change adaptation and greenhouse gas mitigation as well as other environmental issues. In this work, he seeks to build bridges among diverse stakeholders and help them arrive at collaborative solutions. He also currently teaches Environmental Dispute Resolution at Hofstra Law School where he has been a Special Professor of Law since 2014 and he became a Visiting Scholar at the Environmental Law Institute in 2025 working on environmental peacebuilding.
Professor Siegel鈥檚 international work includes serving as Education Chair for the Climate Change Project of Mediators Beyond Borders International since 2018 and participation in various international collaboration and conflict resolution initiatives on climate change such as Adaptation Without Borders and Better Climate Governance. He teaches and lectures on mediation and conflict resolution at both United Nations climate change summits and domestic conferences on climate change and dispute resolution. He was also a member of the Advisory Group to the United Nations Environment Programme and Permanent Court of Arbitration on Environmental Dispute Resolution and Dispute Avoidance.
Previously, Professor Siegel taught environmental law and environmental justice for 11 years at City University of New York Law School at Queens College. He served as Chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) Committee on Climate Change, Sustainable Development and Ecosystems of the Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (SEER) and Chair of the ABA SEER Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee. Professor Siegel also served as Vice-Chair of the ABA Renewable Energy Resources Committee and editor of the Energy Committees Newsletter. He has been a frequent lecturer and author on climate change, conflict resolution and collaboration.
Education
- BA, Wesleyan University
- JD, Hofstra University School of Law