LAUREN THOMSON ‘19 CHARTED COURSE TO A SUCCESSFUL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CAREER

LaurenThomsonLauren Thomson graduated from Texas A&M University School of Law in 2019 and has since fully enmeshed herself in the tight-knit community of Texas environmental law. As an associate at Lloyd Gosselink, Thomson’s work explores environmental law at a local, state, and federal level.

During her time at A&M, Thomson focused her academic curiosity to forge connections in her future career. Thomson underscored the importance of experiential learning for her law school experience. With Professor Gabriel Eckstein’s help in finding externship placements, she was able to stay engaged with attorneys in the field and design a structure in law school that helped her achieve her goals. Notably, one of Thomson’s first externships was with attorney Mark McPherson concerning his work representing the community of Sandbranch, Texas, just a few miles south of Dallas, during their legal battle for water rights (which was the focus of Texas A&M Law’s first annual Environmental Justice Conference in 2021).

With that experience in mind, Thomson next pursued a public policy externship during her 2L year during which she spent the entire spring semester in D.C. Between working 40-hour weeks and attending classes at night and on weekends, Thomson was exposed to various types of law and a variety of attorneys and was able to observe and learn from their real-world experiences. Professor Lisa Rich helped Thompson tailor her public policy externship experience to meet her personal goals and reap the rewards of her hard work and preparation.

As sage advice to any law student, regardless of their intended career path, Thomson encourages curiosity and keeping an open mind. As an attorney who specifically sought out a career in environmental law, she notes that many students stumble into this career path by coincidence. Environmental law is an overarching umbrella, and the finer points of law it encompasses provide surprising and often very rewarding career interests.

Environmental law is not an exclusive field, however. Thomson explains that those within the practice often have the opportunity to explore topics outside of their wheelhouse. While she primarily focuses on water law, Thomson’s work has enabled her to tangentially pursue endangered species work, Safe Drinking Water Act work, and even archeology. She adds that being open to the unfamiliar transposes from the classroom to career for many successful environmental law attorneys. In addition to embracing lifelong learning, Thomson encourages students to “stay curious” and that “this will take you far.” She notes how fostering your inquisitive nature, especially as a new attorney, is an invaluable tool for practice. Not being afraid of the unknown and chasing down answers is a foundational principle for success in legal pathways that are intertwined with new developments in science and environmental law.

In her experience at Lloyd Gosselink, Thomson notes that she particularly enjoys the variety of clients. Working with political subdivisions, such as cities, utility districts, and water districts, has provided some of the most rewarding aspects of her career, she adds. Work for political subdivisions pushes her to analyze local, state, and federal law for her clients’ questions in the environmental context. The terrain of the client’s legal approach changes from issue to issue, largely due to the many different roles political subdivisions play. “One day we are defending against enforcement actions and the next day we’re bringing them.”

Thomson’s work further allows and encourages her to stay engaged in environmental law outside of the more narrow means of practice. Be it through the mediums of publications or podcasting, Thomson works to make environmental law accessible to stakeholders from all walks of life. Thomson has had the opportunity to continue writing, with one of her more recent accomplishments being a co-author of “Meeting Water Supply Needs: Planning, Permitting, and Implementation,” Essentials of Texas Water Resources, 7th. She has also appeared on several podcast episodes for the “Listen In With Lloyd Gosselink” podcast. Her full list of publications can be found here.