Matthew G. Curtis

Welcome

My internship at the National Center for Environmental Innovation this past summer was an invaluable introduction to environmental law and policy practice. After meeting and following up with David Widawsky at the previous National Council on Science and the Environment’s “New Green Economy” conference, I contacted my internship mentor Tom Tyler to express my interest in helping him pursue one of his ideas for a policy analysis project at the Office of Policy, Economics and Innovation. I spent this past summer researching whether or not the EPA has unexercised authority or color of authority under its authorizing statutes to undertake non-regulatory activities pursuing protection of human health and the environment. This policy work, combined with attendance at a wide range of lectures, seminars and networking events, provided me with a valuable and comprehensive exposure to innovative Environmental policy. I learned that an effective, well-rounded Environmental lawyer must be able to balance this approach with regulation and enforcement to achieve the primary EPA statutory mandate to protect human health and the environment. An internship with OECA next summer will help me continue to build on the foundation I developed last summer, and will help me achieve my goals of becoming an effective, well-rounded Environmental lawyer while contributing to the ongoing NETI Law Clerk summer program.

Before law school, I was a medical malpractice litigation paralegal at Rawls & McNelis, P.C. Part of my daily work included taking intake calls from Veterans who wanted to bring claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act, and composing intake memorandums to provide to the attorneys. Taking the calls and knowing what information is needed to compile an informative report was difficult at first, but the large volume of calls that I handled on a daily basis gave me valuable experience with spotting the relevant medical facts and asking the necessary questions to determine whether or not to pursue a claim or request more medical records. In addition to strengthening my time management skills and attention to detail, working as a litigation paralegal enhanced my ability to work with a team under high pressure and time sensitive conditions. As a junior at George Mason University, I interned at the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce’s Governmental Affairs department for the 2006 General Assembly. The primary focus of my work concerned the impact of northern Virginia’s transportation problems on local commerce and quality of life. I saw firsthand the collaboration between nonprofit organizations, government, and businesses as they united towards the common goal of reducing reliance on cars as a primary mode of transportation to yield economic and environmental benefits to the public.

As a junior at George Mason University, I interned at the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce’s department of Governmental Affairs for the 2006 General Assembly. The primary focus of my work concerned the impact of northern Virginia’s transportation problems on local commerce and quality of life. I saw firsthand the collaboration between nonprofit organizations, government, and businesses as they united towards the common goal of reducing reliance on cars as a primary mode of transportation to yield economic and environmental benefits to the public. Prior to beginning law school, I was a litigation paralegal at Rawls & McNelis, P.C. in Richmond, Virginia. In addition to providing me with the opportunity to strengthen my time management skills and attention to detail, working as a litigation paralegal enhanced my ability to work with a team under high pressure and time sensitive conditions.