Achinthi Vithanage, Executive Director of the Environmental Law Program and Professor of Law for Designated Service in Environmental Law at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, has been named to the 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Environmental Lawyers: The Green 500. This marks the fifth time Professor Vithanage has appeared on this list since its creation in 2021.
The Green 500 recognizes 500 lawyers selected through research and nominations for their work in environmental law. “It is an honor to be recognized among such an accomplished group of environmental law leaders,” said Professor Vithanage. “The challenges facing our planet continue to evolve, and addressing them requires collaboration across research, advocacy, and practice. I am proud to work alongside colleagues at Pace Haub Law and across the environmental law community who are advancing solutions that strengthen environmental governance and promote a more just and sustainable future. I am grateful to Lawdragon for recognizing this work and the collective impact of Pace Haub Law’s environmental leaders and affiliates.”
Professor Vithanage teaches International Environmental Law and Environmental Externship seminars. She also serves as an Advisory Board Member for Pace Haub Law’s Sustainable Business Law Hub and will receive the Richard Ottinger Award for Faculty Achievement in 2025. Before joining Pace Haub Law, she was a Visiting Associate Professor at George Washington University Law School, where she was the first Environmental and Energy Law Fellow with an international law background.
Her involvement extends to leadership roles within the American Bar Association’s Section on Environment, Energy & Resources (SEER), including heading the Law Student Transition Task Force, participating in other task forces related to sustainability and climate change, co-founding the Environmental Law Society Network, serving as Co-Chair of the International Law Committee, and sitting on SEER’s Governing Council from 2022 to 2025. Additionally, she is involved with several international organizations focused on environmental law.
Other members of the Pace Haub community were also recognized by Lawdragon this year. Alumni Anne Carpenter (Partner at Hogan Lovells), Samuel Brown (Partner at Hunton Andrews Kurth), Kirstin Etela (Partner at Day Pitney LLP), and James May (Richard S. Righter Distinguished Professor of Law at Washburn University School of Law) made the list.
“Pace Haub Law is proud to see our faculty, alumni, and affiliates recognized among the nation’s leading environmental lawyers,” said Katrina Fischer Kuh, Faculty Director of the Environmental Law Program and Haub Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law. “This recognition reflects the strength and breadth of our environmental law community and its ongoing influence on policy, practice, and education. Our students benefit from learning alongside and being mentored by leaders who are shaping the future of environmental and climate law.”
The Green 500 list also included Sam Sankar (Senior Vice President of Programs at Earthjustice), Michael Gerrard (founder of Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law), and John Cruden (Principal at Beveridge & Diamond), all affiliated with Pace Haub through lectureships or visiting scholar positions.
