Seema Kakade joined Maryland Carey Law in July 2017 and is a professor of law and director of the Environmental Law Clinic (currently on leave of absence through July 2025 to serve in the White House Council on Environmental Quality). Professor Kakade’s research interests are in the area of clean energy infrastructure, environmental permitting, and pollution. She has published articles in top legal journals including the Harvard Environmental Law Review, Ecology Law Quarterly, New York University Environmental Law Review, and University of Colorado Law Review. Her legal practice in the clinic specifically focuses on environmental justice matters in the mid-Atlantic region where she has worked with students on critical writing, analysis, and speaking skills. In 2018, the clinic received the American Bar Association’s “best student program” award.
Prior to joining the law school, Professor Kakade served as a federal government attorney with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Civil Enforcement, and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of General Counsel. At both agencies, she won numerous awards for her work, including several bronze and silver medals for service, and twice received the Administrator’s Award for Excellence.
Before her federal government practice, she worked as a research attorney and co-director of the India Program at the Environmental Law Institute. She also spent time as a litigation associate in private practice. Professor Kakade holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a JD from the George Washington University Law School. She is the recipient of the 2019 Environmental Law Institute’s “Future’s Award” and is a fellow with the American College of Environmental Law. She is also an active member of multiple organizations dedicated to serving the greater Asian American community.