Earthjustice Oceans Program | San Francisco, CA

Shashank Vura is a second-year law student specializing in natural resources governance and environmental justice. He aspires to a career at the crossroads of domestic and international law, ameliorating biodiversity loss to sustain our natural world, collective heritage, and all aspects of life.

This summer, Shashank will clerk for Earthjustice’s Oceans Program, fighting to preserve the planet’s most foundational ecosystem. He will participate in legal and policy efforts to end overfishing, safeguard iconic flora and fauna, build resilience to the impacts of climate change in marine habitats, and prevent further offshore oil and gas development. By engaging in administrative advocacy and intergovernmental processes, he will partner with conservation groups and coastal communities to compel better stewardship of the seas.

Last year, Shashank served as a Chayes Fellow at the International Fund for Animal Welfare, focusing on initiatives to curtail the trafficking of endangered species. Before law school, he interned for U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth. Shashank then worked in external relations at the Rainforest Alliance, inter-agency/treaty affairs at the United Nations Environment Programme, and captive wildlife protection at Elephants in Japan.

At HLS, he has been Co-President of the Animal Law Society, Membership Chair of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, an articles editor for the Environmental Law Review, and a research assistant for Professor Kristen Stilt. He was previously a student attorney in the Animal Law & Policy Clinic and a consultant for the Natural Resources Defense Council’s China Program.

Originally from Hyderabad, India, Shashank mostly grew up in the Houston, Texas area. He graduated with a BA in History and Government from Cornell University, winning the Class of 2019 Award for community leadership.