Sam Bookman

Sam Bookman is a Research Fellow at Harvard Law School’s Project on the Foundations of Private Law and a Hauser Global Fellow at New York University’s Guarini Center on Environmental Law. He will join Melbourne Law School as a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in January 2026. His work bridges constitutional law, environmental law, and private law, focusing on climate change’s impact on legal rights and relationships.

Sam holds an SJD from Harvard Law School and a first law degree from the University of Auckland. He practices international and environmental law in New York as Senior Staff Attorney at the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice. His research has been published in journals such as the Oxford Journal of Legal Studies and Environmental Law.

Scientific Awards

• Hauser Global Fellow at NYU’s Guarini Center on Environmental Law
• Nonresident Fellow at NYU’s Guarini Center on Environmental, Energy, and Land Use Law
• Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard Law School’s Project on the Foundations of Private Law

Sam is qualified to practice law in New York State and New Zealand (non-practicing). He has taught climate law courses at Harvard Law School, Boston College Law School, and the University of Melbourne.