NYCELLI was founded in 2007 by Chris Saporita as his project for the New York City Bar Association’s Environmental Law Committee to give new and aspiring environmental attorneys a vehicle for engaging with the City’s environmental challenges and for building a community to find solutions.
NYCELLI has since become an independent non-profit organization with ongoing support from the Environmental Law Committee, the New York State Bar Association’s Environmental & Energy Law Section, and the Environmental Law Institute. NYCELLI has inspired the creation of similar programs in Portland, Oregon and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Over the years, NYCELLI participants have learned from pioneering environmental attorneys about the role that law and lawyers play in addressing New York City’s environmental challenges, explored and crafted solutions to these challenges, and built a distinguished network of alumni who are making important contributions to a healthier, greener City.