Jesse Leigh Reiblich

Jesse Reiblich holds an LL.M. in environmental and land use law from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. Mr. Reiblich also earned his J.D. and B.A. degrees from the University of Florida. He has been licensed to practice law in Florida since 2011. Mr. Reiblich has published several articles in law reviews and other publications. His research interests include coastal and marine law, water law, and other environmental policy topics.

Most recently Mr. Reiblich practiced commercial business litigation and white-collar criminal defense at a law firm in downtown Tampa, Florida. Prior to this position, he was a Florida Climate Institute Fellow at the University of Florida. In this role, Mr. Reiblich studied various aspects of climate change and how they intersect with the law. For instance, he researched whether current water law regimes—particularly those regarding “water transfers” in several iterations of that term—and whether these current laws are suited to deal with the possible effects of climate change. He published his findings in an article he coauthored with Professor Christine A. Klein in the Pepperdine Law Review. As a fellow he also published an article regarding the United States’ preferable policy response to the Massachusetts v. EPA decision—a decision holding that greenhouse gases are air pollutants which the EPA may regulate under the Clean Air Act.

During law school Mr. Reiblich was a student member of the University of Florida’s Oil Spill Working Group. This Group, headed by the director of the Center for Governmental Responsibility Jon Mills, was organized in response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Gulf Oil Spill. The Group was comprised of attorneys, law professors and students who worked together to tackle the legal and political issues in the wake of the Spill. Mr. Reiblich presented his preliminary findings as a member of this Group at the University of Florida’s Oil Spill Symposium on September 16, 2010. His research also went into a report titled “Legal and Policy Issues from the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Moving from Response to Recovery.” This report assisted the director of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force with compiling his recommendations to President Obama regarding recovery of the Gulf ecosystem in the aftermath of the Spill.

Mr. Reiblich also worked as a student associate in the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Conservation Clinic during law school. In this role he worked with other student associates to rewrite Florida’s fishing regulations for a state agency client. The goal of this rewrite was twofold: to make the regulations easier for anglers to follow and to make them easier for state officials to enforce.

Besides these practical experiences, Mr. Reiblich also completed several internships during law school. He interned for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 in Atlanta, Georgia. He also interned for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in Tallahassee, Florida. Finally, he interned at the University of Florida’s Student Legal Services.

Mr. Reiblich also served as a research assistant to Professor Christine A. Klein while she updated her Natural Resources Law casebook, and as an editor for the Journal of Technology Law and Policy. Finally, he earned book awards for achieving the highest grades in his Energy Law and Water law courses. He also earned an Outstanding Pro Bono Certificate for Public Service for performing 105+ hours of pro bono service during law school.

Prior to law school Mr. Reiblich worked in a wide variety of environmental and construction positions. He worked as a site safety officer on a $10 million construction project on the Kings Bay Nuclear Submarine Base in Georgia. He wrote grants to assist with the cleanup following Hurricane Katrina. He also worked as a protected species monitor on various construction and dredging products all around Florida.