Michael Gerrard has spent decades defending the environment in the courts, handling environmental aspects on many development projects and appeals. He joined the faculty of Columbia Law School in 2009, where he is currently the Andrew Sabin Professor of Professional Practice and director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law. 

From 1979 to 2008, Gerrard practiced environmental law in New York, most recently with Arnold & Porter where he was senior counsel representing clients from both the private and public sectors. His practice involved trying numerous cases and arguing appeals in federal and state courts and administrative tribunals, handling the environmental aspects of multiple transactions and development projects, and providing regulatory compliance advice.

Gerrard has chaired the American Bar Association's 10,000-member Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources; the Executive Committee of the New York City Bar, and the Environmental Law Section of the New York State Bar Association. He has written or edited 11 books on environmental law and climate change, most recently Legal Pathways to Deep Decarbonization in the United States, which addresses the myriad ways the U.S can use the law to address climate change.