Introducing the FUS Faculty: Jean Wu

DIRECTOR, GREEN OFFICE SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAMS & ADJUNCT PROFESSOR

J.D. UC Berkeley School of Law
B.A. UC Berkeley

Office: McNeely Center of Ideas and Imagination
Phone: +41 091 986 5316
Email: jwu@fus.edu

Jean Wu is founding Director, Green Office Sustainability Programs, and an adjunct professor at Franklin. She received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of California at Berkeley School of Law, with a Certificate of Specialization in Environmental Law. She graduated with highest honors, was inducted into the Order of the Coif and was twice awarded the American Jurisprudence Award.

While at Berkeley Law, her research interests included environmental litigation, preservation of public lands, and the intersection of corporate law and environmental law.

Jean Wu is a member of the NY State Bar and has practiced as an attorney at a large 'magic circle' law firm, a boutique legal studio and worked in private business. Prior to her legal career, Jean Wu worked in public finance at a leading investment bank. She teaches in the areas of law and sustainability.

As founding Director of the Green Office Sustainability Programs, Jean Wu leads a team of GO Scholars and drives the office’s sustainability programs. Beyond Franklin, Jean Wu serves on the Advisory Council of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. Jean’s current research interests include Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy, the evolving area of sustainability reporting, climate law and sustainable development law.

2025-2026 Courses

POL 309	Legal Studies and the Study of Law	SPRING 2026
The law governs many of our daily activities and behaviors. Who then decides what the law should be and who should be subject to it? How are laws made? What are the implications for our daily life? This course examines the law in Switzerland, Europe, and the United States, offering a cross-cultural comparison and building on concepts fundamental to political science. Initially focusing on developing a vocabulary in legal terminology, students then consider how domestic law relates to international law. The course examines the relationships between domestic and international law, considering both civil and common law. Connecting theory to practice, students may have the opportunity to visit the Federal Tribunal or attend a trial at one of the nearby courts.

Publications

A student-driven approach to establishing sustainability programs at colleges and universities: lessons from the Green Office Movement in Europe. Sustainable Universities and Colleges (2024). Edited by Mark Stark and Paul Shrivastava. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035314737.00014.

Pursuing international environmental tort claims under the ATCA: Beanal v. Freeport-McMoRan. Ecology Law Quarterly, vol. 28, no. 2, 2001, pp. 487–508. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24114135.

Overseas Chinese Capitalism and the Marginalization of the Rule of Law: A Reassessment of the Relationship between Law and Economic Development. The Berkeley McNair Journal, vol. 4 (Winter 1996), pp. 210 - 224.

The Joint Declaration and the Basic Law: A Glimpse of the Policies Shaping Hong Kong's Future. Berkeley Journal of Asian Studies, vol. 7, pp. 60 - 70.