Elissa Torres-Soto

Elissa’s work currently focuses on domestic and international projects, particularly on the Inter-American region. She works on a variety of issues at ELI, ranging from the mitigation of environmental, social, and economic impacts of environmental crimes in the Peruvian Amazon to domestic environmental and natural resources law and policy topics such as land-based aquaculture, community science and climate resiliency. Prior to joining ELI, Elissa was the first-ever legal policy fellow at Maryland Sea Grant where she worked in close partnership with the Agriculture Law Education Initiative. During her time at Sea Grant, she researched and wrote about shellfish aquaculture, ocean and coastal law, coastal farming, and climate resilience.

She received an LL.M. degree in Environmental and Energy Law from Georgetown University Law Center. During her LL.M, she focused on deepening her knowledge on the accountability mechanisms for human rights infringements caused by transboundary pollution in the Inter-American region. She obtained a JD with honors from the Catholic University of Puerto Rico, and she is admitted to practice law in Puerto Rico.