Michael S. Baram

Biography

Michael Baram is Professor of Law Emeritus at Boston University School of Law where he had served as Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Law & Technology, and held faculty appointments in the BU School of Public Health (Health Law Division) and BU Bioinformatics Department. He is also a Legal Volunteer at the Conservation Law Foundation. He was previously a partner in the Boston environmental law firm of Bracken and Baram for 30 years, and a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Assistant Dean of the Graduate School  at MIT.

His areas of specialization are Environmental Law, Occupational Health Law, Biotechnology Law and Ethics, Corporate Risk Management, Products Liability, Regulation of Hazardous Technologies, and Safety Management Systems.

He has provided consulting and legal services to numerous public and private organizations including: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy, and Federal Emergency Management Agency; the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the OECD, the European Union, the Geneva Association, the World Resources Institute, the American Petroleum Institute, the Chemical Manufacturers Association, the Administrative Conference of the U.S., the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, the states of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and California, Tufts University, Clark University, University of Stavanger/Norwegian Research Council, and various corporations. He has also been Visiting Professor at the Technical University of Berlin, a lecturer at Carnegie-Mellon University and Clark University, and is a Fellow of the Society for Risk Analysis.

He has served on numerous expert committees and boards including: National Academy of Sciences Committees (on Ionizing Radiation (“BEIR II”), Radioactive Waste Management, EPA Decision-making, and Wastewater and Sludge Management); the EPA Toxic Substances Advisory Committee; the OSHA Construction Safety and Health Advisory Committee; Massachusetts Advisory Committees (on Low Level Rad Waste, Right to Know Law, and Water Supply); the American Bar Association Environmental Law Committee (Chairman); the Chemical Education Foundation Board of Trustees; US Delegation to the OECD on Chemical Industry Safety Hazards; Northeast Business Environmental Network Board of Directors; Wharton Risk Management Center Advisory Board; New Technologies and Work Core Group; Berkeley Deepwater Horizon Study Group; and other committees at the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, US Department of Energy, MIT (Nuclear Engineering Department), Boston University (Center for Energy and Environmental Studies), Harvard (Law & Technology Society); and journal editorial  boards of the American Society of Law and Medicine, the National Association of Environmental Professionals, the Society for Risk Analysis, BU and Harvard Law Schools (journals of  law & technology); and the Journal of  BioLaw and Business.

His publications include eight books: Governing Risk in GM Agriculture (2010), Safety Management (1998), Managing Chemical Risks (1992), Transnational Corporations and Industrial Hazards Disclosure (1991), Corporate Disclosure of Environmental Risks:  US and EC Law (1990), Alternatives to Regulation for Managing Risks to Health, Safety, Environment (1982), Environmental Law and the Siting of Facilities (1976), and Marine Mining: Legal, Technical and Environmental Considerations (1978). Several reports have also been published by the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, the Administrative Conference of the U.S., the European Union, and the National Academy of Sciences. He has authored over 110 articles and chapters in legal, professional and academic journals, books and other media (e.g. in Science, The New York Times, Environmental Health Perspectives, Safety Science Journal).