
Stephen Earsom Adjunct Professor of Law
Phone: 540-458-8500
Email: searsom@wlu.edu
Office: Lewis Hall

Stephen Earsom
Areas of Expertise/Classes Taught
Introduction to Water Law
Education
BS, University of Tulsa
JD, University of New Mexico
MS, University of New Mexico
About
Stephen Earsom is an attorney and natural resources professional with more than two decades of experience in environmental law, water policy, and wildlife conservation. He currently serves as an Attorney-Advisor in the U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of the Solicitor, where he provides legal counsel on natural resource regulations, Native American law, and federal environmental statutes. He also leads Earsom Land & Water Law, LLC, a practice focused on tribal water code development in New Mexico.
Prior to becoming an attorney, Earsom held several scientific and policy roles within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other federal agencies, including as Biologist-Pilot, Ecologist, and Senior Policy Coordinator. His work has spanned Clean Water Act compliance, migratory bird conservation, and reserved tribal water rights. He has also contributed to legal scholarship published in the Virginia Environmental Law Journal and provided clinical services to tribal nations through the University of New Mexico's Natural Resources and Environmental Law Clinic.
In the fall of 2025, Earsom joins Washington and Lee University as an Adjunct Professor of Law, teaching Introduction to Water Law. He holds a J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law, an M.S. in Biology from the University of New Mexico, and a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Tulsa. Earsom is admitted to practice law in New Mexico.