Job Tag: Law/Policy

WM, a Fortune 250 company, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste and environmental services in North America. We are strongly committed to a foundation of operating excellence, professionalism and financial strength. WM serves nearly 25 million customers in residential, commercial, industrial and municipal markets throughout North America through a network of collection operations, transfer stations, landfills, recycling facilities and waste-based energy production projects.

I. Job Summary

The Sr Legal Counsel ÔÇô Renewable Energy position will primarily support the CompanyÔÇÖs renewable energy group within its broader sustainability organization. As one of the fastest growing groups within the Company, this role would involve corporate transactional and project development work, as well as potential acquisitions or other strategic transactions in the renewable energy space. This role would also work closely with the CompanyÔÇÖs government affairs group to develop advice on regulatory matters affecting the renewable energy industry.

We are seeking a candidate with strong corporate/transactional experience, preferably with prior experience in the corporate or energy transactions practice group of a mid-sized or large law firm. Specific experience and expertise in the renewable energy industry is a plus, although experience in the waste, recycling or ESG/sustainability areas is not required. The ideal candidate will be self-motivated to lead deals and projects to completion. The individual should be open to handling an evolving set of responsibilities for a rapidly growing and ambitious group of clients.

The Sr Legal Counsel will report directly to the Assistant General Counsel ÔÇô Recycling & Sustainability. This position is based in Houston, Texas.

II. Essential Skills, Duties and Responsibilities

Advise internal clients with respect to, and draft, review and negotiate contracts relating to, transactional matters supporting the CompanyÔÇÖs renewable energy group, including power purchase agreements, RNG offtake contracts, marketing agreements for renewable credits or environmental attributes, project development related contracts, vendor contracts, non-disclosure agreements.
Review and provide legal advice on creative deal structures to beneficially use landfill gas, carbon and other byproducts of the CompanyÔÇÖs core disposal business.
Review and provide legal advice on acquisitions and other strategic transactions involving the renewable energy group.
Coordinate with the CompanyÔÇÖs Government Affairs team to provide broad-based legal counsel on strategy relating to renewable energy regulations.
Review and provide legal advice on renewable energy related disclosures and external materials, such as in the CompanyÔÇÖs annual Sustainability Report and similar disclosures in SEC filings and other communications/publications.
May be responsible for management of outside counsel activities as necessary, including determining overall effective legal strategy.
Provide proactive legal and practical business advice to internal clients.
Engage, collaborate, and build strategic business relationships with numerous departments and functions within the Company to work efficiently and effectively while providing a high-level of service to business partners.

III. Supervisory Responsibilities
This job has no supervisory duties but may occasionally act as a team lead and manage work of paralegals or attorneys. However, the individual will not regularly have support from another in-house attorney and must be able to perform legal functions independently.

IV. Qualifications
The requirements listed below are representative of the qualifications necessary to perform the job.

A. Education and Experience

Juris Doctorate and eight (8) or more years of previous experience.
Large or mid-sized law firm experience in a corporate or energy transactions group.

Preferred Experience: The following experience areas are a plus, but not required.

Renewable Energy
Waste, Recycling and/or ESG

B. Certificates, Licenses, Registrations or Other Requirements

State Bar Licensure, Texas preferred.

C. Other Knowledge, Skills or Abilities Required

None required.

V. Work Environment
Listed below are key points regarding environmental demands and work environment of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Required to use motor coordination with finger dexterity (such as keyboarding, machine operation, etc.) most of the work day;
Required to exert physical effort in handling objects less than 30 pounds rarely;
Required to be exposed to physical occupational risks (such as cuts, burns, exposure to toxic chemicals, etc.) rarely;
Required to be exposed to physical environment which involves dirt, odors, noise, weather extremes or similar elements rarely;
Normal setting for this job is: office setting and subject to compliance with CompanyÔÇÖs policies that may change from time to time

Benefits
At WM, each eligible employee receives a competitive total compensation package including Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance and Short Term Disability. As well as a Stock Purchase Plan, Company match on 401K, and more! Our employees also receive Paid Vacation, Holidays, and Personal Days. Please note that benefits may vary by site.

The Senior Counsel provides legal support for the advocacy campaigns run out of the Washington, D.C., office. The Senior Counsel also advises the campaigns on legal compliance and risk mitigation and assists in administrating the Law Department. The Senior Counsel may also engage in special projects, including researching new campaign issues or geographic areas; providing legal support to campaigns run by other Oceana offices around the world; assisting in defending Oceana against legal claims brought by outside parties; and performing other tasks managed by the Law Department as needed.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

Essential Functions:

Works as an integral part of campaign and policy staff to help achieve campaign and policy goals, including:
Providing strategic advice to campaigns, such as:
Identifying options for achieving goals in view of the relevant legal and regulatory framework; and
Devising litigation strategies and arguments.
Conducting legal research and other analysis necessary to support OceanaÔÇÖs campaigns.
Drafting and contributing informal letters, formal comment letters, and other advocacy documents.
Working with campaigns to achieve goals while minimizing reputational and legal risks of written materials and verbal statements and complying with regulatory requirements, such as lobbying disclosure rules.
Conducting in-person advocacy with outside decision-makers.
Supporting litigation by working with Assistant General Counsel to obtain representation for Oceana; acting as liaison among campaign, Legal Department, and outside counsel; and assisting outside counsel in litigation tasks.
Assists in preparing litigation reports for the Board.
Manages Legal Department interns, including:
Supervising, reviewing work, mentoring, and giving feedback; and
Recruiting.
Performs other administrative work as necessary to support the Department and program staff.

Job Requirements

Education and Experience:

Juris Doctor
Must be, or able to become, a member of good standing in the District of Columbia Bar
Minimum of seven years legal experience related to the principal duties and essential functions.

Skills and Knowledge:

Knowledge and experience in one or more of the following areas:
administrative law
environmental law
litigation
international law.
Well-developed written and oral communication skills.
Strong organizational skills.
Ability to take initiative and be creative in suggesting and implementing ways to accomplish OceanaÔÇÖs goals; and
Computer literacy and ability to use latest technologies in operation in current modern office environments.
Familiarity with law of the EU and EU countries and fluency in another language a plus.

Required Competencies:

Communicate effectively: Is effective in a variety of communication settings: one-on-one, small and large groups, or among diverse styles and position levels.
Collaborate: Brings people together to leverage their skills, talent and knowledge to achieve a common purpose. Creates synergy resulting in a combined effort with greater results than what can be achieved by individuals.
Resourceful: Securing and developing resources effectively and efficiently.
Action-oriented: Takes on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.

Oceana values a diverse workforce and welcomes people different from each other in many ways, including characteristics such as race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, and national origin. Oceana considers all qualified candidates and seeks to recruit from a diverse candidate pool.

Food & Water Watch works to create a healthy future for all people and generations to comeÔÇöa world where everyone has food they can trust, clean drinking water, and a livable climate. Making this happen requires involving people in the pressing issues of our time at the local, state, and federal level, building on one win after another, as we develop a larger movement that has the political power to make our democratic process work.

Food & Water WatchÔÇÖs legal team is advancing a broad and creative docket of litigation and regulatory advocacy to counter the many environmental, social, and public health impacts of the concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) industry and advance our long-term campaign to ban factory farms. We are seeking a Staff Attorney to build our legal advocacy to combat this inherently destructive model of livestock production. The Staff Attorney will be responsible for developing and implementing strategic impact litigation at the state and federal level, engaging in regulatory processes, and coordinating with our organizing, policy, and communications teams to effectively integrate legal strategies into our grassroots campaigns across the country. We prioritize legal actions that will advance our long-term goal of replacing the current corporate-controlled, industrial food and farm system with a diversified, sustainable food system that will protect the environment, family farms, food chain workers, public health, and animal welfare.

This position is a Union position covered under a contract between Food & Water Watch and the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU).

Essential Responsibilities:

Research, develop, and implement various legal strategies, including federal and state litigation, to address the impacts of existing and proposed CAFO operations in the United States.
Engage in state and federal regulatory proceedings to strengthen existing environmental and public health protections and oppose regulatory rollbacks. Use administrative strategies to propose and advocate for new protections.
Provide legal support related to CAFO issues for our in-house organizing team and key partners.
Contribute to policy analysis and development, including the review and drafting of local, state, and federal legislation, to promote a rapid shift away from CAFO livestock production to a more diversified, sustainable system.
Attend meetings with policymakers at both the state and federal level to undermine the structural drivers of the CAFO system and promote policy solutions to support alternative systems of livestock production.
Act as a public spokesperson for FWW, including to the media and at public forums, community meetings, conferences, and public hearings.
Work in formal and informal coalitions with numerous ally organizations on CAFO issues.
Help develop educational and press materials such as factsheets, action alerts, website content, press releases, and newsletter articles on various CAFO issues.
Help coordinate and participate in events, including panel discussions and webinars.
Travel as required for litigation, meetings, conferences, and other events.
Other duties as assigned.
Support our culture of philanthropy: All staff must assist in fundraising and development for the organization. All staff must demonstrate an understanding that our members and supporters make our work (and our salaries) possible and should provide the highest level of customer and member services to people outside the organization. While your job position does not require you to raise any particular amount, you are expected to always be an ÔÇ£ambassadorÔÇØ for FWW/FWA and our work. All staff are expected to help with and participate/attend events and other activities as appropriate that are organized for our supporters and donors. All staff are expected to be cognizant of fundraising opportunities and to share contacts and information that will help build and sustain FWW/FWA.

Qualifications:

Education: JD from an accredited law school with bar admission.
Experience: At least 1 ÔÇô 3 years as a practicing attorney focused on environmental litigation, ideally with some legal experience working on CAFO issues.
Knowledge: Legal advocacy and litigation; familiarity with environmental issues, particularly around CAFOs; working with the media; familiarity with grassroots organizing; legislative strategy and familiarity with federal and state legislatures.
Skills: Excellent written and oral communication skills; strong legal writing; strong interpersonal and planning skills; strong organizational skills.
Capabilities: Ability to think creatively and quickly to respond to rapidly changing events and circumstances; ability to work well with a wide variety of people and to coordinate diverse tasks; comfortable presenting aggressive viewpoints to a mix of audiences; ability to present technical concepts to a mass audience; can-do attitude and commitment to public interest work; work well under pressure; manage a full docket and prioritize multiple responsibilities; high level of independent judgment.
Conditions: Strong interest in and commitment to promoting the goals of Food & Water Watch.
Applicant must be legally eligible to work in the United States.

Compensation:

$70,000 ÔÇô $95,000 depending on location and experience. We offer an excellent benefits package that includes 100% employer-paid medical/dental/long-term disability, 403(b) retirement plan, and generous paid leave.

The Policy Advocate is a key member of Coalition for Clean AirÔÇÖs policy team, engaging in the development and execution of CCA advocacy efforts and campaigns. Objectives include advocating for the adoption and implementation of policies to reduce emissions from shipping and freight transportation in California. The position requires an individual comfortable working in a team setting while also being able to work independently and take initiative. The Policy Advocate is based in downtown Los Angeles (with substantial flexibility for working from home some of the time) and reports to the Policy Director. This position requires substantial discretion in determining how to meet assigned goals and competing deadlines.

Duties and Responsibilities

Advocate for CCAÔÇÖs positions in regulatory proceedings, public hearings, and other venues where air quality, climate and transportation decisions are made.
Analyze complex policy issues related to air quality, transportation and climate change and write fact sheets, blogs, comment letters and other clear and concise documents about those issues.
Build relationships with those who buy, sell, operate and manufacture advanced clean vehicles and equipment.
Coordinate and participate in educational forums and meetings with elected and appointed officials.
Inform, involve and partner with community groups in clean air advocacy and education.
Collaborate, lead and build coalitions with other public-interest advocates, businesses, labor unions and other stakeholders.
Communicate effectively with print, on-line and broadcast media.

Position Qualifications

Qualified individuals should be able to demonstrate the following skills and experience:
At least 2 years of work or related experience in policy analysis or development, preferably in air quality, climate, transportation or other environmental issues.
Education: BachelorÔÇÖs degree (B.A./B.S.) in Environmental Studies, Public Policy or related discipline.
An equivalent combination of education and experience may be accepted as a satisfactory substitute for the specific education and experience listed above.
Ability to think strategically and act diplomatically while working well with others.
Analytical and problem-solving abilities with an attention to detail.
Ability to communicate effectively in writing and verbally.
High level of computer literacy with advanced knowledge of information technology systems.
Bi-lingual in English and Spanish preferred.
Commitment to improving air quality, preventing climate change and achieving environmental justice.
Some travel required.

Compensation: This is a full or part-time non-exempt position that pays $48,000 ÔÇô $65,000/year depending upon qualifications and experience, plus a generous benefits package. Benefits include paid vacation, medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, as well as up to a 3% match for retirement savings. All Los Angeles office staff are eligible for reimbursement of the cost of using public transit to commute to and from work.

Additional Information: The responsibilities listed here are illustrative of the essential functions of the job and do not include nonessential or marginal duties that may be required. Physical demands include sitting and some standing and walking; lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling up to 50 lbs.; more than an estimated 65% of time using eye, hand, and finger coordination; and more than an estimated 40% of time using a computer (keyboarding) and telephone equipment. CCA reserves the right to modify or change the duties and essential functions of this job at any time. Nothing in this job announcement should be considered as an offer or guarantee of employment.

How to Apply: Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume in .pdf format to jo**@***ir.org, subject: Policy Advocate Position. Coalition for Clean Air is an Equal Opportunity Employer. CCA values diversity, equity and inclusion. Women, people of color and other diverse candidates are encouraged to apply. This position will remain open until filled.

The Director of Rural Justice is a new position created to support CCEJNÔÇÖs strategic priorities around water, pesticides, and farmworker rights. The position will oversee a team of staff, report to the Executive Director, and work collaboratively with the various team leaders and staff within CCEJN.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership:
Create a supportive and accountable work environment for Rural Justice team members; set clear goals and expectations for team members, thoughtfully give and receive feedback to staff, encourage a healthy work-life balance, promote staffÔÇÖs personal and professional growth, and strive for inclusive and transparent decision-making;
Manage the completion and recording of grant deliverables associated with the Rural Justice Team and delegate appropriately.
Research, Policy, and Organizing:
Strategically develop and advance research and policy priorities in accordance with community needs and input;
Support the Director in developing and implementing long-range research and policy strategy to achieve CCEJNÔÇÖs mission;
Build relationships with key coalition partners, community leaders, academics, and government stakeholders;
Lead and support staffÔÇÖs legislative and regulatory engagement; and
Support CCEJN staff in efforts to organize community, receive community feedback, conduct community education, and build community capacity.
Organizational Development
Support the Executive Director in grant writing and reporting activities to financially support the Rural Justice Team;
Act as a thought leader on rural justice issues and support strategic planning;
Develop and monitor the Rural Justice TeamÔÇÖs budget; and
Work collaboratively on CCEJNÔÇÖs Leadership Team to support overall organizational development.

Required Qualifications

BachelorÔÇÖs Degree strongly preferred (major in sociology, environmental sciences, political science, or related field);
Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communications skills;
Willingness to travel and work occasional evenings and weekends; and
Bilingual in English and Spanish.

Desired Qualifications

Subject-matter expertise in at least one of the following policy areas:
Pesticide issues as it relates to environmental health and justice;
Clean and affordable drinking water for disadvantaged communities; and/or
Farmworker issues and workplace rights and safety.
At least 2 years of experience supervising staff;
At least 3 years of professional experience with advocacy campaigns, community organizing, capacity building, coalition building and/or movement strategy in communities of color, low-income communities, rural communities, and/or other marginalized communities;
Professional and/or personal experience in and a passion for environmental justice;
Experience with strategic planning, budgeting, and nonprofit fundraising;
MasterÔÇÖs degree in public health, public administration, public policy, or related field preferred.

Compensation & Benefits

The salary range for this full-time, exempt, salaried position is $70,000 to $85,000 depending on experience. CCEJNÔÇÖs full-time benefits include dental insurance, health insurance, life insurance, paid time off, professional development assistance, and vision insurance.

New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI), a community-driven civil rights organization, seeks a Senior Staff Attorney to join our Environmental Justice (EJ) Program.

NYLPIÔÇÖs EJ Program confronts environmental racism and works to eliminate the unfair burden of environmental hazards borne by communities with low incomes and Indigenous, Black, Brown, Asian, and other communities of color in an effort to create a more equitable and sustainable New York. In partnership with grassroots, community-based organizations; advocacy groups; and residents, our EJ team builds campaigns, pursues strategic litigation, designs and develops community-led organizing initiatives, and shapes policy. We support local, bottom-up leadership and strengthen communitiesÔÇÖ ability to assert their right to a healthy and sustainable environment.

The Senior Staff Attorney will work in close partnership with the Program Director to inform and guide the direction of NYLPIÔÇÖs EJ program, including the development and implementation of an integrated power-building strategy for systemic change through community lawyering in concert with grassroots-informed legal and policy interventions. The Senior Staff Attorney will lead legal initiatives and litigation, in partnership and collaboration with the Program Director and Litigation Director. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of serving in prior leadership role(s) with a demonstrated commitment to environmental, racial, social, and economic justice.

This position will work both independently and in collaboration with other attorneys, community organizers, policy analysts, and communications and lobbying experts. The Senior Staff Attorney will have opportunities to propose and develop new campaigns, litigation, and advocacy initiatives and represent NYLPI externally to establish and maintain key relationships with a broad range of decision-makers and stakeholders, including elected and government agency officials, unions, movement organizations, funders, and media. The Senior Staff Attorney will supervise other staff attorneys in the Environmental Justice Program as appropriate.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

Commitment to environmental, racial, social, and economic justice and community lawyering;
Strong litigation experience and the ability to originate and effectuate impactful legal campaigns;
At least seven years of experience as a practicing attorney;
Ability to work in meaningful collaboration with a diverse range of clients and community partners, including elected and government agency officials;
Supervisory experience with consensus-oriented leadership style, excellent conflict-resolution skills, and empathic and open communication, or equivalent experience demonstrating outstanding skills in those areas; and
Attorney in good standing, licensed to practice law in the State of New York or eligible for admission to the New York Bar at the time of hiring.

Preferred

Substantive experience with environmental and other civil rights law;
Experience with legislative advocacy, administrative law, labor law, and procurement law
Strong community-building experience, including work with community organizers and grassroots organizations; and
Experience utilizing the 1991 Principles of Environmental Justice and the 1996 Jemez Principles for Democratic Organizing

Vesta is a USA-based climate startup with a mission to help meet the challenge of the climate crisis by removing billions of tons of excess atmospheric carbon dioxide through Coastal Carbon Capture (CCC). CCC is a nature-based negative emission approach that deploys carbon-removing sand made from the natural mineral olivine in coastal areas. This leads to significant CO2 sequestration from the atmosphere and has the potential to be the most cost-effective, scalable method of permanent carbon dioxide removal on earth. Vesta is a fast-growing company consisting of scientists, operators, and engineers conducting laboratory studies and field trials of CCC at domestic and international locations. The goal is to determine if CCC can be a safe, effective, and affordable means of permanently sequestering excess atmospheric CO2 – and if so to scale it up as rapidly as can be done safely.

Job Description:

Vesta is hiring a Director of Policy to support our growth and strategic government and community relations initiatives across all regions focused initially in the US and expected to grow globally.

In this role, you will be an instrumental member of the team in charting strategic growth opportunities, developing policy-related partnerships, and interfacing directly with local, state and federal government officials and communities regarding VestaÔÇÖs carbon capture projects. You will join a team of inspired scientists and entrepreneurs seeking to prove out and implement this promising carbon capture methodology at scale.

The successful candidate will have demonstrated experience in building partnerships with community and government stakeholders, communicating the values of their representative companyÔÇÖs work to regulators, the media, and other key constituencies, and forming strategic policy alliances. You will be comfortable working in an environment with evolving goals and have an aptitude to overcome obstacles as they arise and the drive to get things done.

What you’ll do:

Direction and Strategy

Design and implement VestaÔÇÖs fully integrated policy engagement strategy aimed at advancing Vesta’s mission of furthering the science of Coastal Carbon Capture and, thereafter, galvanizing global deployment.
Develop and maintain federal, state and local policy partnerships and promote new opportunities directly with government partners.
Liaise with lobbying and public relations firms to coordinate policy and community relations initiatives.
Create the public policy conditions necessary for broader implementation of VestaÔÇÖs research and, eventually, global deployment.

Execution

Manage policy projects on issues affecting the carbon capture space.
Keep abreast of and advise on important changes in regulatory or legislative matters across the region.
Evaluate, prioritize, and discern strategic paths toward positive regulatory outcomes.
Continuously build and nurture relationships with government leaders, partners, businesses, NGOs and other prospective partners to carry out legislative strategy and strategic development.
Partner with organizations, educational institutions and similar groups to align with VestaÔÇÖs mission and to improve our policy based outcomes.

Collaboration

In collaboration with cross-functional partners and senior leadership, ensure alignment between business, policy, and community engagement goals.
Support the companyÔÇÖs work with strategic advisers and consultants.

Required Skills and Experience:

BachelorÔÇÖs degree and at least seven years related experience working in government affairs, campaigns, and/or community development in a government-related environment. Law degree is preferred.
Previous professional experience managing policy for a technology or research or scientific company is a plus.
Existing government and advocacy contacts throughout the United States, and ideally internationally, with the aptitude to develop and nurture new contacts required.
Experience developing successful legislative and regulatory strategies.
Excellent English language communications and public speaking skills are required.
Ability to comfortably work on multiple priorities at once while executing projects in a demanding environment.
An analytical and strategic mindset with the ability to drive the company toward high-impact initiatives and efficient growth.
Availability to travel up to 50% of the time depending on business needs.

Vesta offers a competitive salary package that includes equity; health, vision and dental benefits; a fully remote role; and unlimited PTO.

Clark Hill PLC is seeking an attorney with 3-7 years of experience for its Energy, Environmental, and National Resources (EENR) business unit in Phoenix, AZ. The ideal candidate will have experience representing public and private energy interests in electrical and water law matters. This associate will be responsible for interaction with state and local agencies; client advocacy; and legal research and writing. Litigation experience is a plus. The successful candidate will have strong advocacy, research, writing, and negotiation skills; familiarity with regulatory and administrative law; and strong academic credentials. Successful candidates will be detail-oriented and organized, and will possess a solid work ethic. All candidates must be currently licensed to practice law in Arizona.

Princeton University’s Center for Policy Research on Energy and the Environment at the School of Public and International Affairs is looking to hire a knowledgeable and collaborative environmental policy professional to prepare policy briefs and research summaries highlighting the Center’s research. In addition to assisting faculty and researchers with communicating their work to general audiences and decision-makers, this position will also be responsible for overseeing the work of student associates in preparing policy-relevant research write-ups for Princeton research groups and NGO/industry collaborators.

The appointment will be as an Associate Professional Specialist or Professional Specialist depending on level of experience. A graduate/advanced degree in a related field is required.

Candidates should have a track record of science and policy writing with an environmental or energy focus, and should ideally have experience with networks of policymakers, policy entrepreneurs, and environmental journalists and experience preparing memos or white papers for government agencies/policymakers.

Applicants should be up-to-date on current research and comfortable interacting with senior and junior scholars working in a range of environmental fields, including: climate science, energy systems, clean energy transition, transportation and infrastructure, climate adaptation, biodiversity, sustainability, behavioral science, environmental justice, and more. Candidates should be skilled at crystalizing key concepts and writing engaging summaries of complex ideas in order to synthesize Princeton research results into easily digested summaries, designed to inform decision-makers. Candidates will also help to shape new strategic outreach by the centers and build student programs that engage graduate students in science and technical policy communications.

The role will also be responsible for tracking policy and regulatory proceedings in the state, national and international levels to proactively look for opportunities to link Princeton research with ongoing policy decision making. This position will liaise with Princeton’s Office of Government Affairs (Washington, D.C.), Office of State Affairs (New Jersey), SPIA’s Office of Public Affairs and Communications, and Princeton’s Environmental Content Strategist in the Communications Office.

The appointment will be through the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. The appointment is for one year, and may be renewed pending satisfactory performance and continued funding. Salary and full employee benefits are offered in accordance with University guidelines.

NRDC is a non-profit environmental advocacy organization. We use law, science, and the support of 3.1 million members and online activists to protect the planet’s wildlife and wild places and to ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. NRDC was founded in 1970 and our people helped write some of America’s bedrock environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act and many of the implementing regulations. Today, our team of more than 700 lawyers, scientists, economists, policy advocates, communications experts, and others work across the United States and the globe from our offices in Bozeman, Montana; Chicago; New York; San Francisco; Santa Monica; Washington, D.C.; and Beijing.

Position Summary

NRDC is seeking a Litigation Assistant to work with the Litigation Team, to be based out of one of our Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Santa Monica, or Washington, DC offices.

ÔÇ»

The Litigation Team is a group of approximately 40 lawyers, litigation assistants, and other operations staff who pursue litigation across a broad range of environmental and public health issues in collaboration with and on behalf of communities and people most impacted by environmental injustices (including Black, indigenous, and people of color, and low-income and rural communities). Over the past five years, we have litigated cases against the federal government to prevent climate pollution, challenge agency approvals of toxic chemicals and pesticides, resist the suspension of clean water safeguards, oppose offshore drilling and seismic exploration for oil and gas, defend national monuments, and protect energy efficiency standards, among other matters. We also bring enforcement cases against corporate and governmental entities whose violations harm health and the environmentÔÇöincluding recent cases to protect the people of Newark, New Jersey and Flint, Michigan, from lead in drinking water; to remediate toxic pollution in the Penobscot River in Maine; to abate mold in New York City public housing for residents with asthma; and to halt air pollution from a coal-fired power plant in Illinois.

ÔÇ»

We are looking for a litigation assistant or paralegal to support the Litigation Team.
Responsibilities

Litigation support duties may include (80%):

Under lead direction of Litigation Team attorneys and/or other Litigation Team members:

Format, proofread, and fact-check documents to be filed in court, including generating tables of contents and authorities, assembling exhibits, etc.
Arrange service of court filings.
Conduct research and summarize court rules.
Proofread legal correspondence, such as cover letters and notices.
Manage and maintain up-to-date case files.
Compute and calendar court deadlines.
With guidance from other Litigation Team members, conduct factual research to advance case development and summarize findings in written memoranda.
Assist with interviewing NRDC members to support anticipated and pending litigation, and draft affidavits.
Assist attorneys with hearing and deposition preparations, including preparing document binders, printing exhibits, creating exhibit lists, etc.
Generate research notes, memoranda, tables, graphs, and other visuals.
Under supervision of other Litigation Team members, review documents and evidence produced by other parties in litigation, and analyze and summarize relevant documents.
Track media outlets, websites, and relevant dockets and issues relating to the TeamÔÇÖs litigation.
Participate in and take notes during conference calls and meetings.
Work in collaboration with other Litigation Assistants and Operations Manager as needed.

Administrative support duties may include (20%):

Process invoices and expense reports, and produce reports on case expenses.
Assist with hiring and orienting new staff and interns.
Schedule meetings, book travel and associated logistics, and assist with organizing retreats.
Additional non-case-related administrative support as needed.

Qualifications

Required

BachelorÔÇÖs degree
Commitment to NRDCÔÇÖs mission, values, and DEI principles
Ability and eagerness to learn paralegal skills and processes.
Competence with and commitment to diversity and inclusion; ability to be an effective partner with diverse colleagues, leaders, and partners.
Demonstrated ability to perform or quickly learn new tasks, systems, and technology.
Ability to prioritize and efficiently execute multiple tasks, follow institutional procedures, and work independently with meticulous attention to detail.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Strong problem-solving skills.
Superior editing, research, and data synthesis skills.
Excellent research and analytical skills, including the ability to understand technical, scientific, political, economic, and policy issues and synthesize this knowledge in a coherent and non-technical fashion.
Commitment to accuracy and rigor.
Willingness and flexibility to work paid overtime, when needed.
Orientation towards working with a broad range of people on different projects.
Strict adherence to confidentiality requirements and discretion with sensitive information.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook).
Strong sense of teamwork, work ethic, and humility; a growth mindset; the ability to maintain composure and sense of humor under deadline pressure.
Ability to travel as needed to NRDC U.S.-based offices.

Preferred

1 year of previous administrative or paralegal experience (or equivalent)