Attorney - Climate & Energy Program

Job Opening Announcement: Climate & Energy Program Attorney

Reports to: Climate & Energy Program Director

Location: Santa Fe or Taos, NM. Other WELC office locations, including remote, may be considered, for the right candidate in the right situation.

Timeline: Job opening posted October 4, 2024; we will review applications and interview candidates on a rolling basis beginning November 4, 2024. The position is open until filled.

Salary: For Staff Attorney applicants with 6-12 years of legal experience: $82,000-$104,000. For Senior Attorney applicants with 13+ years of legal experience: $104,000-$140,000.

Note: Information is available below. Please apply through our ApplicantPro portal.

ABOUT THE WESTERN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CENTER

The Western Environmental Law Center is a leading nonprofit, public-interest environmental law firm rooted in the landscapes and communities of the western U.S. Founded in 1993, WELC has been celebrated as an Outside Magazine Best Place to Work for the last five consecutive years, Oregon Business Magazine Best Nonprofit, Law360 Environmental Group of the Year, and Better Business Bureau Torch Award winner for ethics.

We envision a thriving western U.S., abundant with protected and interconnected ecosystems, powered by renewable energy, and cared for by communities brought together in an ecology of kinship. We embrace a collaborative, team-based approach to foster the trust, belonging, and dignity essential to a healthy organization and to relationship-based advocacy that builds power for transformative change.

We seek to retain either a Staff Attorney (6-12 years of experience) or Senior Attorney (13+ years of experience to join our team. We strongly encourage people of color, persons with disabilities, women, LGBTQ+ applicants, and people of diverse lived experience to apply.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Climate & Energy Program Attorney is an exempt, full-time position. The central focus of this position is strategic, legal, and policy advocacy centered on the confluence of the climate crisis with the federal public lands fossil fuels program and the Western U.S.’ transition from fossil fuels to a renewables-powered future. The position’s responsibilities will be allocated among the following core areas:

• Litigation and administrative engagement pertaining to federal public lands fossil fuel planning, leasing, infrastructure, and drilling approvals (0.6 FTE).
• Engagement in federal and state-level climate, fossil fuels, public lands, and energy transition legislation, rulemaking, and policymaking (0.4 FTE).
• The Attorney, in working in these areas, will work to advance equity, inclusion, and justice imperatives identified in cooperation with partners and allies, including frontline and energy-dependent communities. While focused on federal advocacy, the Attorney will also coordinate with WELC’s state-level advocacy in New Mexico, with an eye towards opportunities that may arise in other states.

Given the dynamic moment we find ourselves in, this position’s focus and time allocations will necessarily evolve in response to changing political, scientific, social, and economic circumstances and opportunities consistent with specific organizational strategies. Further, and as with all WELC positions, this position is flexibly designed to accommodate a successful candidate’s distinctive skills, experiences, and interests to further and complement WELC’s strategic climate focus. WELC’s organizational and strategic direction is not “top down,” but is informed precisely by the individual qualities of its staff.

Accordingly, the Attorney will be encouraged and supported to identify and advance opportunities to shape WELC’s organizational and strategic direction, to share perspectives, and to be a trusted and respected leader in their field and within their scope of work. The Attorney will support and coordinate with WELC leadership, development, communications, and finance staff, as well as represent WELC in public and private settings. The Attorney will also participate in retreats, trainings, and other organizational events.

To fulfill this position’s responsibilities, the Attorney may provide a full range of legal services on behalf of WELC, including litigation, policy advocacy, and administrative action. To assist in these efforts, the Attorney will stay apprised of relevant law, policy, social, and other developments. The Attorney will work collaboratively with staff across the organization, as well as with partner organizations and clients.

The Attorney is a normal 40-hour week position based out of any of WELC’S existing offices or, potentially, a remote home office in the western U.S., primarily working during Monday to Friday business hours, though some night and weekend hours may be required at times, depending on organizational and advocacy needs. Limited travel is required, averaging a total of 2-3 weeks per year, including some overnight and weekend travel. The position also involves standard office physical demands. WELC will provide all reasonable accommodations to the extent possible or required pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act.

QUALIFICATIONS

We are keenly interested in considering a range of applicants with diverse lived experiences who approach the world with kindness, empathy, imagination, and vision. We will happily consider applicants who offer an equivalent or alternative set of qualifications to fulfill this position’s responsibilities, apart from the first two qualifications set forth below, which are mandatory.

• Law degree from an accredited law school.
• Admission to and good standing with a U.S. state bar or willingness and ability to obtain membership to a U.S. state bar where the attorney is located at the earliest opportunity.
• Lived experience within or past work experience in partnership with people and communities of diverse backgrounds and experience, particularly in the western U.S.
• At least six years attorney experience, although we will consider exceptional candidates with less experience.
• Excellent research, writing, and oral advocacy skills.
• Experience with and knowledge of federal climate, fossil fuels, and public lands issues, as well as an interest in and understanding of science and its interplay with climate, fossil fuels, public lands, communities, and public health is important.
• Ability and willingness to act as a lead attorney on cases and projects and use a complete set of legal advocacy tools including litigation, policy, and administrative advocacy.
• A commitment to conceptualizing and implementing legal strategies that further equity, inclusion, and justice, including through the just treatment and meaningful involvement of clients, partners, and frontline community groups and individuals.
• Dynamic and empathetic skills to foster relationships with partners, clients, agency staff, and community members. Demonstrated ability to work in complex, potentially high-conflict, multi- dimensional arenas involving a broad array of organizations and interests.
• Eagerness to mentor, support, and help develop newer attorneys, and a self-awareness, motivation, and desire to seek opportunities for your own growth and development.
• An interest in and understanding of science and other technical fields and their interplay with public interest environmental law.
• Ability to work independently and proactively, including a willingness to be flexible and adaptive when needed.
• Desire to work on and contribute to a team. This includes learning from others, giving and receiving support and feedback, and active, constructive engagement in organizational discussions to advance the organization’s mission and contribute to its cohesion.
• Highly organized and intellectually curious.
• Demonstrated commitment to WELC’s mission and strategies and the public interest as well as a love for the land, waters, wildlife, and communities of the western U.S.

BENEFITS AND COMPENSATION

Western Environmental Law Center is an equal opportunity employer. We offer a flexible, friendly, team-based environment with immediate opportunities to shape organizational strategies, and competitive salaries as follows:

• Staff Attorney (6-12 years of legal experience): $82,000 – $104,000
• Senior Attorney (13+ years of legal experience): $104,000 – $140,000

WELC offers an excellent benefits package, including health, vision, dental, life, and disability coverage (with 100% employer paid premiums), a 401(k) retirement plan with a 4% employer match, 22 days combined of paid annual vacation and personal leave, 13 days of paid holiday leave, paid sick leave, and a paid long-term leave policy (3 months sabbatical leave for every 5 years of employment).

TO APPLY

Please submit the following as PDF attachments through our ApplicantPro portal:

• 1-2 page cover letter addressed to Kyle Tisdel, Climate & Energy Program Director
• Resume;
• 3 professional references; and
• 1-2 concise writing samples, with at least 1 writing sample involving a legal memorandum, brief, or filing. An additional, non-legal writing sample is also welcomed to illustrate the candidate’s background, views, or ideas.

Cover letters should communicate applicants’ commitment to WELC’s mission and advocacy and their motivation to work in this position and in public interest environmental law generally. In your cover letter, please do not repeat information apparent from a review of your resume. Instead, in their cover letters, applicants are very strongly encouraged to tell us who they are as human beings, why they care about this work, and why they want to work for WELC specifically.