Senior Staff Attorney, Clean Energy & Tax

L4GG’s CCEJ Program mobilizes lawyers nationwide to combat the climate crisis and promote environmental justice. We use the law to implement and execute climate solutions equitably at federal, state, and local levels, with twin goals of expediting the country’s just transition to a green economy and directly addressing environmental racism. We do this by:

• advocating for federal agencies to address climate change and equity through their climate and infrastructure program funding
• assisting state and local governments with creating and implementing laws and policies
• providing low-income cities and communities most harmed by discriminatory environmental practices with high quality, pro bono legal representation.

Over the past two years, the CCEJ Program has become a key technical assistance provider to federal, state, and local leaders, nonprofit partners and frontline communities to help ensure the equitable distribution of historic federal funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and other federal laws to expedite a just transition to a green economy. In 2023 alone, L4GG provided guidance to over 700 state and local decision makers, nonprofits and frontline communities regarding federal funding and programs and has become a thought leader and key technical assistance provider to the public sector writ large on IRA implementation, including in particular, tax incentives like elective pay. L4GG is regularly sought out by governor’s offices, local governments, thought leaders, and nonprofit partners to provide guidance on IRA implementation and is looking to expand its existing Clean Energy Clinic to provide additional guidance to the many public agencies and communities looking to finance clean energy projects under the IRA. L4GG is looking for a dynamic leader in the IRA space with expertise in administrative law, clean energy and/or tax policy to help manage this effort.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

L4GG is looking for a dynamic leader in the IRA space with expertise in administrative law, clean energy and/or tax policy to work with the Director of the CCEJ Program to manage the expansion of L4GG’s Clean Energy Clinic.

We are seeking an enthusiastic, self-motivated attorney (with a minimum of 6 years of experience in tax law/policy or energy/regulatory law) to help manage the Clean Energy Initiative within Lawyers for Good Government’s (L4GG’s) Climate Change and Environmental Justice (CCEJ) Program, including L4GG’s Clean Energy Clinic, which currently leverages L4GG’s vast pro bono network of over 125,000 legal advocates in all 50 states to provide top-flight legal guidance to state actors, local governments, school districts, nonprofits, frontline communities, and Tribal governments looking to finance clean energy projects and to take advantage of Elective Pay under the IRA.

The person who succeeds in this role will have a strong background in tax, energy, administrative, and/or regulatory law and policy, have experience with IRA implementation, a passion for working on climate and environmental justice policies, experience working with legal clients and law firms, strong administrative law skills, strong interpersonal communication and written skills, experience presenting in front of large audiences, and an aptitude for working well in start-up environments.

The Senior Tax Attorney will support the CCEJ Program, the Clean Energy Initiative, and Clean Energy Clinic by:

1. Helping the Director of the CCEJ Program manage L4GG’s Clean Energy Clinic, including managing outside counsel to provide legal guidance under the clinic, tracking and reporting out on updates to IRA law, policy, and regulations; representing the organization on IRA implementation issues in front of federal, state, and local government representatives, working with our nonprofit partners to create technical assistance packages for public entities looking to take advantage of Elective Pay, running meetings with external client and attorney teams, and tracking progress for each Clinic client.
2. Being a thought leader alongside the CCEJ Director to push for the equitable implementation of the IRA and other federal statutes; running a coalition of experts within partner nonprofits on the issue; assisting the CCEJ Team with presentations on behalf o the organization and other related presentations.
3. Advising on all laws, policy, and regulations associated with IRA implementation, in particular, the Elective Pay process.
4. Assisting the CCEJ Director in identifying IRA implementation issues and pushing policy at the highest levels of government to ensure the equitable distribution of historic federal funding.
5. Managing the Clean Energy Initiative and help the CCEJ Director shape the CCEJ Program to advance equity and clean energy principals to expedite the just transition to a green economy.
6. Drafting key comment letters to federal agencies to help shape policy and IRA implementation.

REQUIREMENTS:

The ideal candidate will have top-notch interpersonal skills, experience working with state and local decision-makers, good judgment, and the ability to work and thrive in a fast-paced environment. We need someone who can work independently with a strong sense of urgency and take initiative to identify and resolve challenges.

Must have access to a quiet workspace (home office or other space) with high-speed internet and the ability to take calls and/or video conferences during working hours.

Required qualifications include:

• Education required: Law degree and 6+ years experience in tax, clean energy, regulatory, energy, and/or administrative law
• Experience with implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act
• Commitment to our organization’s mission
• Ability to work autonomously as well as collaborate and work well with a team
• Exceptionally strong written, verbal communication, presentation skills
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Comfortable working with and communicating with private sector attorneys and higher level decision makers at the federal, state, and local level
• Comfortable presenting technical legal issues to large audiences
• Passion for tackling climate change and environmental justice issues
• Proven ability to lead multiple projects simultaneously
• Experience using Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Drive
• Experience using Mac computers
• Technology comfort and competence including willingness to embrace new tools and self-train using provided resources as needed
• Consistent attention to detail
• Strong ability to prioritize, meet deadlines, and escalate issues to CCEJ Director as appropriate

Desired qualifications include:

• Direct experience with IRA implementation, in particular, Elective Pay
• Located in or around Washington DC with willingness to travel to present on public policy
• Experience with any or all of the following digital tools: Asana, Airtable, Zoom