Senior Attorney, Gulf Regional Office

Earthjustice is seeking a Senior Attorney to join our growing team of lawyers who work to accelerate a shift towards electrification of goods movement, the transportation sector in total, as well as industries. The Senior Attorney will reside in our Gulf Regional Office, focusing on litigation, advocacy and strategy before Texas’s public utility commission (PUC) and in courts to support an equitable transition to clean, affordable, and reliable energy. The work may include a litigation docket at the PUC.

Earthjustice is the nation’s leading environmental law organization. Wielding the power of law, Earthjustice partners with our clients to take on the most critical fights of our time—fights to protect the incredible biodiversity and wild places of the planet; to avert climate disaster by transitioning society away from fossil fuels toward clean energy; to safeguard the right of all people to a healthy environment. We are here because the earth needs a good lawyer. Founded in 1971, Earthjustice has a distinguished track record of achieving significant, lasting environmental protections. We achieve this by hiring people who share a passion for justice and a healthy environment. Our headquarters are in San Francisco with offices in Anchorage, Bozeman, Chicago, Denver, Honolulu, Houston, Juneau, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Seattle, Tallahassee and Washington, D.C.

Earthjustice’s Right to Zero docket focuses on reducing pollution by transitioning away from combustion and towards cleaner, healthier technologies. Combustion is the largest source of emissions for both nitrogen oxides (NOx), which contribute to ozone and particulate matter pollution, and carbon dioxide (CO2), which drives climate change. While cleaning up the fuels used in combustion can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, health-harming pollution would persist. To address both criteria and climate pollution—as our climate, health and justice imperatives demand—we must transform the way we move people and goods, the way we heat our homes and businesses, and the way we produce, process and assemble goods. We must transform our economy by electrifying all that we can with clean power.

The new Senior Attorney role will reside in our Gulf Regional Office, focusing on litigation and advocacy strategies at Texas’s public utility commission and before state regulators to prevent the buildout of barriers to clean energy adoption, and to secure policies and practices that support a transition to clean, affordable, and reliable energy.

This position can be based anywhere in Texas, but the Gulf Regional Office is located in Houston, Texas.

Responsibilities 

• Lead litigation and advocacy efforts to electrify transportation, and perform the full range of litigation tasks, including conducting factual investigations, developing legal theories, securing expert testimony, submitting comments, petitions, briefs, and oral arguments.
• Pursue climate justice and energy cases before Texas’s public utility commission as well as state and federal courts.
• Collaborate in team problem solving, litigation strategy, and project management.
• Prepare discovery, pleadings, testimony, cross-examination, briefs, and oral argument in state and federal regulatory proceedings and court proceedings.
• Collaborate with and oversee the work of technical experts.
• Work with our media and policy and legislation teams, as well as clients and partners, to leverage legal advocacy to obtain positive change and results.
• Supervise and mentor Associate Attorneys, interns, and litigation assistants.
• Collaborate and manage relationships with co-counsel, clients, and coalition partners to investigate, develop, and litigate cases.
• Join other staff in long-term planning, strategy development, goal setting, and work plan management that advances Earthjustice’s work.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with new and diverse clients and other partner organizations.
• Serve as spokesperson for Earthjustice, clients, and partners and help develop and execute effective media strategies.
• Support and contribute to a positive, respectful, supportive, and collegial work environment that centers equity and justice.

Qualifications

• Law school graduates admitted, or eligible for admission, to the Texas bar within 12 months of employment.
• 6+ years of litigation and legal advocacy experience, working both independently and in a coalition setting. A background in energy law is strongly preferred.
• Ability to develop cases, manage a litigation docket effectively, lead a litigation team, and work collaboratively with colleagues and partner organizations.
• Creativity, initiative, good judgment, and a strong work ethic.
• Ability to work effectively with technical experts, especially with respect to new technologies and emerging climate and health threats.
• Excellent research, analytic, writing, and communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and in collaboration with others.
• Ability and willingness to travel as needed for case work, court appearances, and presentations.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to build relationships and work collaboratively with a diverse set of clients and partner organizations.
• Contributes towards an equitable and inclusive work culture that encourages partnership, active listening, and integrating diverse perspectives.
• Supports Earthjustice’s core values of partnership, inclusion, justice and excellence.
• Commitment to public interest work and a passion for the role of Earthjustice and its mission, including a desire to fight for the right of all to a healthy environment.

Salaries at Earthjustice are determined by experience level and location.

Salary range in Texas is $144,400+ depending on experience.

We offer a mission- and employee-focused work environment and a competitive compensation package, including excellent benefits. Earthjustice is an equal opportunity employer and highly values a diverse set of candidates to ensure we meet the needs of our clients. As a 501(c)(3) organization, Earthjustice is a qualifying employer for purposes of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. For litigators and advocates committed to saving the planet and the people who depend on it, being a Senior Attorney at Earthjustice is the best job on the planet. Learn more about our Senior Attorney careers and work online here: https://earthjustice.org/about/jobs/senior-attorney

To Apply:

Interested candidates should submit via Jobvite:

• Resume.
• One or two page cover letter that addresses (1) why you are drawn to Earthjustice’s mission and (2) any experience you have working on energy issues, including work before state Public Utilities Commissions, state courts, and/or state administrative venues, or why you are interested in this work.
• Writing sample, preferably a legal brief or memorandum that reflects your own work.
• We are looking to hire a candidate that is available to start as soon as possible.

Preference will be given to candidates who apply by November 10, 2025. After that, applications may be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Please reach out to jobs@earthjustice.org if you are having technical difficulties submitting your application. No phone calls, drop-ins, or hard copies. 

Earthjustice is driven by a passion for justice, partnership, and excellence. Our core values lead us to seek a broad range of perspectives and backgrounds to achieve our mission and to maintain an inclusive environment where all staff are valued and respected. As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to employment practices that ensure that employees and applicants for employment are provided with equal opportunities without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, or any other factor that is not related to the position.

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