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:
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.
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:
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:
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.
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…
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:
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).
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:
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).