Environmental Defense Fund

EDF offers internships and
fellowships for students and recent graduates in a variety of programs and departments
throughout the organization. The ultimate goal of our internship and fellowship
program is to provide high-quality experiences (including relevant projects and
opportunities for networking) that form the foundation for any individual who
is serious about pursuing an environmental career.

Program Overview

The U.S. Clean Air team envisions a world in which people from all
backgrounds and experiences feel connected to the environmental challenges we
face and are engaged in creating durable, equitable solutions. We are dedicated
to achieving that vision in our work, helping achieve clean air for all. The
U.S. Clean Air team works out of the Washington, D.C., and Boulder, CO offices.

Legal Fellows on the U.S. Clean Air team contribute meaningfully
to the team's work securing clean air and climate protections. We aim to make
our Legal Fellows' experience relevant, challenging, and rewarding. Our Legal
Fellows have directly contributed towards landmark cases over the years and
have supported activities including: U.S. Supreme Court litigation, D.C.
Circuit litigation over greenhouse gas regulation under the Clean Air Act,
major international agreements and guidelines regarding trans-boundary
pollution control programs in the U.S./Mexico border region, and projects that
work towards ensuring protections for low-income and frontline communities from
air pollution. Legal Fellows work in a high-intensity, fast-paced,
multi-disciplinary setting to formulate and implement strategies, laws, and policies.

Overall
Function

The Legal Fellow will primarily work on federal projects and cases
aimed at reducing climate-destabilizing emissions and revealing the
consequences of climate change across the U.S. economy. The work will include a
heavy emphasis on financial sector regulation and electric sector regulation.
The Legal Fellow will focus on activity and action before entities including
the Department of Labor (DOL), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), other
financial regulators, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC),
Department of Energy (DOE), and state regulatory counterparts. The Legal Fellow
will also focus on litigation and advancing legal theory. The Legal Fellow will
also engage on environmental justice engagements, with particular focus on
addressing the disparate impacts of climate change. As a member of the U.S.
Clean Air team, the legal fellow may also be asked to support our other efforts
to reduce air pollution from power plants and other major sources through litigation,
regulatory advocacy, and legislation.

Key Responsibilities

Tasks may include but are not limited to:

• Conduct legal and factual research on climate and clean air
  issues.
• Contribute to litigation filings and administrative comments.
• Assess the impacts of recent court decisions on U.S. Clean
  Air team priorities.
• Evaluate the health and environmental implications of pending
  legislation.
• Draft public-facing documents such as fact sheets and blog
  posts about legal issues.
• Represent EDF at public hearings before government agencies.
• Provide other support to the team's litigation efforts and
  regulatory advocacy.
• Support environmental justice initiatives, particularly those
  related to addressing the disparate impacts of climate change.
• Engage in regulatory and administrative proceedings.
• Participate in advancing EDF Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
  goals in which people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected,
  included, and empowered to address the environmental and organizational
  challenges in alignment with EDF values.

Qualifications

We seek recent law school graduates and recent law clerks
interested in working on cutting edge regional, national, and international
climate and energy issues. Other qualifications include:

• Licensed to practice law or actively seeking admission to
  Bar, with background in financial, energy, and administrative law.
• Familiarity with financial regulators, such as the SEC and
  DOL.
• Familiarity with energy and electric regulators and federal
  entities, such as FERC and DOE.
• Familiarity with regulatory process and administrative law,
  financial regulation, and/or energy regulation.
• Interest and/or experience in common law litigation,
  including tort law claims related to environmental issues and climate
  change.
• Familiarity with Constitutional law, with particular emphasis
  upon the Supremacy Clause.
• Interest and/or experience in the intersection between law
  and science, with respect to climate change attribution science.
• Interest and/or experience in financial law, particularly at
  the intersection between finance climate change.
• Ability to collect, manipulate, analyze, and interpret legal
  data and prepare reports of findings.
• Excellent legal research, analytical, writing and advocacy
  skills.
• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with
  internal and external allies.
• Results-oriented, self-starter with the ability to think
  strategically and work on fast-paced, dynamic issues.
• Demonstrate self-awareness, cultural competency and
  inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across
  diverse cultures and backgrounds.
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize and meet deadlines.

• Able to prioritize and be flexible.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Computer proficiency, experience with Microsoft Word and
  PowerPoint.

Location

Washington, D.C.

Term

The term for the Legal Fellow position is for two years.

Compensation

We offer a strong total rewards package encompassing
competitive salary, robust benefits, and professional development opportunities
consistent with a modern global organization. The annual salary for this role
is $84,000

Application Materials

Interested applicants should attach their cover letter and resume
to the EDF application, together with a writing sample, unofficial law school
transcript, and list of three references. In your cover letter, please describe
your interest in environmental law and policy work, and relevant completed
course work and experience to the qualifications.

https://www.edf.org/jobs/climate-risk-legal-fellow-0