Legal Fellow, Inflation Reduction Act & Climate Risk

Put your passion and skills to work for the planet. Climate change is the most urgent issue of our time, and we need people like you to help us build a vital Earth — for everyone.

We’re Environmental Defense Fund, a fast-paced nonprofit with a growing staff of more than 850 people in nearly 30 countries. We deliver game-changing solutions that cut climate pollution and strengthen people’s ability to thrive despite the effects climate change is already having. We work wherever we can have the most impact, from local communities to top companies to governments worldwide, and even in space.

Our culture, values and commitment to diversity make EDF an exciting and meaningful place to work. Every job here makes a difference. Won’t you join us?

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:

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:

Location

Washington, D.C. preferred with the possibility to work U.S. Remote

Term

The term for the Legal Fellow position is for two years, with an opportunity for promotion to Attorney in the second year of the assignment pending acceptance by the Bar.

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.

We offer a strong total rewards package encompassing competitive salary, robust benefits, and professional development opportunities consistent with a modern global organization. We take into account factors such as candidate experience, skills, training, internal team equity and local norms.

The pay range for this role is shown below.

Please note that pay ranges are country specific. As a result, the stated currency is not meant be converted into any other currency.

Environmental Defense Fund is an equal opportunity employer where an applicant's qualifications are considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis prohibited by law.