Author: Bruce Huber

This is a series of six podcasts that were a joint effort by the DC Bar and the Women’s Bar Association. The series was conducted by our very own Kathryn Caballero, adjunct professor of law. The WBA’s Cathy Pagano and Prof. Caballero interviewed six senior women attorneys in the DC area on the nature of their work, whether at DOJ, DOE, Congress, DOI, etc.

The Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School is currently seeking to fill two positions. 

1. We are seeking an early- to mid-career lawyer/legal researcher to help us build out the Renewable Energy Legal Defense Initiative. This person will work closely with our faculty director Michael Gerrard, me, and others at the Sabin Center to develop critical resources and strategic engagement on issues related to planning and siting renewable energy infrastructure (generation, transmission and storage). Details on the position are available here.

2. We are seeking an early- to mid-career lawyer/legal researcher to work with us to advance the Cities Climate Law Initiative collaboration with the Smart Surfaces Coalition. This person will play a pivotal role helping pilot new programs to introduce “Smart Surfaces” to enable cities to thrive despite climate threats, save cities money, create jobs, decrease heat, reduce flood risk, slow global warming, and improve city livability, health, and equity. Details on the position are available here. 

These positions are based in New York City, and do require that one live within commutable distance.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is accepting applications for our Fall 2023 Litigation Internship. NRDC is a non-profit organization that works to protect the planet’s wildlife and wild places and to ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. You can find the job posting and application details here. The deadline to apply is April 15, 2023.

Energy Justice Fellowship – The Institute for Energy and the Environment at Vermont Law and Graduate School offers the Energy Justice Fellowship for a two-year period beginning August 2023.  The fellowship includes a full tuition waiver for the LLM in Energy Law and a $35,000 annual stipend.  The Energy Justice Fellow will work half-time in the VLGS Energy Clinic leading a team of graduate student clinicians working on ensuring that low income and underserved communities enjoy the benefits of the just energy transition.  Applicants must be licensed to practice law in the United States with the ability to be licensed in the State of New Hampshire and additional states in New England and New York on a timely basis.  Experience in energy law is not required, but knowledge of business, transactional, and administrative law is preferred, as well as, an interest to pursue the LLM in Energy Law while working in the Energy Clinic.  Applicants must apply separately to the VLGS LLM in Energy Law and provide a cover letter, writing sample, resume, and list of three references to Energy Justice Fellowship Application.  Application review will begin on a rolling basis on April 15, 2023 and continue until the position is filled.  Admission to the VLGS Energy Law program is not required for initial application review but is a requirement for final eligibility.

Global Climate Justice Fellowship – The Institute for Energy and the Environment at Vermont Law and Graduate School offers the Global Climate Justice Fellowship for a two-year period beginning August 2023.  The fellowship includes a full tuition waiver for the LLM in Energy Law and a $35,000 annual stipend.  The fellow  will work half-time in the Institute for Energy and the Environment leading a team of graduate students researching issues related to a global just transition of our energy systems.  The regional focus of the research will be on just transition issues in China and Latin America and the Caribbean.  The fellow will also pursue the LLM in Energy Law half-time and must have completed either an LLB or JD at a U.S. or international institution.  Applicants with interest and experience in international just energy transition issues are strongly encouraged to apply, particularly those with experience with Chinese or Latin American and Caribbean energy law and policy.  Applicants must apply separately to the VLGS LLM in Energy Law and also provide a cover letter, writing sample, resume, and list of three references to Global Climate Justice Fellowship  Application review will begin on a rolling basis on April 15, 2023 and continue until the position is filled.  Admission to the VLGS Energy Law program is not required for initial application review but is a requirement for final eligibility.

The Law, Ethics & Animals Program (LEAP) at Yale Law School invites applications for a Litigation Fellow to join the Climate Change & Animal Agriculture Litigation Initiative (CCAALI) within the Climate, Animal, Food, and Environment Law & Policy Lab (CAFE Lab). CCAALI, which launched in October 2021, is focused on evaluating the likelihood and potential impact of litigation in the United States based on animal agriculture’s contributions to climate change. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to a cutting-edge research initiative, engaging with varied areas of law including animal law, climate law, environmental law, and environmental justice. The Litigation Fellow will receive a one-year appointment beginning in September 2023 (renewable for an additional year by mutual agreement), and a competitive salary commensurate with experience level plus Yale University benefits.

The Litigation Fellow will have a leading role in helping to develop an emerging area of legal activity through working with outside collaborators on litigation theories, legal research, writing, strategic decision making, relationship building, and public education. With supervision from the CCAALI Project Manager, guidance from LEAP faculty, and support from student research assistants, the Litigation Fellow will be a key contributor to CCAALI’s work.

Additional information, including how to apply, can be found in the full job listing. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

Yale also invites applications for one or two summer 2023 Research Assistant positions to support CCAALI. These are full-time, paid, remote positions for 9 weeks over the summer of 2023 and are open to law students and recent law school graduates. Additional information, including how to apply, can be found in the full position description. Applications will be accepted until the positions are filled.

The Center for Water Policy has launched a national search for a Water Policy Specialist. This position is designed to immerse emerging lawyers in the dynamic world of applied research for multidisciplinary water policy solutions. 

Established in 2011 through a $2.6 million Endowment from Lynde B. Uihlein, the Center builds on the research of the School of Freshwater Sciences, the UW System, and networks and partnerships with top scholars, scientists, and policy institutions across the country and around the world. 

The Water Policy Specialist will work with research teams and interact with the public and private sector to inform policy making. A range of possible projects includes water justice and equity; water infrastructure and climate resiliency; public access to coastal resources; sustainable freshwater management practices; innovation in the water sector; and integrating water data into decision-making.

This position is strengthened by a collaboration with Sea Grant. The Water Policy Specialist within the Center for Water Policy will be a UW Water Science-Policy Fellow, part of a cohort of Fellows from the UW-Madison Aquatic Sciences Center, home to the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant College Program and the University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute.  

The full position description can be found at: Water Policy Specialist 2023-2024. 

Apply by April 7, 2023

For more information visit the Center for Water Policy and the School of Freshwater Sciences.

The ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources’ (SEER) Environmental Law Society Network (ELSN) just hosted a free networking event for students interested in working on environmental law in a government setting. Student attendees got to speak with over 20 government attorneys working in environmental roles (water law, pesticide and toxic substances law, and more).

This was the second event in the ELSN’s networking series (the first was with environmental law attorneys working in big law). These types of events are incredibly useful to help students identify and expand their understanding of all the types of careers available in environmental, energy and resources law. The easiest way for you to hear about these events is to sign up to the newsletter individually here (scroll down on the page for the individual sign up section).

Vermont Law and Graduate School’s Center for Agriculture and Food Systems is currently seeking law students for its Summer Honors Internship program from May 30 to August 4, 2023. Interns will receive a $6,000 stipend to work full-time with CAFS. Interns may work in person or remotely and group events will be offered by either a virtual or a hybrid method.

In past summers, interns have worked on projects related to developing a national food strategy in the US, food resilience, land trusts, preemption in food regulation, farmworker rights, USDA loans and the appeals process, federal and state meat inspection, challenges and opportunities for farms seeking to transition away from dairy production, and various issues associated with concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). They have worked alongside project partners from Agrarian Trust, Farmworker Justice, the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic, Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, Farm Aid, and the Socially Responsible Agriculture Project, among other organizations. Interns’ assigned tasks depend on project needs and may include legal research, drafting law and policy documents, conducting original research in the form of interviews and surveys, drafting case studies, and providing general support.

Vermont Law and Graduate School’s Summer Session draws visiting faculty and lecturers from around the country and the world. Interns will have the opportunity to attend the summer lecture series and to meet with scholars and food system practitioners in small groups.

Qualifications: Currently enrolled in a JD degree program; a background in food and agricultural law and policy, public health law and policy, administrative law, environmental law and policy, state and local government law, and/or land use law and policy is preferred; strong research and writing skills are required. Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel) is required for the position; other skills (such as graphic design, web development, or GIS) are a bonus.

Please apply by submitting a cover letter, resume, list of three references, academic writing sample of no more than 5 pages (this can be an excerpt of a longer writing sample – please include a section that provides analysis, if possible), and unofficial academic transcript, here. The application deadline is January 17, 2023.

Information about the internship is available at vermontlaw.edu/cafs-openings, and feel free to reach out to Claire Child (cchild@vermontlaw.edu) if you have any questions. 

The Center for Water Policy is seeking a candidate for a two-year funded Water Policy and Science Communications Graduate Student Research Fellowship, while earning a master’s degree from the School of Freshwater Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. 

To be considered for the Fellowship, the student must be admitted to the water policy Thesis track in our master’s degree program. Click here for information on how to apply for the master’s degree program. Applicants should indicate interest in this Fellowship on their personal statement. Fall semester 2023 admission deadline is January 15, 2023.

The Research Fellowship will begin in Fall 2023 and run through Spring 2025. The successful candidate will have a law degree and/or a bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, public policy, economics, environmental science, engineering or a related field and should be interested in conducting graduate research toward a thesis focused on water policy and science communications. The Research Fellowship represents a unique opportunity for a student who wants to explore the intersection between water policy, science, and communications.

The Research Fellow will be enrolled in the water policy Thesis track master’s degree at UWM’s School of Freshwater Sciences and employed as a research assistant in the Center for Water Policy, conducting original research around the topics of water policy, science and communication. The specific topic of the student’s work will be determined by the student, in consultation with Center for Water Policy director Melissa Scanlan. Professor Scanlan will supervise the student work and serve as the student’s advisor. The work performed by the student will culminate in a thesis that will be defended before graduation. The student may have an opportunity to work with Dan Egan, Brico Fund Journalist in Residence and author of Death and Life of the Great Lakes and The Devil’s Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance.

The Center for Water Policy is interested in candidates who will contribute to diversity and equal opportunity in higher education through their research. Qualified women and members of underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Sabin Center for Climate Change Law seeks a Climate Justice Fellow for a one-year appointment, with an option for a second year, starting in September 2023. Under the supervision of Michael Gerrard, Faculty Director and Michael Burger, Executive Director, the incumbent will conduct independent research, literature reviews, and benchmarking studies on a wide variety of issues related to climate change law, with a special focus on issues related to climate justice and equity, as well as develop and implement advocacy strategies. The incumbent will work on a wide variety of research and writing projects concerning climate change mitigation and adaptation, including issues of justice and equity in those contexts; contribute to programs and projects that engage in active law and policy contexts; help organize conferences, seminars, and collaborative publications; contribute to conceptualization, management and implementation of the Center’s web resources; and assist with oversight of interns and volunteers, among other projects.

Minimum Qualifications:

• JD, JD equivalent, or LLM.
• Strong academic qualifications and a demonstrated interest in climate justice and equity, and/or in environmental, natural resources or energy law and policy, will be expected.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 1 – 3 years of professional legal experience with a government agency (including through a clerkship), NGO, law firm, corporation, or law school center.

The position will be filled as either a Postdoctoral Research Scholar or an Associate Research Scholar. In both instances the minimum degree requirement is a JD, JD equivalent, or LLM within three years of beginning the fellowship. A candidate will be eligible for an appointment as Associate Research Scholar only if they have already completed a fellowship or postdoctoral training following their law degree.

How to Apply:

Please apply here. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, and we encourage you to apply no later than January 15, 2023.