Earthjustice is seeking Associate Attorneys to join our Rocky Mountain Regional Office. The Associate Attorney position is a three-year position with the opportunity for a three-year extension as a Senior Associate Attorney. The position requires 1-5 years post-law-school legal experience.

Associate Attorneys work on all types of cases in the Rocky Mountain Office. Earthjustice’s Associate Attorney program is designed to mentor attorneys in the early stages of their careers and help them develop into thoughtful, professional, and effective advocates skilled in the various phases of public interest litigation. As Associate Attorneys gain experience, they gradually take on more independent responsibility for their cases.

Earthjustice understands that attracting, developing, and retaining attorneys whose background’s represent our nation’s rich diversity makes us more effective and is integral to our values of excellence, partnership, justice, and inclusion. We desire to attract a diverse group of candidates to learn more about the Rocky Mountain office and apply for our associate attorney positions.

Earthjustice is the nation’s largest, oldest, and most active public interest environmental law organization. Our team of over 550 staff — including over 190 litigators — wields the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect public health, address environmental injustice, defend magnificent places and irreplaceable ecosystems, transition our economy to 100% clean energy, and combat climate change. We partner with thousands of groups, tribes, individuals, and communities to address the environmental crises of our time. We are here because the earth needs a good lawyer.

Earthjustice’s Rocky Mountain Office was established in 1972 as the second of the now 15 Earthjustice offices. Based in Denver, the Rocky Mountain Office handles almost all areas of Earthjustice’s work in the Intermountain West and Southwest. We fight to promptly and equitably transition states from a reliance on dirty fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy. We fight for the right to a healthy environment, and we defend disproportionately impacted and tribal communities from pollution and other environmental harms. We fight to protect our region’s treasured public lands and wildlife from fracking, mining, and other threats. Learn more about the Rocky Mountain Office and its work at https://earthjustice.org/about/offices/rocky-mountain.

The Rocky Mountain office is located in the heart of downtown Denver near the federal and state courthouses, public transportation, and the vibrant LoDo, RiNo and Capitol Hill neighborhoods.  We are a bike-friendly office, located near many of Denver’s bike paths.

Our preference is for the Associate Attorneys to work from the Denver office, but other remote locations may be considered on a case-by-case basis. For staff working from the Denver office, the office employs a hybrid approach where staff are in the office a minimum of one day per week and may otherwise choose whether to work remotely or in the office. The positions will start in either January or April 2024, with a preference for January, and applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

The Associate Attorney position is a three-year position with the possibility of an additional three years as a Senior Associate Attorney. Earthjustice’s Associate Attorney program is designed to help attorneys who are in the early stages of their careers develop into thoughtful, professional, and effective advocates skilled in the various phases of public interest litigation and administrative advocacy. The level of duties and responsibilities for an Associate Attorney will vary depending on experience. Many Associates have gone on to other positions within Earthjustice and with other public interest organizations.

Responsibilities:

Associate attorneys perform a range of work, in partnership with senior attorneys and professional staff, to investigate, develop, and pursue advocacy before administrative agencies and litigation in court.

As associate attorneys gain experience, their dockets may include cases for which they have primary responsibility under the supervision of a senior attorney in addition to matters on which they work in a supporting role with senior attorneys. Specific responsibilities include:

• Working closely with Earthjustice attorneys, scientists, professional staff, and clients to build cases and support policies that serve a diverse set of clients.
• Participating in the full range of tasks involved in administrative advocacy and litigation, including factual investigation, legal research and analysis, memo writing, negotiation, discovery, briefing, and oral advocacy.
• Interact with clients and work with experts to develop a clear understanding of the facts involved in each case.
• Participating in cultivating relationships with new clients, allies, and coalition partners.
• Integrating communications and legislative advocacy into litigation and other legal strategies.
• Supporting efforts to ensure a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work culture that encourages and celebrates differences.
• Representing Earthjustice at remote and in-person meetings with clients, partners, co-counsel, and experts.
• Developing skills required to serve as spokesperson in media.
• Participating in hiring and supervision of student law clerks and externs.

Required Qualifications:

• Law school graduate with 1-5 years of legal experience and admitted to, or willing and eligible to apply for admission to, the Colorado State Bar.
• Excellent research, analytic, writing, and communication skills.
• Strong and demonstrated work ethic, good judgment, initiative, and creativity.
• Strong desire to fight for the right of all to a healthy environment.
• Ability to work well independently and in a team-oriented atmosphere.
• Commitment to serving the public interest and a passion for the role of Earthjustice and its mission.
• Demonstrated awareness and sensitivity to the needs and concerns of individuals from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and orientations.
• Ability and desire to contribute to the creation of a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work culture that encourages and celebrates differences.
• High level of emotional intelligence.

We offer a competitive salary and excellent benefits that are comprehensive and competitive. We also offer a congenial, flexible, hybrid work environment and a casual dress code. As a 501(c)(3) organization, Earthjustice is a qualifying employer for purposes of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program.

Salary depends on experience and location.

Salary range in Denver, CO: $92,100 - $118,700.

To Apply:

Interested applicants should submit the following via Jobvite:

• Resume.
• Cover letter that addresses: 1) your interest in, and qualifications for, serving as an associate attorney: (2) why you are drawn to Earthjustice’s mission and whether there are particular legal, environmental, or social justice issues that inspire you; and (3) aspects of your background that demonstrate competence to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in work with clients and colleagues. Also, please include the earliest date you would be available to begin work.
• Writing sample, preferably a legal brief or memorandum containing legal analysis. Please ensure that any confidential information is redacted and that you have permission to share any non-public memorandum written for another legal employer or client. We recognize that many legal work products are edited by multiple attorneys; at the same time, we expect that any writing sample be predominantly, if not exclusively, your own work. Please include a cover sheet explaining the extent of any editing by someone else, and any other details about the writing sample that you believe Earthjustice will find helpful.
• Law school transcript.

Click here to apply: https://app.jobvite.com/j?cj=ooaXnfwC&s=GreenLatinos

Applications from candidates graduating from law school in 2023 will not be considered.

For this position, we are looking to hire a candidate who is available to start in January or April 2024. Preference will be given to candidates who apply by August 20, 2023. After that, applications will 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 given 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.

For positions located within the City and County of San Francisco: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

For positions located within the City of Los Angeles: We will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring.