Associate / Staff Attorney

Job Title: Associate or Staff Attorney

Department: Program/ELP

Location: All Sierra Club ELP Offices

(Oakland, CA, Washington, D.C., Denver, CO) and possibility of remote option for Staff Attorney. 

Reports To: Managing Attorney

Supervises: None

Context:  At the Sierra Club, we believe in the power of interdependence. Together, we remain committed to the fight for a healthy climate built on a foundation of environmental, racial, economic, and gender justice – a future where all people benefit from a healthy, thriving planet and a direct connection to nature. As the climate crisis and deeply entrenched systemic racism all fuel injustice, we will continue to fight for a bold, transformational agenda that recognizes the interconnectedness between our planet, our humanity, and our future. By recognizing that our destinies are tied, we continue to name that all things are fundamentally connected, and the overlap between ecology, race, gender, and representative government will move to either advance our collective humanity or to oppress it. Sierra Club has close to 800 staff across the country and a network of 64 local chapters that are led and fueled by thousands of volunteers. We are also proud to be a unionized employer, with three labor unions representing more than half of our employees.

Scope: Sierra Club is seeking an Associate or  Staff Attorney to join its national legal team as a litigator for Sierra Club’s Environmental Law Program. Appointment will be made at the level commensurate with an individual’s level of experience. Under the supervision of a managing and senior attorney, the associate or staff attorney would litigate cases at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and federal courts, advocate in regional transmission organization stakeholder processes, and advise Sierra Club campaigns, with a focus on decarbonizing the electrical grid by replacing coal and fracked gas with clean energy and promoting affordable electric service. The associate or staff attorney will help design and implement legal and advocacy strategies, and coordinate with campaign staff, coalition partners, and outside counsel.

• Litigate key Sierra Club lawsuits, including Federal Energy Regulatory Commission dockets, under the supervision of managing and senior staff attorneys; assume increasing litigation responsibilities including case development, legal research and writing, and oral advocacy. 
• Represent the Sierra Club in select regional transmission organization stakeholder processes, through written and oral advocacy, as well as coalition development and support.  
• Develop and implement strategic legal campaigns to support Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign objectives,  in coordination with staff, volunteer leaders, and outside counsel.
• Help evaluate proposed litigation to advise national volunteer and staff leadership on the scope of Sierra Club participation in legal actions.
• Help develop and plan programmatic litigation and advocacy campaigns to support Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign, with a focus on replacing coal and gas with clean energy, while improving the affordability and reliability of electric service. Assist in drafting legal components of strategic plans and reports.
• Help develop and execute work in a manner that centers on and promotes equity, justice, and inclusion, and intentionally address the history of inequitable environmental and economic burdens carried by communities overburdened by air, water, and climate pollution and disproportionate energy burdens.
• Analyze legal cases and trends for Sierra Club management and membership.
• Provide legal advice to Sierra Club Chapters and Groups with their local energy- related legal programs and objectives.
• Perform miscellaneous duties as directed.

• J.D. degree and license to practice law.
• 2-4 years of experience as a practicing attorney for Associate Attorney
• 5-9 years of experience as a practicing attorney for Staff Attorney
• Excellent research, writing, analytical and oral advocacy skills.
• Strong interpersonal and consensus-building skills, including the ability to work collaboratively with clients and colleagues from diverse backgrounds.
• Demonstration of a commitment to equity, inclusion, and justice.
• Knowledge of energy law.
• Passion for Sierra Club’s mission to enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment.
• Committed to evolution. You are committed to continuously deepening and evolving your own understanding of systems of oppression through study, openness, and humility. And you easily recognize your own relationship to privilege and power, examining and shifting your behaviors as appropriate.
• Uplifting and additive. You see mistakes as opportunities for growth; problems as catalysts for solutions, and inspire others along the journey. You carry a constructive approach, can-do attitude, a sense of humor, and authentic kindness wherever you go.

• Title will be determined based on years of experience at the date of hire as detailed in the qualifications section.

To Apply

The Sierra Club provides equal employment and advancement opportunities to all staff members. Employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, lived experience and skills. The Sierra Club does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, immigration status, socioeconomic status, ancestry, age, size, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, familial status, veteran status, disability, AIDS/HIV status, medical condition, prior conviction, arrest history, traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The Sierra Club values applicants who are people that identify as Black, Indigenous, and other minoritized groups; women; queer, transgender, gender non-conforming, and gender fluid people.

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