Staff Attorney - Wild Places

Overview

This role involves joining the organization’s Legal Team as a Staff Attorney. The position reports to the Managing Attorney and works primarily in support of the organization’s Wild Places program, with additional litigation support for its Wildlife program.

The work focuses on developing and litigating strategic cases to protect, restore, and reconnect the West’s public lands and waters. Case efforts may include defending wild landscapes and biodiversity from destructive extractive and development activities, safeguarding public lands from privatization, and advancing ecologically sustainable public-lands management.

Responsibilities

• Develop and litigate cases from claims inception through final resolution on the merits, primarily in federal court, and potentially in state court and at the administrative level, under laws governing management and resource protection on federal public lands, including NEPA, NFMA, FLPMA, the Wilderness Act, and ESA
• Conduct factual and legal research and prepare in-house litigation memoranda to evaluate litigation proposals from Wild Places program staff
• Handle motions practice and potential appellate advocacy
• Incorporate DEIJ considerations and organizational objectives into case evaluation and development
• Assist the Managing Attorney and Program Director in developing broader, long-term, strategic legal campaigns
• Develop and maintain relationships with outside counsel and coordinate collaboratively on litigation with other groups
• Manage and mentor legal interns and contract legal assistance when appropriate
• Support case-related communications with the media by helping prepare press materials, backgrounders, blog posts, op-eds, social media content, and other commentary in collaboration with staff from the Communications team and the Wild Places program
• Travel occasionally around the United States for case-related matters

Requirements

• Current bar membership in at least one contiguous western state (required)
• Minimum 4 years of experience in environmental and natural resources litigation (required); will consider a combination of litigation and litigation-adjacent experience such as administrative appeals/advocacy, record review, and formal commenting on agency actions
• Excellent writing, research, analysis, and oral advocacy skills

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Ability to manage a busy litigation docket with a minimum of three substantive, record review cases pending at any given time
• Demonstrated commitment to public interest environmental advocacy
• Creative self-starter able to work independently and collaboratively
• Ability to determine when to be proactive versus follow direction
• Willingness to take calculated risks
• Integrity, kindness, and sense of humor
• Ability to travel as needed for case-related matters

Preferred Qualifications

• Considered based on experience level:
  • Staff Attorney (4–8 years of litigation experience)
  • Senior Staff Attorney (8+ years of litigation experience)

Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range

• Staff Attorney (4–8 years of litigation experience): $80,000 to $95,000
• Senior Staff Attorney (8+ years of litigation experience): $95,000 to $115,000

Benefits

• 100% employer-paid premiums for health, vision, dental, life, and disability coverage; 50% employer-paid premiums for dependents
• 403(b) retirement plan with a 3% match
• Paid and unpaid health and family leave
• Sabbatical policy, sick leave
• Generous paid time off

Location

Preferred locations: Portland, OR; Santa Fe, NM; Denver, CO; or Missoula, MT. Remote work in other contiguous western states will be considered depending on level of experience.

Employment Details

• Full time, exempt — union eligible
• Reports to: Managing/Senior Attorney

Application Instructions

To apply, provide:

• Cover letter
• Resume
• Legal writing sample (maximum 10 pages)
• List of three professional references

No telephone calls.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The organization is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, class, sex, gender, sexual orientation, disability, family/marital status, religion or other protected classes. Applications are encouraged from underrepresented communities and people from historically excluded groups.