EarthJustice Fellowship
Earthjustice’s Coal Program, which uses litigation and advocacy to challenge the coal industry’s harmful impacts on people and the environment and to speed our nation’s transition to clean energy, is now accepting applications for candidates interested in seeking post-graduate legal fellowships funded through the Equal Justice Works or Skadden programs, a law school, or other sources to commence in the fall of 2018. The position would be based in our Philadelphia, PA or Washington, DC offices, or in Chicago, IL. Qualifying applications will be for a one- or two-year project, to commence in the fall of 2018, with a preference for projects focusing on environmental issues affecting communities of color, low-income people, and other vulnerable populations.
Our Work: The fellowship attorney will work closely with experienced Earthjustice attorneys in challenging our nation’s reliance on aging coal-fired power plants, and to speed the transition to clean energy resources. A core part of that work has been seeking to ensure that communities are not left with the toxic legacy of unsafe coal ash disposal that threatens public health and water supplies at nearly 1,400 sites in the U.S. We also work to require the promulgation of stringent environmental standards to reduce pollution from coal plants, defend those standards after they are issued, and bring permitting and enforcement actions to ensure that environmental standards are faithfully implemented. In addition, we litigate in state public utility commissions to halt proposed investments in aging and uneconomic coal plants and to shift such investments to clean energy resources. The Fellow will work closely with staff attorneys and clients to develop and implement litigation and advocacy strategies, and will participate in the full range of tasks involved, such as factual investigation, legal research, discovery, briefing, witness preparation, and oral advocacy.
Who We Are Looking For: Earthjustice seeks highly qualified candidates who possess outstanding legal research and writing skills and are interested in working as a fellow for at least one year. Applicants should be third-year law students, judicial clerks, or other recent law school graduates who are eligible for post-graduate fellowships. Applicants should have a strong academic record, strong work ethic and sense of initiative, strong interest in working on environmental issues in a social justice context, sound and creative judgment, an ability to work well in a collegial setting, and a demonstrated awareness of and sensitivity to the needs and concerns of individuals from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and orientations.