Environmental Justice Attorney (Maine)

Jimmy Jazz; Portland (ME); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 127,000; Full time

Job summary

Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) seeks a full-time attorney to join its Portland, Maine office, focusing on environmental justice, toxics, and community engagement. The attorney will work with state and regional teams to advance litigation and policy initiatives, building partnerships with communities and public officials.

Salary bands are provided for Staff Attorney I–Senior Attorney levels, with competitive benefits and opportunities for flexible work within New England.

Qualifications

• A J.D. from an accredited law school and admission to practice law in Maine.
• Relevant legal experience in environmental, administrative, or regulatory law.
• Experience with litigation in state or federal courts.
• Experience in environmental justice issues, preferably in the New England region.
• Strong analytic, oral and written communication skills.
• Commitment to CLF’s mission and diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Ability to develop/expert in relevant technical or policy areas.

Responsibilities

• Devise and execute legal strategies to achieve CLF’s advocacy goals, including litigation.
• Represent CLF and other parties in litigation proceedings.
• Negotiate civil penalties, injunctive relief, and fee and cost recovery.
• Advise CLF and community groups on legal and policy matters.
• Build coalitions and collaborate with public officials.
• Represent CLF in regulatory and administrative proceedings.
• Draft public comments on projects, policies, and plans.
• Advocate for priority bills before the Maine State Legislature, including testimony.
• Support EJ program intake process and development efforts.
• Contribute to diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Write educational materials and communicate advocacy work.
• Contribute to the health of our community and the organization.

Skills

Environmental law

Litigation

Regulatory law

Policy advocacy

Oral advocacy

Written advocacy

Education

J.D. from an accredited law school

Job description

• Location 53 Exchange Street Suite 200,Portland, ME, 04101,United States
• Employee Type Full Time Regular

Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) is seeking a full-time attorney to join our team working to protect New England’s environment for all people. The Attorney will work with CLF’s Environmental Justice program and will be based in CLF’s Portland, Maine office with the opportunity for some remote and flexible work within New England. The attorney’s work will focus on communities and toxics issues in Maine. The position will be hired as a Staff Attorney Level I or II or Senior Attorney depending on years of experience.

What you’ll do

The Attorney will work independently and as part of state-based and regional teams to implement programmatic priorities in the areas of toxics, and community engagement. The Attorney will advance litigation and policy initiatives, as well as strengthen community partnerships, to advocate for environmental justice and to advance local and statewide policies and decisions that better protect the health and environment of communities that have been historically marginalized.

The Staff Attorney will:

• Devise and execute legal strategies for achieving CLF’s advocacy goals, including through litigation;
• Represent CLF and other parties in litigation proceedings;
• Negotiate civil penalties, injunctive relief, and fee and cost recovery;
• Advise CLF and community and advocacy groups on legal and policy matters;
• Develop relationships, build coalitions, and work collaboratively with community and advocacy groups and public officials;
• Build and sustain alliances and coalitions among impacted and allied entities;
• Represent CLF in regulatory and administrative proceedings;
• Draft public comment letters on projects, policies, and plans;
• Advocate for priority bills before the Maine State Legislature, including oral and written testimony;
• Support the intake process for the EJ program;
• Engage in development efforts to support the work of the Environmental Justice program and the Maine office, including donor and foundation stewardship efforts and funding proposals, grant reporting and board engagement;
• ContributetoCLF’scommitmenttodiversity,equity andinclusion;
• Write public educational materials, articles, and opinion pieces and communicate about advocacy work through media outlets and social media; and
• Contribute to the health of our community and the smooth operation of our organization.

What you’ll need

We are looking for a motivated and mature self-starter who can work independently and as a productive member of a talented and diverse group of advocates dedicated to CLF’s mission and distributed across New England .

To be successful in this role, you’ll need:

• A J.D. from an accredited law school and admission to practice law in Maine.
• Relevant legal experience, preferably in environmental, administrative, or regulatory law and/or significant litigation experience, with the following minimum requirements:
  • Staff Attorney I: At least 2 years of relevant legal experience
  • Staff Attorney II: At least 5 years of relevant legal experience
  • Senior Attorney: At least 7 years of relevant legal experience
• Demonstrated experience working with state and federal environmental and administrative laws;
• Litigation experience in state and/or federal courts or comparable experience;
• Experience working on environmental justice issues, preferably in the New England region;
• Strong analytic abilities, oral and written communication skills, and a commitment to environmental justice advocacy;
• Strong commitment to CLF’s mission, including its commitment to diversity, equity andinclusion;
• Coalition and network building skills, including cultural competence and ability to communicate and collaborate within diverse and multicultural communities; and
• A capacity to develop and/or enhance expertise in relevant technical or policy areas.

About CLF

Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) protects New England’s environment for the benefit of all people. A non-profit, member-supported organization, CLF uses the law, science, and the market to solve the region’s most challenging environmental problems, from climate change to ocean conservation to transportation. Every day, CLF advocates stand up for New Englanders—in statehouses, courthouses, boardrooms, regulatory hearings, and community gatherings—to forge innovative paths to environmental progress and economic prosperity for all in our region. To that end, CLF frequently works with communities of color, and those that are economically or otherwise disadvantaged, which often suffer disproportionately from the impacts of environmental degradation.

CLF is committed to diversity among our staff, volunteers, boards, and membership and creating a positive, inclusive workplace culture where all can thrive.

Salary & Benefits

CLF offers a competitive salary, and extensive benefits plan , and an open, inclusive, and accepting work environment where differences are highly respected. Starting salary ranges are based on position level:

• Senior Attorney (minimum 7 years of relevant legal experience): $106,000–$127,000
• Staff Attorney II (minimum 5 years of relevant legal experience): $94,000–$111,000
• Staff Attorney I (minimum 2 years of relevant legal experience): $85,000–$99,000

Placement within the salary range will be determined by relevant experience, skills, and qualifications, with significant consideration given to internal pay equity. CLF is committed to ensuring compensation decisions are fair, consistent, and aligned with the experience and contributions of current employees in similar roles.

We recognize the value of work-life balance and also strive to create opportunities for growth for all employees through professional development.