Litigation Strategy Director

Agnello & Rogers; Richmond (VA); Hybrid; USD 188,000 - 203,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model (up to 2 days remote

Relocation reimbursement

Competitive benefits package

Job summary

The Southern Environmental Law Center seeks a Litigation Strategy Director, a senior leader responsible for the strategy, standards, and professional development that keep SELC’s litigation among the best in the country. This full-time, exempt position offers a hybrid work model with remote days and relocation flexibility to join our offices across the Southeast and D.C.

The Director collaborates with senior leaders, mentors attorneys, and guides high-stakes litigation decisions to advance

Qualifications

• Ten or more years of litigation experience, including substantial first-chair responsibility in complex civil litigation, through trial and appeal.
• Active license to practice law, or willingness to seek admission to practice, in one of SELC’s states or Washington, D.C.
• Command of administrative law, civil procedure, justiciability, remedies, and professional responsibility.
• Sound judgement in high-stakes litigation decisions, including when to file, settle, appeal, or pursue a different course.
• A record of developing litigators, including junior and mid-career attorneys who became effective lead counsel under the candidate’s guidance.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to build and maintain strong relationships with clients, colleagues, partners, stakeholders, and the broader legal community.
• Ability and willingness to travel to SELC offices and other locations as needed.
• A genuine interest in and commitment to helping SELC create and foster an equitable and inclusive workplace.

Responsibilities

• Partner with the Chief Program Officer and other leaders to make litigation a central part of SELC’s program plans, policy strategy, and coordinated advocacy across offices and jurisdictions.
• Serve as SELC’s principal advisor on litigation strategy, helping teams make consequential decisions, strengthen significant filings, and prepare for arguments and other critical proceedings.
• Approve novel or especially consequential litigation decisions and first-chair assignments, and oversee litigation approvals and updates to the Board.
• Guide the development of test cases and precedent-setting litigation.
• Anticipate legal and procedural developments that may affect SELC’s work, guide teams on emerging risks, and work with the General Counsel on ethics, conflicts, and professional standards.
• Supervise attorneys and mentor litigators across SELC, helping them build sound judgment, strong advocacy skills, and the experience to take on greater responsibility.
• Set priorities for litigation training and professional development, and foster a culture of legal excellence, integrity, collaboration, and respectful candor.
• Work with leaders to assess litigation capacity, deploy resources effectively, advise on hiring decisions for senior litigators, and maintain the policies and systems that enable excellent litigation.
• Coordinate strategy with national and regional partners and build strong relationships with clients, outside counsel, experts, and the broader legal community.
• Represent SELC’s litigation work with donors, the press, and the public, working with Communications and Development to communicate legal developments and case narratives accurately and effectively.

Job description

The Southern Environmental Law Center is seeking a Litigation Strategy Director, a senior leader responsible for the strategy, standards, and professional development that keep SELC’s litigation among the best in the country.

This is an excellent opportunity to join a highly successful, nationally recognized organization that is effectively addressing some of the most pressing and challenging environmental issues throughout the South and the nation.

This full-time, exempt position has a flexible start date. This position may be based in any of SELC’s offices: Asheville, NC; Atlanta, GA; Birmingham, AL; Chapel Hill, NC; Charleston, SC; Charlottesville, VA; Nashville, TN; Richmond, VA; or Washington, D.C. We have a particular interest in candidates who could be based in Chapel Hill, NC, or Charlottesville, VA, but candidates interested in any SELC office are encouraged to apply. SELC has a hybrid work model that offers employees the flexibility to work remotely up to two days per week. Employees must reside in a state where SELC has an office, Maryland, or Washington, D.C. Relocation reimbursement is available for those moving to join us.

About the Position

The Litigation Strategy Director sustains SELC’s tradition of legal excellence: well-trained, well-supported attorneys bringing high-impact litigation to the highest professional standards. Reporting to the Chief Program Officer, the Litigation Strategy Director is a leadership position on a peer level with Managing Directors, Program Directors, the Federal Affairs Strategy Director, and the Advocacy Strategy Director. This position requires exceptional legal judgment, subject-matter expertise, and the interpersonal skill to work effectively with attorneys ranging in experience from associates to senior litigators.
The Director provides institution-wide leadership on litigation strategy and tactics, standards, policies, professional development, and the deployment of litigation resources.

The Litigation Strategy Director will not carry a substantial independent docket. Instead, the Director consults with litigators on significant decisions and engages directly in matters only when experienced engagement would materially strengthen SELC’s work.

To learn more about this position, please read the Litigation Strategy Director Leadership Profile.

Primary Responsibilities

• Partner with the Chief Program Officer and other leaders to make litigation a central part of SELC’s program plans, policy strategy, and coordinated advocacy across offices and jurisdictions.
• Serve as SELC’s principal advisor on litigation strategy, helping teams make consequential decisions, strengthen significant filings, and prepare for arguments and other critical proceedings.
• Approve novel or especially consequential litigation decisions and first-chair assignments, and oversee litigation approvals and updates to the Board. Guide the development of test cases and precedent-setting litigation.
• Anticipate legal and procedural developments that may affect SELC’s work, guide teams on emerging risks, and work with the General Counsel on ethics, conflicts, and professional standards.
• Supervise attorneys and mentor litigators across SELC, helping them build sound judgment, strong advocacy skills, and the experience to take on greater responsibility.
• Set priorities for litigation training and professional development, and foster a culture of legal excellence, integrity, collaboration, and respectful candor.
• Work with leaders to assess litigation capacity, deploy resources effectively, advise on hiring decisions for senior litigators, and maintain the policies and systems that enable excellent litigation.
• Coordinate strategy with national and regional partners and build strong relationships with clients, outside counsel, experts, and the broader legal community.
• Represent SELC’s litigation work with donors, the press, and the public, working with Communications and Development to communicate legal developments and case narratives accurately and effectively.

Required Qualifications

• Ten or more years of litigation experience, including substantial first-chair responsibility in complex civil litigation, through trial and appeal.
• Active license to practice law, or willingness to seek admission to practice, in one of SELC’s six states or Washington, D.C.
• Command of administrative law, civil procedure, justiciability, remedies, and professional responsibility, with the discipline to stay current as the law changes.
• Sound judgment in high-stakes litigation decisions, including when to file, settle, appeal, or pursue a different course.
• A record of developing litigators, including junior and mid-career attorneys who became effective lead counsel under the candidate’s guidance, and the coaching range to work with lawyers from first-year associates to senior litigators.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to build and maintain strong relationships with clients, colleagues, partners, stakeholders, and the broader legal community.
• Ability and willingness to travel to SELC offices and other locations as needed.
• A genuineinterest in and commitment to helping SELC create and fosteran equitableand inclusive workplace thatwelcomes people from acrossthe rich racial and cultural diversity of our region.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience integrating litigation with policy advocacy, communications, and coalition strategy so that each strengthens the others.
• A background in environmental, administrative, or other public-interest matters.
• Experience communicating about litigation strategy and legal developments with external audiences, including partners, coalitions, the press, donors, foundations, or the public.
• Familiarity with developing litigation training, practice standards, or systems that support excellent legal work.
• A connection to or affinity for the people and places of the South.

About SELC

The Southern Environmental Law Center is one of the nation’s most powerful defenders of the environment, rooted in the South. With a long track record, SELC takes on the toughest environmental challenges in court, in government, and in our communities to protect our region’s air, water, climate, wildlife, lands, and people. Nonprofit and nonpartisan, the organization has a staff of 250, including more than 160 legal and policy experts and advocates. Headquartered in Charlottesville, VA, SELC has offices in Asheville, Atlanta, Birmingham, Chapel Hill, Charleston, Nashville, Richmond, and Washington, DC.

At our core, we are place-based, rooted in our region, and connected with the communities and clients we serve. We believe in an equitable and inclusive workplace that welcomes people from across the rich racial and cultural diversity of our region and values diverse perspectives. We approach our work with the highest level of integrity, holding ourselves to high standards with an emphasis on honesty, accountability, and thoughtfulness. We value collaboration and camaraderie, realizing we are strongest when we work together and knowing that everyone has a critical role to play. We strive for impact through a strategic, bold and pragmatic outlook that is dedicated to achieving powerful results. We hope you consider joining us. Learn more at www.selc.org.

Compensation & Benefits

SELC offers salaries competitive with other leading environmental nonprofits nationally and provides an excellent benefits package. The base salary range for this position is $188,200 to $202,800. Placement within this range will depend on factors such as relevant experience, education, skills, and internal equity. The selected candidate will be eligible for a 10% location premium if based in SELC’s Washington, D.C. office. For more details about our benefits package, please visit our Careers page.

SELC is a PSLF Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligible employer.

SELC will also provide relocation reimbursement for those relocating for a SELC position, up to a specific dollar amount and contingent on the move being at least 50 miles from the current primary address.