Senior Environmental Litigation Strategist - Hybrid

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 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