Job description

Preferred Location: Denver, CO; Missoula, MT; or Portland, OR.
Remote work in other Intermountain West states will be considered depending on level of experience.

Position Summary:

The American West with its millions of acres of public lands, incredible diversity of ecosystems, and vibrant healthy communities needs dedicated attorneys to protect it. At a time when so much of what we value is in peril, WildEarth Guardians seeks a dynamic and motivated public interest-focused attorney to join our Litigation Team as a staff attorney. As part of the Guardians’ Litigation Team, the Staff Attorney will litigate cases for Guardians’ Wild Places program—with a secondary litigation focus on the Wildlife program.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Litigate cases primarily in federal court, but also potentially in state court and at the administrative level, pursuant to laws governing management and resource protection on public lands, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, and other environmental and land use laws.
• Evaluate litigation proposals from the Wild Places program by conducting factual and legal research as needed in furtherance of such evaluation.
• Develop and maintain relationships with outside counsel representing Guardians and work cooperatively as co-counsel with outside counsel.
• Manage and mentor legal interns and contract legal assistance when appropriate.
• Willingness to travel around the United States for case-related matters. Guardians litigates in multiple western states including Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, and Montana, as well as in the District of Columbia.

Knowledge, Skills & Qualifications:

• Current bar membership status in at least one western state or District of Columbia, required.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in litigation preferred; we will consider a combination of litigation and litigation-adjacent experience such as administrative appeals/advocacy, record review, commenting on agency actions.
• Environmental and natural resources experience preferred.
• Ability to handle a busy litigation docket with a minimum of three cases pending at any given time.
• Solid skills in organization, legal and non-legal writing, research, analysis; and oral advocacy.
• Passion for protecting the people, places, and the climate of the American West.
• Capacity to embrace conflict and cooperate without compromising Guardians’ values.
• Emotional maturity and self-awareness.
• Willingness to take calculated risks.
• Integrity, kindness, and sense of humor.

Compensation:

$75,000 - $85,000 annual salary commensurate with experience.

Benefits:

WildEarth Guardians offers a flexible and generous benefits package for staff. Benefits for full-time staff include 100% medical and dental employee coverage paid for by the employer, vision, life, and disability coverage, a 403(b)-retirement plan with a 3% match after 2 years of full-time employment, paid and unpaid health and family leave, a sabbatical policy, sick leave, three weeks paid vacation to start, and fourteen holidays including 5 floating holidays to be taken at any time. Benefits are prorated for part-time employees to correspond to the employee’s schedule: holiday, vacation, sick time, 403(b) retirement plan with a 3% match after 2 years of full-time employment. Part-time employees are not eligible for health coverage or sabbatical leave.

Equal Opportunity Employer

WildEarth Guardians is an Equal Opportunity Organization and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, class, sex, gender, sexual orientation, disability, family/marital status, religion or other protected classes. We strongly encourage applications from historically excluded communities.

ADA Statement

WildEarth Guardians committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. In keeping with our commitment, WildEarth Guardians, will take the steps to assure that people with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. Accordingly, if reasonable accommodation is required to fully participate in the job application or interview process, to perform the essential functions of the position, and/or to receive all other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact us through our website.

About WildEarth Guardians

Founded in 1989, WildEarth Guardians is a west-wide environmental advocacy organization headquartered in Santa Fe, NM. The organization has offices in Denver, CO, Missoula, MT, Boise, ID, Seattle, WA, Portland, OR, and Tucson, AZ, as well as several remote staff. We have a 33-year history of securing durable environmental protections that preserve endangered species and other wildlife, advance pioneering supply-side climate policy, ensure living rivers and protect public lands. We do this by pursuing innovative and sustained legal campaigns, bold and creative policy and legislative solutions at both the state and federal levels and by mobilizing grassroots and grasstops constituencies. All this work is in service of our mission to protect and restore wildlife, wild places, wild rivers, and health in the western U.S.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $75,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• Self-determined schedule

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Suite 8 Wheat Ridge, CO 80033

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