5 rules for emails that are "worth it" to the planet
Plus, a little assignment to get you started on your climate career in 2025
Hi! I’m Matthew Karmel, founder of the planetary lawyer project and Chair of the Environmental and Sustainability Law Group at Offit Kurman. (Any views expressed are my own. Nothing here is legal advice.)
I started my career as an associate with a single pro bono climate client and am now the head of a cutting edge climate-focused practice group at a full-service AMLaw 200 law firm.
I started this newsletter to help you build your own climate-friendly legal career by sharing hard-won lessons from my own career, short interviews with other climate-focused lawyers, legal developments, and relevant job opportunities.
Like everything else, emails have an impact on climate.
In fact, over the course of a year, a person’s average email usage varies between 3 to 40kgs CO2e, which is the equivalent of driving between 10 to 128 miles in a small car.
So, think about it.
Is that email you are about to send “worth it” from a climate perspective?
While not every email will be “worth it,” we can offest the impact by making sure that some of our emails are REALLY “worth it.”
In fact, some emails can have a huge impact on your climate career and those are so worth it.
Because, for the most part, career breakthroughs do not fall out of the sky.
They are the result of discrete actions.
Like sending an email.
I’ve had a lot of success sending emails that advance my climate opportunities.
How did I get featured on a podcast about climate?
I sent an email.
How did I get an intro to a large private equity company that hired me to help with several climate projects?
I sent an email.
How did I land an outside general counsel role with a large trade group with a sustainability focus?
I sent an email.
How did I end up giving a keynote at a national environmental conference that reached 3000 people?
I.
Sent.
An.
Email.
I've learned how to send emails that get results, some of these were emails to people I knew, but most were just to people I had never met before.
So, how can you send emails that further your climate career?
Write a Clear Subject Line
Clearly state the purpose of your email in the subject line to grab attention and encourage opening. For instance, in gathering panelists for the 2025 Climate Pro Bono Bootcamp, my email subject line is usually something like “Panel Invitation - April 2025 Climate Pro Bono Bootcamp - Virtual Conference”. I put all the necessary details in the subject line, so the recipient knows exactly what I’m going to ask before they open the email. Feel free to include something engaging or relevant in the subject line as well. For example, if I were writing to request that a fellow Fordham Law alumnus have a virtual coffee with me, I might write: “Virtual Coffee Request - Fellow Fordham Alum”. You can only write a clear and compelling subject line if you have a clear and compelling reason for sending the email, so you will need to get clear about your goals and your audience. I will often leave the subject line for last, or write an initial subject line and then revisit after writing the rest of the email.
Get to the Point Quickly
Even after writing a clear subject line, you still need to get to the point quickly. In as few words as possible, you need to explain who you are, what you want from the recipient, and why they should help you. Using the 2025 Climate Pro Bono Bootcamp as an example again, I explain to panelists that they should participate in the bootcamp because more than 700 lawyers participated in 2024 making it, to our knowledge, the biggest gathering of lawyers learning climate skills in 2024. Alternatively, if I was writing a national publication asking that they publish an article that I’ve written, I would focus on how important the topic is, or how it fits with their readership. It’s fine to follow up with additional details in the body of the email, but the first paragraph should capture the key components listed above. Think of it like the beginning of a newspaper article, which usually covers the critical information in just a few sentences.
Specific Call to Action:
Tell the recipient exactly what you want them to do next, whether it's replying, scheduling a call, or visiting a link. While it is okay to ask someone for a generic coffee meeting, you will do much better if you are able to ask them for a meeting to discuss how you can sort through the overwhelming options for interneships between 1L and 2L year. This lets the recipient know that your request will be worth their time, because you have taken the time to think through what you really need from them. Are you sensing a trend? You need to get clear on what you want, and then you need to ask for it. A side note: There are some instances where you will not come right out and say what you want. If you want a general counsel to hire you, you might not be comfortable (or most successful) making that your core request. You might need to set the stage with a different request first, establish a rapport, and then make your secondary request. This is difficult sometimes, because people usually know when you are being authentic, but it can also be respectful. You will have to judge what is right in each moment, but if you get it “wrong” it is not a big deal. Just learn from the experience and keep trying. No matter what you say or do, some people are not going to respond as you would like them to.
Be Personal and Passionate
As you get in touch with the call to action, your goals, and all of the other specifics that make emails successful, remember that the most successful emails are not bland professional missives. The most successful emails show a little bit of your personality, your passion, your you-ness. This may seem like a fluffy comment, but read the email to yourself after writing it and think about whether you feel a strong positive reaction after reading the email. Think about whether you see yourself in the email. I actually sent an email to the Executive Director of a large climate nonprofit, and he responded: “Now that’s an email!” Because I put just a little bit of my heart into the email. I put a little bit of my humanity and passion into the email. It was still 95% a professional missive, because a little bit of heart goes a long way, but it showed him who I was and what I wanted.
Tap Your Network
My final piece of advice is that, while cold emails can be incredibly successful, you can really increase your success rate by asking people that you know for introductions so that you get in the door easier. This is not to say that you need to have an introduction; I’ve made great connections without any introductions but it can help and the more you grow your network by sending emails and asking for things, the more connections you have to others.
So, Ready to try it out?
Send me an email.
Ask me for something.
Anything.
Ask me to cover a specific topic in this newsletter.
Ask me to give you a shout out on LinkedIn.
Ask me to have coffee with you (virtually or in NYC/NJ/Philly if you're local).
Ask me to read your resume.
Ask me about your career goals.
Ask me whatever you want.
Just. Send. The. Email.
Just click here and start typing.
Insights and Sponsors
Look no further for insights on all things climate, as well as resources from our sponsors! If you would like to discuss sponsorship, just reply to this email.
We’ve been featured in this list of climate job resources and this article on lawyers making a difference in climate in 2025!
Energy is central to American politics. That all started with Jimmy Carter.
Now onto this week’s opportunities.
Have a lead on a job opening? Share it here.
Did you miss an issue? Want to see all the current job postings? Check out our job board here!
Private Practice
Lateral Hub powers this week's private practice opportunities! Lateral Hub is the online lateral job board for where top-tier large, midsize, and boutique law firms publish openings so you can browse and apply directly - it's free to use, no account required.
You can even get SMS job alerts from Lateral Hub tailored to your practice area and location.
Litigation Junior Associate (Environmental, Product Liability & Mass Torts). Morgan Lewis. Los Angeles. https://lateralhub.com/job/169-0016. Morgan Lewis seeks to hire highly qualified associates with excellent academic credentials and one to three years of large law firm and/or judicial clerkship experience to join our product liability & mass torts and environmental teams within the litigation practice group. Salary Range: $225,000 to $260,000.
Associate, Land Use. Cox Castle. Orange County. https://lateralhub.com/job/117-0010 Cox Castle is seeking a land use associate (2-4 yrs) with experience in land use (project entitlements, administrative proceedings, and litigation), including environmental review under CEQA, the Coastal Act, the Map Act. Salary range: $210,000-$240,000.
Associate, Environmental Litigation. Shartsis Friese, San Francisco. https://lateralhub.com/job/121-0007/ Shartsis Friese, a top midsize firm in San Francisco, is seeking an associate with 3+ years of solid environmental litigation and counseling experience. Candidates should have experience assisting clients in environmental matters involving state and federal environmental laws, including laws regulating hazardous and solid waste, water, air and endangered species, as well as California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) issues. Experience with land use litigation is a plus. Salary range: $ 235,000 - 265,000.
Associate, Environmental Transactional. Proskauer, New York. https://lateralhub.com/job/146-0003. Proskauer is seeking a jr./mid-level associate (2-4 yrs) with experience at a large firm in handling the environmental transactional aspects of complex M&A, private equity, financing, and real estate matters. Experience with environmental regulatory compliance matters, brownfield clean-up and other remedial matters, and matters relating to sustainability, climate change and renewable energy is preferred. Salary Range: $215,000- 415,000.
Associate, Energy Regulatory & Markets Group. Latham & Watkins, Washington DC. https://lateralhub.com/job/143-0033/. Latham is seeking an associate with a minimum of 3 years of federal energy regulatory experience, including experience practicing before FERC with respect to power and/or natural gas. Salary range: $260,000 – 365,000.
Associate, Energy & Climate Solutions/Tax. Wilson Sonsini. Multiple locations. https://lateralhub.com/job/154-0051. Wilson Sonsini is seeking a tax associate with 3-6 years of substantial renewable energy project finance transactional experience at a major law firm. The candidate must have experience representing sponsors, investors and/or tax credit buyers in tax equity and tax credit transfer transactions with respect to solar, wind, or energy storage project assets. Salary range: $260,000 – $390,000.
Energy & Project Development Junior/Midlevel Associate (Nuclear Regulatory). Morgan Lewis. Washington, D.C.https://lateralhub.com/job/169-0037. The successful applicant must have an interest in the area of Nuclear Energy and be eligible to acquire a District of Columbia bar membership (or already be a member of the DC bar). U.S. nuclear regulatory experience and a background in science or engineering would be helpful, but are not required if the individual has a strong regulatory background. Salary range: $225,000 to $365,000. No minimum experience noted.
Associate, Renewable Energy Project Development. Troutman Pepper Locke, Washington, DC. https://lateralhub.com/job/110-0021 . 4-7 years of project finance and development experience, including experience with M&A, EPCs, O&M, development, supply agreements, power purchase agreements, and project finance, ideally with renewable energy and/or infrastructure projects. Salary Range: $275,000 - $370,000.
Associate, Land Use. Allen Matkins. Orange County. https://lateralhub.com/job/137-0031. Allen Matkins is seeking a land use attorney (4-7 yrs) with experience in land use due diligence, processing entitlements, and environmental review under CEQA. Salary range: $250,000 - 315,000.
Water Litigation Sr. Associate. Downey Brand, Sacramento. https://lateralhub.com/job/164-0002. The firm seeks an attorney with 5-8 years’ experience to support its water litigation practice. Litigation experience including in both federal and state court related to a broad range of water issues is required. Salary Range: $185,000-215,000.
Energy & Infrastructure/PPA Projects Associate. Orrick - all US office locations. https://lateralhub.com/job/116-0045. Orrick currently is seeking an associate for its market-leading Energy & Infrastructure practice, with experience in the areas of energy projects work relating to renewables and energy storage, and specifically focused on energy offtake. Salary range: $260,000 - $435,000.
Sr. Associate, Environmental Litigation. Allen Matkins. SF, LA, Orange County, or San Diego. https://lateralhub.com/job/137-0026. Allen Matkins is seeking a senior environmental attorney (7-10 yrs) with a wide range of regulatory defense and administrative enforcement matters, including CERCLA, RCRA, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and related California statutes. Salary range: $315,000 – 345,000.
In-House
Corporate Paralegal. Intersect Power. Multiple Locations: Denver, CO; San Francisco Bay Area, CA; Calgary, AB; Houston, TX; New York, NY; San Diego, CA; Toronto, ON. https://jobs.lever.co/intersectpower/12e29b3a-6676-4aa1-9209-14cd4c80b041. $80,000 - $90,000. Intersect Power seeks a Corporate Paralegal to support commercial and legal teams by reviewing contracts, maintaining corporate records, managing entities, supporting financings, and optimizing legal tools and processes. Responsibilities include assisting with due diligence, policy development, and corporate governance initiatives.
Senior Counsel – Real Estate. Solar Landscape. Asbury Park. https://jobs.lever.co/solarlandscape/a9cdb833-d8e6-440d-9875-09a80335daec. 3+ years of relevant legal experience in real estate law, preferably with leasing experience and/or experience within the renewable energy sector. Solar Landscape is the leading commercial and community solar developer in the United States.
Sustainability Counsel. APOLLO. NY. https://athene.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Apollo_Careers/job/New-York-New-York/Counsel--Sustainability_R240454?jobFamilyGroup=033362e37aa31001a2df6d01459a0000. 4+ years of relevant legal experience at a top-tier law firm and/or in-house at an alternative investment manager of registered/regulated products. Pay Range: 225,000-250,000. Apollo is a high-growth, global alternative asset manager. In our asset management business.
Deputy General Counsel – Real Estate. Solar Landscape. Asbury Park, NJ. https://jobs.lever.co/solarlandscape/ca1c998d-bc8b-46ec-a101-81f233f7f2a0. 5+ years of relevant legal experience in real estate law, preferably with leasing experience and/or experience within the renewable energy sector. Solar Landscape is the leading commercial and community solar developer in the United States.
Attorney/Senior Attorney. Clean Air Task Force. Remote (U.S.). https://www.catf.us/career/attorney-senior-attorney/. $111,540-$175,000. 5+ years of experience. Clean Air Task Force seeks an attorney to manage litigation and provide legal support on environmental, administrative, and energy law matters, including advocacy and policy strategy development.
Senior Project Finance Attorney. NextEra Energy. Multiple Locations: Juno Beach, FL; Washington, DC; Houston, TX; San Francisco, CA; New York, NY. https://jobs.nexteraenergy.com/job/Washington-Senior-Project-Finance-Attorney-DC-20004/1247276400/. $196,000-$294,000. 5+ years of experience. NextEra Energy seeks a Senior Project Finance Attorney with expertise in project and corporate finance, including credit facilities, tax equity transactions, and restructurings. Responsibilities include drafting, negotiating, and providing legal support for complex renewables financings and corporate transactions.
Corporate Attorney. Cypress Creek Renewables. Remote. https://ccrenew.com/careers/job-listing/?gh_jid=6522240. 5+ years of experience. Cypress Creek Renewables seeks a Corporate Attorney to support the development, operation, and management of solar and storage projects. Responsibilities include drafting, reviewing, and negotiating a wide range of commercial contracts and providing legal guidance on corporate matters to ensure compliance and support business objectives.
Senior Attorney. NextEra Energy. Juno Beach, FL. https://jobs.nexteraenergy.com/job/Juno-Beach-Sr-Attorney-FL-33408/1239472600/. No salary listed. 7+ years of experience. NextEra Energy, a global leader in renewable energy and battery storage, seeks a Senior Attorney to provide legal support for energy transactions, engineering, construction, procurement, and operations, with a focus on drafting and negotiating complex agreements for the energy and utility industries.
ssistant General Counsel, Environmental Compliance Job. ARKEMA. PA. https://jobs.arkema.com/job/King-of-Prussia-Assistant-General-Counsel%2C-Environmental-Compliance-Job-PA/1127212901/. Minimum 10+ years environmental compliance experience, preferably working with and/or for large chemical companies or in the manufacturing industry. Admission PA Bar required. As we face current and future challenges, Arkema strives to combine performance and commitment.
Government and Non-Profit
Associate General Counsel, Contracts and Compliance. National Parks Conversation Association. Washington, District of Columbia. https://npca.hire.trakstar.com/jobs/fk0ps9h/.Salary: $112,000- $125,000, commensurate with skills and experience. GRADE O. National Parks Conversation Association (NPCA), the nation’s oldest and largest national parks nonprofit advocate.
Litigation Assistant / Legal Practice Assistant. Earthjustice. Houston, TX. https://earthjustice.org/job/litigation-assistant-legal-practice-assistant-gulf-regional-office. $61,200-$68,000. 0-2 years of experience. Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law organization, seeks a Litigation Assistant to support its Gulf Regional Office in legal research, administrative tasks, and litigation-related duties.
Staff & Senior Attorney - CA Oil & Gas. Center for Biological Diversity. Oakland, CA (Hybrid). https://biologicaldiversity.bamboohr.com/careers/87. $69,000-$125,000. 3+ or 8+ years of experience. The Center for Biological Diversity, a leading nonprofit focused on environmental conservation, seeks attorneys to advance legal strategies to reduce oil and gas pollution in California, leveraging litigation, policy advocacy, and outreach to ensure a just transition away from fossil fuels and proper decommissioning of infrastructure.
Associate Counsel. Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC). West Trenton, NJ. https://www.nj.gov/drbc/about/staff/employment-opportunities.html#AC. $80,550-$144,650. 4-7 years of experience. The Delaware River Basin Commission, a regulatory agency overseeing water resource management in the Delaware River Basin, seeks an Associate Counsel to perform legal research, draft and review various legal documents, manage records and responses to records requests, and provide guidance on administrative and litigation matters.
Lead Counsel, U.S. Tax Incentives for Clean Solutions. Environmental Defense Fund. Washington, D.C., Boulder, CO, or Remote (U.S.). https://www.edf.org/jobs/lead-counsel-us-tax-incentives-clean-solutions. $153,000-$165,000. 8+ years of experience. Environmental Defense Fund seeks a Lead Counsel to develop legal strategies for protecting and advancing U.S. federal tax incentives supporting clean, affordable solutions, while engaging with senior policymakers, private sector leaders, and NGO partners.
Enjoying the newsletter? Wondering how you can contribute?
As climate champions, we often have big hearts and feel best when we’re part of the solution.
If you would like to be part of what we're doing, here are a few ways you can help…
✉️ Reach out! Ask a question, send some kudos, whatever. We love hearing from you!
📣 Sponsor this newsletter! Reach 1,000+ lawyers across the world. Email for details!
💼 Work with us. By day, we provide full-service legal support to companies big and small. Check out our services.
🌎 Share this newsletter! The best thing you can do is turn someone else onto climate work.