Do you need to attend climate conferences to be a climate lawyer?
An estimated 13,000 trade shows take place annually in the US!
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.
It’s spring conference season in the US, so what should would-be climate lawyers do?
If you’re not familiar with the concept of “conference season,” I’m referring to the spring and fall months where there are multiple regional and national conferences of all kinds on different topics and serving different industries.
An estimated 13,000 trade shows take place annually in the US!
That is a lot of opportunity to meet clients, colleagues, and referral sources, learn more about industries and hot topics, and generally raise your visibility in an area.
But, I have to admit something….
I’m not very good at “doing” conferences.
They’re huge investments of time and resources, and it is hard to make connections amidst the crowds.
It feels like something I should be doing to grow my career, so I do it, and I keep trying to figure out how to make it work for me.
But, it is never really a good idea to do something for your career just because you feel you should.
If you ever feel that you should be doing something, but you do not want to, you might want to take a closer look.
Make a pro/con list! The trick here is to be really honest, and not to overvalue the judgments or priorities of other people. Also, be clear about when you’re doing something because of fear that not doing it will hurt you somehow.
Another idea is to set clear goals and priorities, and assume that an opportunity is a “No” unless it meets your objective standards.
After evaluation, if you still feel that you should do the thing, brainstorm some ways that you can make it better…
For instance, I try to speak at most of the conferences I attend. This strategy has several benefits. I get more visibility before and during the event, I have great content to post on LinkedIn and for general use after the event, I have something to talk with people about at the event because (believe it or not) I can be shy, and many conferences give free tickets to speakers.
(To ease the burden of speaking, I also recycled, repurpose, reframe, rethink, or just re-use presentations, and if I have to write a new one I design the presentation for maximum value and minimum effort. You also can just submit pitches for speaking spots, and you’ll be surprised how many times you succeed!)
I also try to go to conferences in industries that I’m focusing on, where my other marketing efforts will help to give me more credibility and visibility. I attend a regional recycling conference every year, and get a new client from the conference every year, because it is aligned with my other efforts.
I also go to many other conferences and come away with nothing….
I’ve heard that others are quite successful in setting up meetings at conferences. They email other attendees and set up one on ones to network. I’m trying to use that tactic for a solar conference that I’m attending later this week. (I couldn’t get a speaking slot!)
What are your tips for successful conferences?
What do you do for marketing just because you feel you should?
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Now onto this week’s opportunities.
Have a lead on a job opening? Share it 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.
Junior/Mid-Level Associate, Environmental. Proskauer. New York, NY. https://lateralhub.com/job/146-0003/. $215,000-$415,000. Looking for an attorney with 2- 4 years of relevant experience. The position duties largely entail handling the environmental transactional aspects of complex M&A, private equity, financing, capital markets, bankruptcy, and real estate matters.
Associate, Public Finance - Energy/Infrastructure. Orrick. New York, NY. https://lateralhub.com/job/116-0033/. Orrick’s Public Finance Group is seeking an associate with 2-5 years of experience to join its New York office. The expected salary range for this position is between $235,000 and $365,000. Must be a member of the Bar in a U.S. State and satisfy any requirements of the Orrick office’s jurisdiction.
Junior/Mid-Level Associate, Environmental Litigation. Shartsis Friese LLP. San Francisco, CA. https://lateralhub.com/job/121-0007/. No salary listed, seeking 3+ years of experience. The attorney will work on environmental litigation, administrative enforcement matters, and counseling regarding environmental permitting, due diligence, and compliance.
Associate, Project Finance - Energy/Infrastructure. Mintz. Multiple Locations, Boston and DC preferred. https://lateralhub.com/job/125-0046/. At least 4 years of project finance experience. The salary range for this position is $310,000 to $365,000. Admitted or eligible for admission in MA, DC, NY or CA.
In-House
Corporate Attorney. SSAB. Mobile, AL, USA. https://us232.dayforcehcm.com/CandidatePortal/en-US/ssab/Posting/View/3211.five years’ experience in a major law firm or as part of the legal department of a global company. SSAB is one of the largest North American producers of steel plate and coil, serving many industrial markets including energy, construction, agriculture and transportation.
Operations Counsel. Pattern energy. Houston. https://careers-patternenergy.icims.com/jobs/2426/operations-counsel/job. Minimum of five (5+) years of experience. Pattern Energy is a leading renewable energy company that develops, constructs, owns, and operates high-quality wind and solar generation, transmission, and energy storage facilities.
Senior Counsel. Sunwealth. Massachusetts. https://sunwealth.bamboohr.com/careers/40. 5-7 years prior legal experience in a law firm or in-house role.Sunwealth is a clean energy investment firm on a mission to expand who benefits from renewable energy by changing the way we invest in it.
Director, Corporate Counsel (Rates & Regulatory, Utility). American Water. Camden, NJ. https://jobs.amwater.com/job/Camden-Director%2C-Corporate-Counsel-%28Rates-&-Regulatory%2C-Utility%29-NJ-08102/1134172900/. 5 to 10 years' experience practicing law. American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States.
Senior Counsel, Regulatory & Compliance. Via. New York City, NY. https://boards.greenhouse.io/via/jobs/5909808002. $170,000-$220,000. 6-8 years of experience. Via Transportation, Inc. provides software as a service and mobility as a service to operators of public transportation, multimodal transport, and paratransit operations.
Commercial Counsel. Watershed. San Francisco, CA. https://climatebase.org/job/48580448/commercial-counsel?utm_source=jobs_directory&queryID=25335e236ccfe0ffcf33b1160e79af84. $207,000—$230,000. 7 years of experience. Watershed works with the world's largest companies to help reduce their carbon impact.
Corporate Counsel. Ambercycle. Los Angeles. https://jobs.lever.co/ambercycle/2e422c58-d821-4ee2-a458-47a51514051e. 15+ years of legal experience. $180,000 - $300,000 a year. Ambercycle is a materials company founded in 2015 to create a circular supply chain for the apparel industry, making decarbonized raw materials across industry verticals.
Government and Non-Profit
Sustainable and Humane Food Systems Legal Fellow. The Environmental and Natural Resources Law & Policy (ENRLP) Program - Stanford Law School. Stanford, CA. https://careersearch.stanford.edu/jobs/sustainable-and-humane-food-systems-legal-fellow-stanford-law-school-24846. $70,000-$80,000. No minimum experience is listed, ideal for early-career attorneys. This position is for a one-year fixed term, with the possibility of renewal.
General Attorney. Office of the Assistant General Counsel for Legislation, Regulation, and Energy Efficiency – Department of Energy. https://climatebase.org/job/47532518/general-attorney?utm_source=jobs_directory&queryID=25335e236ccfe0ffcf33b1160e79af84. GS 11 – GS 13 pay grade and pertinent experience. The purpose of this position is to provide legal analysis and advice on matters and problems that arise in the development of highly visible legislative and regulatory proposals, focused on energy conservation standards for residential appliances and commercial equipment.
Associate Attorney, California Regional. Earthjustice. California Regional San Francisco, California Los Angeles, California. https://earthjustice.org/job/associate-attorney-california-regional. Law school graduate with 0-3 years of legal experience and admitted to, or willing and eligible to apply for admission to, the California State Bar. Salary range in San Francisco, CA: $94,900-$117,100 .Salary range in Los Angeles, CA: $90,200 - $111,200. Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit environmental law organization.
Associate Attorney, International. Earthjustice. San Francisco. https://earthjustice.org/job/associate-attorney-international. 0-5 years of experience post law school. San Francisco, CA salary range: $94,900 - $131,900. Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit environmental law organization.
Next Wave Food & Agriculture Fellow. Natural Resources Defense Council. Chicago, IL | Washington, D.C. | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA | Santa Monica, CA. https://careers-nrdc.icims.com/jobs/5555/next-wave-food-%26-agriculture-fellow/job. $87,000 - $96,000. 2-5 years of experience; Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s, JD, or PhD preferred. This position opening is for a Next Wave Fellow to support NRDC’s Food and Agriculture Division and its goal of tackling the biggest threats to climate, human health, and biodiversity stemming from agriculture.
Next Wave Oceans Fellow. Natural Resources Defense Council. Washington, D.C. | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA. https://careers-nrdc.icims.com/jobs/5554/next-wave-oceans-fellow/job. $87,000 - $96,000. 2-5 years of experience; Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s, JD, or PhD preferred. The Next Wave Fellowship Program was created to support and uplift early career professionals of diverse backgrounds and identities with the goal of accelerating the diversification of the nature and ocean protection fields.
Senior Deputy General Counsel. Presidio Trust. San Francisco, CA. https://presidio.gov/about/presidio-trust/careers/senior-deputy-general-counsel. A minimum of ten (10) years of experience in a broad range of federal (or state, municipal, etc.); starting pay range of $184,171 to $207,234. The Presidio Trust offers the chance to create a lasting legacy in one of America's most unique national park sites – the Presidio of San Francisco.