How to get 3 climate clients and more than $100K in revenue from a single article...

I thought you would want to know exactly how I did it.

Oct 07, 2024

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.

This is not the newsletter that I was planning to send you this week.

I was planning to send you a new resource to help you write articles that get climate clients.

You see, I wrote a single article that landed me 3 climate clients and more than $100,000 in revenue for my law firm.

And I thought you would want to know exactly how I did it…

But in trying to balance my workload and putting together the case study, I pushed myself a little too hard, and I started to burn out.

(I’m hoping to finish the case study for the next newsletter! So stay tuned.)

I’ve been toeing the line of “burnout” for the last few years.

I used to be much better about taking breaks and refreshing myself, but recently as I’ve taken on more and more responsibility I’ve not done as well at maintaining my mental health.

It’s an old story, can you relate?

Do you ever feel vaguely unhappy, exhausted, disconnected, unmotivated, or just feel off or tired?

We sometimes misdiagnose burnout, both because our culture prioritizes work above almost everything else and because the symptoms are kinda generic, I don’t feel good…

I recommend Gary Miles’s article on tips for avoiding burnout, and one of the tips he shares is to make time for self-care.

So, what are some planet-friendly options for self-care?

Volunteer with a climate-friendly charity to meet new people and move your body, bonus points if you get outside!

Get into nature, take a hike, swim in a river, anything, and remember what you’re working to accomplish!

Remember that you can start small. Don’t have time for the options I’m suggesting? Take 5 minutes, close your eyes, and listen to some birdsong. Get up a little earlier and go for a walk.

This is an actual picture of a sunrise on a walk I took recently, just before I did some yoga.

I also decided to take a few hours off today and go for a bike ride along the Delaware River. I might even go for a swim too.

I’ll share some photos on LinkedIn later today if you want to head on over there.

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.

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.

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, 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.

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.

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, 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.

In-House

Legal Counsel. SMEC Services Pty Limited. Sydney, Australia. https://surbanajurong.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/careersatsmec/details/Legal-Counsel_JR107826?q=legal%20counsel. No salary listed, looking for a candidate with 3+ years of experience. SMEC is a global engineering, management and development consultancy with a 70-year history of delivering advanced solutions on a global scale across urban development, infrastructure and management services industries

Regulatory Attorney – Environmental. Talen Energy. Remote. https://talenenergy.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/TalenCareers/job/Home-Office-Corp/Regulatory-Attorney---Environmental_R0003342. 3-6 years of experience; The expected salary range for this position is $185,000 to $200,000 annually. Talen owns and operates approximately 10.7 GW of power infrastructure in the United States.

Director, Legal Operations. Solar Landscape. Asbury Park, NJ. https://jobs.lever.co/solarlandscape/2c810e6f-e801-4b68-9e67-d0187cb3a0b1. No salary listed, looking for 5+ years of relevant experience. The Director of Legal Operations will report to the General Counsel and will play a pivotal role in shaping the operational framework of Solar Landscape’s legal department as it scales. This role will focus on establishing best practices across legal operations, improving workflows, and ensuring that the team is equipped with the right tools and processes to deliver outstanding legal support to the organization.

Senior Counsel, ESG, Well-Being & Risk. Mondelz International. NJ. https://www.mondelezinternational.com/careers/jobs/job?jobid=R-119922&jobtitle=Senior+Counsel,+ESG,+Well-Being+&+Risk. 5+ years’ experience in a large international law firm or multi-national corporate in-house legal department. Mondelēz International empowers people to snack right in over 150 countries around the world.

Environmental Counsel. American Water. NJ. https://jobs.amwater.com/job/Camden-Environmental-Counsel-NJ-08102/1202946000/?applySourceOverride=Indeed. 7 years of experience. American Water is the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the US.

Assistant General Counsel - Environmental (Hybrid). Exelon. Washington, DC. https://jobs.exeloncorp.com/jobs/14950548-assistant-general-counsel-enviromental-hybrid. At least 7 to 10 years of experience as a practicing attorney in the area of environmental law; Annual salary will vary based on a candidate's skills, qualifications, experience, and other factors: $158,400-$237,600. Exelon is leading the energy transformation, and we're calling all problem solvers, innovators, community builders and change makers.

Associate General Counsel, Commercial. Redwood Materials. McCarran, NV | Remote (U.S.). https://boards.greenhouse.io/redwoodmaterials/jobs/5233863004?gh_jid=5233863004. No salary listed, looking for 12+ years of relevant experience. Redwood Materials aims to recycle lithium-ion batteries and produce battery materials for electromobility and electrical storage systems. This position will report to the General Counsel and will be a key part of the legal team, having the ability to influence and work on exciting legal issues.

Sr. Director, Legal Affairs. Plug Power. Latham, NY. https://plugpower.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/Plug_Power_Inc/job/Latham-Office---8-British-American-Blvd/Director--Legal-Affairs_R6039-1?source=LinkedIn. $153,200 - $245,100. 12-15 years of relevant experience. Plug Power Inc. is an American company engaged in the development of hydrogen fuel cell systems that replace conventional batteries in equipment and vehicles powered by electricity.

General Counsel. UPSIDE Foods - Memphis Meats. Berkeley, CA. https://upsidefoods.com/careers/6221067003-general-counsel?gh_jid=6221067003. $285,000 - $315,000. 15+ years of relevant experience. This role will be instrumental in shaping the future of UPSIDE Foods as the company scales its operations and navigates the evolving regulatory landscape of cultivated meat. The General Counsel will lead all legal, regulatory, government affairs, compliance, and corporate governance matters, providing expert guidance on complex issues and fostering a culture of integrity, innovation, and ethical business practices

Chief Legal Officer. Commonwealth Fusion Systems. Devens, MA. https://jobs.lever.co/cfsenergy/bebfcf2a-2bca-4dde-8a29-e1ff3ac49ba2. 20+ years of experience in relevant legal roles. Deep legal and business intuition to become a trusted advisor to the CEO. CFS collaborates with MIT to leverage decades of research combined with groundbreaking new high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet technology.

Government and Non-Profit

Wildfire Policy Legal Fellow. Stanford Law School. Stanford, CA. https://careersearch.stanford.edu/jobs/wildfire-policy-legal-fellow-stanford-law-school-26508. $72,000-$80,000. No minimum experience listed, great for early-career attorneys! The Fellow will join the thriving community in the Stanford Law School, reporting to the ENRLP Director, and will work primarily with the leaders of CEPP at the Woods Institute within the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.

Environmental Protection | Assistant Attorney General I-II | 24-0791 (00044634). Office of the Attorney General. Austin, TX. https://capps.taleo.net/careersection/ex/jobdetail.ftl?job=00044634&tz=GMT-05%3A00&tzname=America%2FChicago. One year of full-time experience as a licensed attorney; Salary (Pay Basis): 6,833.38 - 8,531.25 (Monthly). The Environmental Protection Division (EPD) of the Texas Attorney General’s Office represents the State and its agencies in civil proceedings involving energy and natural resource issues.

Associate Attorney- Sept 2025. Environmental Law & Policy Center. Chicago. https://environmentallawpolicycenter.applytojob.com/apply/OVUpRqk3vL/Associate-Attorney-Sept-2025?source=Our%20Career%20Page%20Widget. 0-4 years of legal experience; salary ranges of $85,000 - $118,000. The Environmental Law & Policy Center is the Midwest’s premier environmental legal advocacy organization, among the nation’s leaders.

Legal Network Manager. The Sabin Center for Climate Change. New York City, NY. https://academic.careers.columbia.edu/#!/147972. $80,000 - $85,000. 0-4 years of relevant experience. The Legal Network Manager will work to build and coordinate the work of the RELDI Legal Assistance Network. The incumbent will work under the supervision of the Sabin Center's Faculty Director and Executive Director, and with RELDI staff.

Associate General Counsel. Rewiring America. Remote (U.S. & Canada). https://apply.workable.com/rewiring-america/j/BD05BE42DD/. $130,000-$170,000. 8+ years of relevant experience. Rewiring America is the leading electrification nonprofit, focused on electrifying homes, communities, and businesses.

Sr. Attorney-Public Interest Litigation. The Environmental Law & Policy Center. Washington, DC. https://environmentallawpolicycenter.applytojob.com/apply/Qp1gIRoqAV/Sr-AttorneyPublic-Interest-Litigation?source=Our%20Career%20Page%20Widget. 11+ years of complex litigation experience in federal courts, especially Courts of Appeals, and demonstrated knowledge and expertise with environmental laws; the salary for the Senior Attorney position ranges from $170,000-$200,000 with upward growth potential following sustained, demonstrable successes. The Environmental Law & Policy Center is the Midwest’s premier environmental legal advocacy organization, among the nation’s leaders.

Counsel, International Compliance. Earthjustice. San Francisco, CA | New York, NY | Washington, DC. https://earthjustice.org/job/counsel-international-compliance. Salary range in San Francisco, CA | New York, NY: $172,500 - $191,700 | Washington, DC: $164,00 - $182,200. Earthjustice is a premier nonprofit environmental law organization; the deadline to apply for this position is October 16th, 2024.

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 that sounds like you, don’t feel guilty or left out! Here are a few ways you can help us…

Refer a legal matter (because every client, no matter the industry or practice area, helps me to write this newsletter)
Reply with a message of support and appreciation (because I love hearing from readers)
Share this newsletter with a friend or on social media (because the best way to help the planet is to get more people involved in climate-friendly work)
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