Is the SEC walking away from ESG? Does it matter?
There’s been a lot of buzz about the SEC’s focus on climate and ESG for the last few years....
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 write 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.
There’s been a lot of buzz about the SEC’s focus on climate and ESG for the last few years.
The SEC launched its Climate and ESG Enforcement Task Force in March 2021, devoting more than two dozen SEC staffers to proactively identifying and pursuing ESG-related misconduct.
The Task Force racked up some pretty substantial settlements in its short tenure, including a $4M settlement with Goldman Sachs Asset Management, a $1.5M settlement with BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, and a $25M settlement with a Deutsche Bank subsidiary.
But…
It isn’t clear whether the Task Force has “gone underground” to avoid scrutiny, or has been shut down.
We’ll have to wait and see whether the SEC takes further action on Climate and ESG enforcement.
Still, why disband the Task Force?
Do words matter, or just actions?
Does it matter if we call an initiative an “ESG” initiative? Or does it only matter if we do the thing?
I think it depends.
When I was just starting on my path to developing a career that allowed me to do climate work, I did not always call it “climate” work because I had little power and some supervisors were not interested in “climate.”
I also think that people often have too limited of a definition of “climate” work, and not always worrying about labelling things can give us more freedom in how we do things.
But the SEC has power, and now that I have more autonomy I make sure to use words like climate and ESG in my work because that shows others that they can use those words too, and being an example matters. Those in power have an extra responsibility to be show others the way.
In this instance, I think the words matter.
So, what do you think? Reply and let me know!
PS - There is more uncertainty over Climate and ESG at the SEC as the Agency defends its Climate Disclosure Rules in Court and waits for the results of the impending presidential election.
ICYMI - Join us tomorrow for a virtual CLE webinar on climate contracting!
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. 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.
Associate, Environmental Litigation. Ice Miller, Indianapolis. https://lateralhub.com/job/122-0038. Ice Miller is seeking a mid/senior level associate (4-6 yrs) to join its environmental and insurance litigation practice in the Indianapolis office. This position will involve all aspects of litigation and certain aspects of environmental cost recovery law, including Indiana’s Environmental Legal Action statute and CERCLA.
In-House
Counsel, Finance. Nexamp. Chicago: https://www.nexamp.com/careers/job/7638962002. Boston: https://www.nexamp.com/careers/job/7632953002 DC: https://www.nexamp.com/careers/job/7641104002. Minimum 3 years of legal experience. Nexamp is seeking an attorney to provide legal support for Nexamp’s project and corporate finance function, working across the financing lifecycle on negotiating and closing transactions, as well as funding and post-closing compliance. Responsibilities include working on construction, debt, and tax equity financing for solar and storage projects, as well as corporate-level financings. At Nexamp, our mission is to build the future of energy so it is clean, simple, and accessible for all. *We know this company and can make an introduction if helpful! Just reply to get the conversation started.
Counsel, Real Estate. Nexamp. Boston. https://www.nexamp.com/careers/job/7641104002 Minimum 3 years of legal experience. Nexamp is seeking an attorney to provide legal support for Nexamp’s business development function with a strong focus on distributed-generation development issues. Strong experience with real estate and commercial land development is required. At Nexamp, our mission is to build the future of energy so it is clean, simple, and accessible for all. *We know this company and can make an introduction if helpful! Just reply to get the conversation started.
Contracts Attorney. Exponent. Seattle, WA. https://careers-exponent.icims.com/jobs/1818/contracts-attorney/job. $120,000.00 - $128,000. 3-4 years of relevant experience. Exponent, Inc. is an American engineering and scientific consulting firm that uses a multidisciplinary team of scientists, physicians, engineers, and business consultants to perform research and analysis.
Regulatory Attorney - Environmental. Susquehanna Nuclear, LLC. – Talen Energy. Remote with travel (US-Northeast preferred). https://talenenergy.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/TalenCareers/details/Regulatory-Attorney---Environmental_R0003342. $185,000 – $200,000. 3-6 years of relevant experience. The Susquehanna Steam Electric Station is a nuclear power station on the Susquehanna River in Salem Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.
Attorney–Compliance. CPC Climate Capital. New York. https://workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/default/mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=6709add5-28e9-4786-b765-4939c35b3c85&ccId=19000101_000001&source=CC2&lang=en_US&selectedMenuKey=CareerCenter&jobId=509740. 3-6+ years’ experience focused on regulatory and compliance matters, with a focus on federal regulations; $130,000.00 To 150,000.00 Annually. CPC Climate Capital is a new division within The Community Preservation Corporation (CPC) and a sub-award partner of Climate United Fund.
Counsel, Sustainability. Apollo. New York. https://athene.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Apollo_Careers/job/Counsel--Sustainability_R240454. 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.
Legal Counsel. Hitachi Energy. Sydney or New South Wales, Australia. https://www.hitachienergy.com/us/en/careers/open-jobs/details/JID3-97600. No salary listed. Bachelor of Laws and Admission (or eligibility for Admission) to the Supreme Court of New South Wales (or another Australian jurisdiction), and 5+ years experience in commercial law. Hitachi Energy Ltd. is a technology company that produces high-voltage equipment, transformers, and services for renewable energy.
Senior Corporate Counsel. Terraformation. Remote. https://www.terraformation.com/careers. 5+ years of experience in project finance and/or project development on forestry, energy or other infrastructure projects; Salary: $130,000 - $150,000, plus equity (depending on location and experience). Terraformation is restoring the world's forests to help solve climate change and build thriving communities.
Corporate Counsel. planet. San Francisco, CA. https://www.planet.com/company/careers/?jobid=6251917. $182,900 - $228,600. 6+ years of relevant experience. Planet Labs PBC is a publicly trading American Earth imaging company based in San Francisco, California. Their goal is to image the entirety of the Earth daily to monitor changes and pinpoint trends.
Sr. Counsel - Employment. EDF Renewables. Hybrid. https://careers-edf-re.icims.com/jobs/4255/sr.-counsel---employment-%5bhybrid%5d/job. At least seven (7) years of employment law experience; Salary Range: $148k to $247k. EDF Renewables North America is a market-leading independent power producer and service provider with over 35 years of experience.
Government and Non-Profit
Spring 2025 Legal Internship (US). The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL). Remote - US | Geneva, Switzerland. https://cielorg.bamboohr.com/careers/98. Monthly stipend of $2,600 offered for full time internships and adjusted accordingly. The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) is a dynamic, nonprofit organization that works at the intersection of human rights and the environment.
Litigation Fellow. Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Chicago, IL | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA | Santa Monica, CA | Washington, D.C.. https://careers-nrdc.icims.com/jobs/5612/litigation-fellow/job. $91,000 to $100,000. This position is ideal for recent law school graduates with 3 or less years of experience. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a non-profit international environmental advocacy group based in New York.
Senior Director of Policy and Research. Just Solutions Collective. Remote. https://justsolutionscollective.org/position/senior-director-of-policy-and-research/. $155,000 – $170,000. No minimum experience listed. Reporting to the Executive Director, this position serves as a member of the senior leadership team to advance organization-wide priorities, supervises a five-person team, and engages closely with Senior Fellows on a wide range of climate justice efforts. In addition, the Senior Director builds and leverages Just Solutions’ external partnerships with state-based organizations, researchers, regulators, and policymakers to develop scalable climate policies.
Senior Attorney, Clean Energy Program - Federal. Earthjustice. Remote (U.S.) | Chicago, IL | Los Angeles, CA | New York, NY | Philadelphia, PA | San Francisco, CA | Washington, D.C.. https://earthjustice.org/job/senior-attorney-clean-energy. Salary in Washington, DC, Los Angeles, CA & Chicago IL: $170,100+ | New York, NY & San Francisco, CA: $179,000+ | Philadelphia, PA: $161,100+ | Remote in US (depending on location): $152,200+. 8+ years of relevant experience. The Senior Attorney will work on federal energy regulatory practice, which involves litigation and legal advocacy before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), regional transmission organizations/independent system operators (RTO/ISOs), and federal appellate courts.
Senior Attorney (Policy Advisor). Surface Transportation Board. Washington, DC. https://www.usajobs.gov/job/808722800. Salary: $139,395 - $191,900 per year. This Senior Attorney (Policy Advisor) position is located in the Office of Passenger Rail (OPR) of the Surface Transportation Board (STB).