Tarah Heinzen on Protecting the Climate and Finding Your Niche
"Law school, for me, was not about becoming a lawyer per se but about enhancing my effectiveness as an advocate for the causes I am most passionate about."
Hi! I’m Matthew Karmel, founder of the planetary lawyer project and Chair of the Environmental and Sustainability Law Group at Offit Kurman.
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, and relevant job opportunities.
Any views expressed are my own. Nothing here is legal advice.
There are so many different ways to work on climate.
Do you think about the intersection between farms and climate?
Tarah Heinzen does…
Tarah is the Legal Director of Food and Water Watch, which works directly on climate-related issues and as well as the intersection of climate change and factory farming.
Tarah bleeds climate and has some great advice on what it’s like to work for an NGO as well as why you have to go “all in” on your legal dreams.
Read the full interview here!
P.S. Going forward, our interview series will be published by Law.com! We are thrilled to start this partnership! There is a soft pay wall for the content, so if you have issues accessing the interview please let us know.
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.
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Now onto this week’s opportunities.
Have a lead on a job opening? Share it here.
Staff Attorney - Agricultural Worker Program. CRLA. Stockton, CA. https://crla.org/careers/staff-attorney-agricultural-worker-program. 6+ months. $65,500-$90,000. Founded in 1966, CRLAs mission is to fight for justice and individual rights alongside the most exploited communities of our society.
Senior Litigation Assistant / Legal Practice Administrator, California Regional Office. Earthjustice. Los Angeles. https://earthjustice.org/job/senior-litigation-assistant-legal-practice-administrator-california-regional-office. 2+ years of office experience, legal experience, or comparable experience required; Salary Range for Los Angeles, CA : $77,000 - 85,500. Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit environmental law organization. We take on the biggest, most precedent-setting cases across the country.
Legal Counsel. Verra. Remote. https://verra.bamboohr.com/careers/245. 3+ years of relevant legal work experience in a law firm or in-house legal department. Candidates with different profiles and experience in adjacent fields may also be considered. Verra is a global leader helping to tackle the world’s most intractable environmental and social challenges.
Program Officer or Senior Program Officer, Climate Policy and Strategy, International Climate Policy. Verra. Remote. https://verra.bamboohr.com/careers/200. 3-5 years of relevant professional experience, in particular focused on policy and market responses to climate change or other environmental concerns. For this position, the salary range is USD $60,411 - $63,597 (Program Officer) or $68,678 – $75,529 (Senior Program Officer) depending on experience. Verra is a global leader helping to tackle the world’s most intractable environmental and social challenges. Verra is a global leader helping to tackle the world’s most intractable environmental and social challenges
Corporate Counsel. SunPower. Remote. https://jobs.lever.co/sunpower/90ca8ab2-8d5b-4dc4-baf4-716df1e9d7cf. 3-7 years experience in structured and/or project finance, preferably in the renewable energy space; $131,560 - $236,808 a year.SunPower is changing the way our world is powered every day with a passionate and driven team in North America and the Philippines.
Attorney Advisor. Department Of Transportation - Federal Transit Administration. Washington, D.C.. https://www.usajobs.gov/job/776218600. $82,764 - 128,956. 2+ years of post-graduate experience. The attorney will provide written and oral legal opinions as appropriate, interpreting statutes, regulations, departmental orders, and agency guidance.
Assistant General Counsel – Renewable Energy. Bavana Partners. New York City Metropolitan Area, NY. https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/3818048721/. No salary listed, looking for 3+ years of experience. Bavana Partners is a leading professional services firm that offers executive search and selection, as well as permanent and interim recruitment solutions to global energy organisations.
Special Assistant Attorney General-Senior Litigation Counsel (Fellowship). Arizona State Attorney General’s Office (Dept Of Law). Phoenix, AZ. https://www.azstatejobs.gov/jobs/7c59d33f-e848-46e4-9de7-896cd7d29b7e. $125,000 - 145,000. 3+ years of relevant experience. The Arizona Attorney General’s Office (AGO) is hiring an attorney with litigation experience, a background in water law, and a passion for protecting Arizona’s natural resources for a two-year fellowship.
Patent Attorney. Inari. Cambridge, MA. https://boards.greenhouse.io/inariagriculture/jobs/6995475002?gh_jid=6995475002. 5+ years of patent experience. Inari is the SEEDesign company. We are taking a nature positive approach to unlock the full potential of seeds that will transform the food system.
Legal Counsel. PVcase. Remote (Europe). https://jobs.pvcase.com/o/legal-counsel-3. €54,000 - 84,000. 5+ years of relevant experience. The attorney will be expected to provide accurate and timely legal advice and guidance to the employees on various legal matters, including but not limited to contracts, employment law, intellectual property, data privacy, and regulatory compliance.
Assistant General Counsel, Real Estate. RWE. Austin, TX | Chicago, IL | Valhalla, NY. https://jobs.rwe.com/RWE/job/Chicago-Assistant-General-Counsel%2C-Real-Estate-IL-60654/1034762101/?feedId=323001. $157,576 - 236,364. 5+ years of relevant experience. As an Assistant General Counsel within the real estate team, you will provide legal support for the renewable energy development team (wind, solar, and energy storage) in connection with the development, construction, and operation of renewable energy projects. *We can connect you with this company! Please reply for an introduction.
Commercial Counsel. Lucid. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. https://lucidmotors.com/careers/search/35766508-8fa2-4911-a775-8b78c6944cc3.html. No salary listed, 5+ years of experience. Lucid Group, Inc. is an American manufacturer of electric luxury sports cars.
Senior Attorney, Gulf Regional. Earthjustice. Gulf Regional | Houston, Texas | Remote (United States) | Statewide (Louisiana). https://jobs.jobvite.com/careers/earthjustice/job/o4X3pfwd?__jvst=Job%20Board&__jvsd=_outreach. $142,000+; 6+ years of litigation experience and the ability to litigate cases from beginning to end, independently if necessary. Earthjustice’s Gulf Regional Office works across all three of Earthjustice’s core program areas—healthy communities, climate and energy, and lands, oceans, and wildlife.
Senior Associate Legal Counsel - Climate, Environmental, & Regulatory. AltaGas Ltd. Washington, D.C.. https://wgl.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/AltaGas/job/Washington-DC/Senior-Associate-Legal-Counsel---Climate--Environmental----Regulatory_R4700?source=Linkedin. No salary listed, looking for 5-7+ years of relevant experience. The Senior Associate Legal Counsel will report to the Deputy General Counsel, Environment & Climate, Litigation, and Commercial Transactions and will be responsible for providing legal support and guidance on climate, environmental, and associated regulatory matters for Washington Gas.
Senior Counsel, Regulatory & Compliance. Via Transportation. New York City. https://boards.greenhouse.io/via/jobs/5909808002. 6-8+ years of experience as a practicing lawyer at a top-tier firm, in-house, or in the government with an impressive track record of achievement; Salary Range: $170,000-$220,000. We’re Via, and we build technology that changes the way the world moves.
Senior Manager, Climate Policy and Strategy, International Climate Policy. Verra. Remote. https://verra.bamboohr.com/careers/199. 10+ years professional experience, in particular focused on climate policy and market responses to climate change or other environmental concerns.For this position, the salary range is between $79,847 - $107,569 USD. Verra is a global leader helping to tackle the world’s most intractable environmental and social challenges.
Deputy General Counsel. KoBold Metals. Zambia. https://www.koboldmetals.com/careers/?gh_jid=4371799005. No salary listed, 10+ years of experience, exclusively seeking Zambian nationals. KoBold Metals is a rapidly growing Silicon Valley start-up using AI to enable the transition to electrification and help solve climate change.
Deputy General Counsel. Electric Hydrogen. Remote. https://eh2.com/careers/?gh_jid=4355238005. 12+ years of experience with a global law firm or in-house legal team, with relevant legal experience leading a variety of commercial transactions. Electric Hydrogen’s mission is to make molecules to decarbonize our world!