Week of 9/9 - The worst article I've ever read on becoming an environmental lawyer
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Btw, we’ll be answering YOUR questions throughout the webinar, and have gotten some great ones so far. Please feel free to reply to this email with any questions you want answered!
Anyway, I promised to stop talking about the webinar and provide some actual insights on doing climate-friendly legal work in this newsletter, so here goes.
Did you know that Indeed has an article titled “How To Become an Environmental Lawyer in 6 Steps”?
It’s terrible.
It’s worse than terrible.
It’s the worst article I’ve ever read.
It’s got me so angry and it’s exactly the reason that I started this newsletter.
Don’t believe me? Read the article.
So why did I start this newsletter?
I want to provide you with good, actionable advice that helps you to do more climate-friendly work.
To me, that is broader than being an environmental lawyer, which is often seen as dealing with traditional issues like contamination or natural resources.
Any lawyer can do climate work. (Sounds like a good title for a webinar…)
So what would I do if I were starting anew down the path to doing more climate work?
Think about which area of climate I want to work on. What climate companies/causes excite me? How can I help those companies with my existing skills/knowledge? What new skills/knowledge would I need to help those companies? Are there other climate companies/causes that my skills are more suitable for? How can I extend my skills to help climate companies/causes? How can I use new skills to help other climate companies/causes. This is a hugely cyclical process that is continually evolving but needs to be your first stop.
Join a few industry groups that intersect with an area of climate work that you’re interested in learning about. I started with food waste recycling and the NJ Composting Council. In my view, local and niche are the best place to start and you can usually get a lot of visibility there, but larger national groups are also great, especially if you’re focused on a targeted industry. Don’t be afraid of getting really specialized, you can often build expertise in a narrow area and then relate it to other areas, and don’t forget to revisit your brainstorming from the prior step as your knowledge grows.
Brand yourself on LinkedIn according to your industry/skills or another unique climate-qualifier. Post regularly and build a community. Let them know what you’re doing and they will help you. I’ve gotten clients and opportunities from LinkedIn… well, most of my clients relate to LinkedIn in some way.
Do pro bono work for a climate client. Your firm or employer probably supports pro bono or volunteer work, so find a climate client. You can double down on building skills, industry knowledge, a network, everything. All while doing meaningful work.
Write, speak, podcast, do whatever you can to start demonstrating yourself as someone engaged in the climate conversation.
Be willing to take risks. The climate space is growing and changing. You will need to learn and do new things. Don’t be afraid. Embrace it and keep going. It’s part of what makes this space amazing.
What did you think of my list? Can you act on any of these tips today? Small things add up so be consistent.
Hi! I’m Matthew Karmel, chair of the Environmental and Sustainability Law Group at Offit Kurman, P.A., a full-service AMLaw 200 law firm, and founder of the planetary lawyer project.
I have grown from a single pro bono climate client to a thriving and diverse practice representing climate companies across industries, and I did it all without going to a T14 law school, working in BigLaw, or running myself into the ground along the way.
I love what I do and my work is meaningful, and I started this newsletter to help others do the same.
Reach out by email or LinkedIn if you’re interested in any of the following:
Sponsoring this newsletter
Mentoring/coaching
Referring a legal matter
Any views expressed are my own. Nothing here is legal advice.
Now onto this week’s opportunities.
Have a lead on a job opening? Share it here.
Law Clerk. Baykeeper. San Francisco Bay Area, CA. https://baykeeper.org/take-action/jobs-and-internships#clerk. $60,000 - $75,000. Must be enrolled in law school. San Francisco Baykeeper is a nonprofit environmental advocacy organization that works to protect, preserve, and enhance the health of the ecosystems and communities that depend upon the San Francisco Bay.
Corporate Counsel - Commercial. Patch. San Francisco, CA. https://www.patch.io/careers/93018603-7d21-47b4-985f-a82f0ecfadef. No salary listed. JD required. Patch is the platform scaling unified climate action across companies of all sizes, their customers, and their networks.
Junior Compliance Attorney. Seso Inc. Remote. https://boards.greenhouse.io/sesolabor/jobs/4312687005?gh_src=5c5d8f165us. Salary: $90,000-$135,000 Annually. American agriculture has been facing a labor crisis for decades. Seso is addressing this problem by building the first end-to-end recruiting and workforce management platform for the industry.
Associate Attorney. Baykeeper. San Francisco Bay Area, CA. https://baykeeper.org/take-action/jobs-and-internships#attorney. $60,000 - $75,000. 3+ years of relevant legal experience. San Francisco Baykeeper is a nonprofit environmental advocacy organization that works to protect, preserve, and enhance the health of the ecosystems and communities that depend upon the San Francisco Bay.
Corporate Counsel. Carbon Cure. Halifax, Nova Scotia (Remote). https://carboncure.bamboohr.com/careers/208. 2-3 years of commercial/corporate legal experience at a top tier law firm or in-house. CarbonCure Technologies is on a mission to make concrete a climate solution, reducing embodied carbon emissions.
ESG & Legal Administrator. Carbon Cure. Halifax, Nova Scotia (Remote). https://carboncure.bamboohr.com/careers/209. 3+ years’ experience in non-financial reporting, legal, corporate social responsibility, ESG disciplines or sustainability and/or completion of a masters-level degree in a discipline relevant to ESG. CarbonCure Technologies is on a mission to make concrete a climate solution, reducing embodied carbon emissions.
Contract Specialist. Voltus. Remote. https://www.voltus.co/join-us/legal-and-regulatory-affairs. 5+ years experience in a corporate or contracts setting; 95,000 – 115,000 USD / year. Voltus aims to be the distributed energy platform that fulfills the promise of the energy transition.
In-House Legal Compliance Manager. Boston Metal. Woburn, MA. https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/in-house-legal-compliance-manager-at-boston-metal-3698373442/. No salary listed. 5+ years of corporate law experience. Boston Metal is commercializing cutting-edge extractive metallurgy technology that will revolutionize primary metals production, while decreasing cost and lowering environmental impact.
Corporate Counsel. Voltus. Remote (USA). https://jobs.lever.co/voltus/44150655-20d1-4958-94cb-40c7dff72d1b/apply. No salary listed. 5+ years of relevant legal experience. Voltus connects distributed energy resources to electricity markets, ushering in the clean energy transition by delivering less expensive, more reliable, and more sustainable electricity.
Associate General Counsel, Business Operations. Form Energy. Berkeley, CA / Pittsburgh, PA / Somerville, MA. https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/formenergy/9e68fc08-db1d-4998-9c8c-e2e2480db4fc. Salary ranges for Pennsylvania: $222,000 – $263,000, Massachusetts: $244,000 – $289,000, California: $255,000 – $302,000. 6+ years of relevant legal experience. Form Energy is an American energy storage company focused on developing a new class of cost-effective, multi-day energy storage systems that will enable a reliable and fully renewable electric grid year-round.
General Counsel. Shiru. San Francisco, CA. https://jobs.lever.co/shiru/15b273af-23a2-42e0-a674-f2a6187aa4a9. $275,000 - $325,000. 5+ years of relevant legal experience. Shiru uses cutting-edge technology to develop functional food ingredients that enable and promote sustainable food production. Shiru is seeking a general counsel to provide expert and strategic legal services, counseling, and training to the business on legal, compliance, and risk management matters.
Energy, Environmental, Mining & Transportation Attorney. Stinson LLP. Washington, DC. https://recruiting2.ultipro.com/STI1009STIS/JobBoard/162b1480-f2fa-4444-8ad7-f750cb200b46/OpportunityDetail?opportunityId=3f50d977-cce5-436f-92ae-addd9aa8a9a3. No salary listed. The candidate must have relevant legal experience and extensive railroad experience. Stinson is a full-service firm and a federal contractor, with practices ranging from business litigation and corporate finance to energy and environmental.
Senior Vice President, Legal and Regulatory Affairs. National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). https://www.nema.org/about/careers/available-positions. Minimum fifteen years’ legal experience with increasing responsibilities over career. The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) represents nearly 325 electrical equipment and medical imaging manufacturers that make safe, reliable, and efficient products and systems serving seven major markets.