Will the SEC Climate Disclosure Rule impact hiring for ESG lawyers?
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, legal developments, and relevant job opportunities.
Any views expressed are my own. Nothing here is legal advice.
In case you haven’t heard, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved a rule that will require some public companies to report their GHG emissions and climate risks.
The SEC initially proposed this rule two years ago, and there has been much consternation, speculation, excitement, and other emotional responses since the rule was announced.
The final rule passed the SEC 3-2 along partisan lines, and the final rule has been weakened, including by excluding some indirect emissions known as Scope 3, and limiting disclosure of Scope 1 and 2 emissions that companies believe are not “material.”
There will be a lot of analysis and evaluation in the coming weeks and months, especially as challenges to the rule have already been filed.
But that is not what I want to talk about…
I want to talk about how the adoption of the rule impacts lawyers that want to work on climate.
When meeting with a lawyer who is interested in doing climate work, the conversation frequently begins with greenhouse gas emissions, sustainability plans, and climate disclosures like the SEC rule.
While these are exciting topics, my experience is that the opportunity to work on these issues has been limited for lawyers.
While I do think that the SEC rule will create a need for ESG lawyers at larger companies, and smaller ones as well as the impacts trickle down, I always encourage lawyers to think more broadly about climate work.
Climate companies and causes need lawyers from all practice areas and experience levels.
As an example, one of my initial focus areas was food waste reduction and recycling. Because this is a niche area, and I was able to demonstrate expertise and knowledge, I had job offers and clients knocking on my door.
So, you have to balance opportunity, with the value of finding a niche.
I still think it is worthwhile to look for climate jobs that are not explicitly climate-focused.
But there will be opportunity for climate lawyers as a result of the SEC rule.
How can you set yourself up to benefit from those opportunities?
Niches are still really helpful.
If I were to apply this to opportunities linked to the SEC rule, I would target a specific industry, like art, fashion, EVs, or something else I was passionate about, and I would become an expert on the applicability of the SEC rule and other key climate issues in that industry.
I would not focus just on climate disclosures, but I would make it part of my efforts on behalf of that industry.
That way, I’m not one of the many lawyers seeking a general ESG role, but have a unique value proposition to share.
I’m curious what YOU think about this though, so we’re going to talk about it at our next virtual meetup on March 27 at 12:30PM ET.
We’ll have a brief presentation on the details of the SEC rule, and then we’ll do introductions and share perspectives.
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What do YOU think about the SEC Climate Disclosure Rule?
Join us to discuss it at our next virtual meetup on March 27 at 12:30PM ET.
We’ll have a brief presentation on the details of the SEC rule, and then we’ll do introductions and share perspectives.
Job Opportunities
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Senior Paralegal. Sunpower. Remote (USA). https://jobs.lever.co/sunpower/db2c092d-dd25-4fed-889c-3d0928c86709. $88,451 - 159,212. 6+ years of experience at a firm or in-house. SunPower Corporation is an American provider of photovoltaic solar energy generation systems and battery energy storage products, primarily for residential customers.
Legal Assistant. Sierra Club. Boulder, CO. https://jobs.lever.co/sierraclub/1acb1e50-8081-4b22-b299-22d2b00c9ea1. $62,000, varied experience considered. Sierra Club is the most historic grassroots environmental organization in the country.
Assistant Attorney General. The Office of the New York State Attorney General’s (OAG) Environmental Protection Bureau. Albany, NY. https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2024-02/epb_alb_aag_3656_web.pdf. The salary range is $78,795 - 168,218, commensurate with experience (some post-grad experience is necessary). This position involves representing the State in environmental, public health, and energy matters in lawsuits in state and federal court, and in proceedings before administrative agencies. The EPB enforces state and federal environmental laws that protect New Yorkers’ rights to clean air, clean water, and safe and healthy communities, and conducts investigations into violations of those laws.
Staff Attorney. Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Beijing, China. https://careers-nrdc.icims.com/jobs/5504/staff-attorney/job. No salary listed, looking for 3+ years of experience. The NRDC is seeking an attorney to work with the Environmental Law and Governance (ELP) team in the Beijing office, to promote China’s environmental and climate laws and governance in support of NRDC’s strategic goals of greening China and improving public health.
Legal and Risk Management-Counsel. In-house Counsel (Earth and Environment Environmental Services). WSP.Atlanta, GA, United States: Lancaster, PA, United States: Lawrenceville, NJ, United States https://emit.fa.ca3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_2001/job/53506. 3 to 5 years of related industry experience. WSP’s dynamic and multiple-award winning legal team is committed to providing world class legal services to our managers and consultants practicing in the field of engineering, environmental and construction services.
Counsel (DSP). EDF Renewals. US-MD-Columbia. https://careers-edf-re.icims.com/jobs/4008/counsel-%28dsp%29/job. A minimum of four (4) years of relevant legal experience, or such other experience with transactions and other legal matters as will enable the individual to provide concrete and effective legal advice.EDF Group, through its subsidiaries in North America, delivers results to utilities, commercial & industrial, and corporate purchasers through the procurement of renewable energy.
Corporate Counsel. VEIC. Vermont | Blacksburg, VA | Hawaii | California | Illinois | Maine |Delaware | Connecticut | Maryland | Massachusetts | Meridian Charter Township, MI | Michigan, US | Andover Township, NJ | Springdale, AR | New Jersey (all US). https://careers-veic.icims.com/jobs/intro?hashed=-435649302. No salary listed, looking for an attorney with 5+ years of experience. Vermont Energy Investment Corporation or VEIC is a non-profit organization in Chittenden County, Vermont that seeks to reduce the economic and environmental costs of energy consumption through energy efficiency and renewable energy adoption.
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Federal R&D Contract Manager. Trane Technologies. Davidson, North Carolina, United States. https://careers.tranetechnologies.com/global/en/job/2308441/Federal-R-D-Contract-Manager. 5 yrs or more experience in Federal contract management with excellent knowledge of Federal regulations such as FAR/DEAR/DoD/2CFR Parts 200 and Part 910. Base Pay Range: $92,200-121,800. At Trane Technologies and through our businesses including Trane® and Thermo King®, we create innovative climate solutions for buildings, homes, and transportation that challenge what’s possible for a sustainable world.
HSES Compliance Specialist [Remote]. EDF Renewals. Remote. https://careers-edf-re.icims.com/jobs/4000/hses-compliance-specialist-%5bremote%5d/job. Minimum of 5 years of practical, full-time safety experience required. EDF Group, through its subsidiaries in North America, delivers results to utilities, commercial & industrial, and corporate purchasers through the procurement of renewable energy.
Manager, Contracts. WSP. New York, NY, United States. https://emit.fa.ca3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_2001/job/54291. 5-7 years' prior relevant experience, in drafting, editing, and negotiating agreements with government and private sector clients and vendors. WSP’s dynamic and multiple-award winning legal team is committed to providing world class legal services to our managers and consultants practicing in the field of engineering, environmental and construction services.
General Counsel. Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy (Parks Conservancy). San Francisco Bay Area. https://www.parksconservancy.org/careers?gnk=job&gni=8a7883a88daf3ac5018dc8ad4b186c2d&lang=en. At least three (3) years of experience in non-profit law and seven (7) years total of legal or regulatory experience; The salary is $160,000 to $175,000 (Grade 24). Since 1981, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy (Parks Conservancy) has served as the nonprofit partner of the National Park Service, collaborating with the Presidio Trust, partners, donors, and the community to support the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA).
Director – Environmental Markets (Legal). Pollination. Washington DC, District of Columbia. https://pollination.bamboohr.com/careers/113. Minimum 8 years professional experience in a legal role with a focus on climate change, sustainability, and/or environmental matters, along with subject matter expertise. Pollination is a specialist climate change investment and advisory firm, accelerating the transition to a net zero, nature positive future.
Senior Attorney. Center for Biological Diversity. Los Angeles, California (Remote). https://biologicaldiversity.bamboohr.com/careers/74. Minimum 8 years civil litigation experience for senior attorney position;Senior Attorney: $85,000-$125,000 DOE. Staff Attorney: $69,000-$85,000 DOE. At the Center for Biological Diversity, we believe that the welfare of human beings is deeply linked to nature — to the existence in our world of a vast diversity of wild animals and plants.
P5-Legal and Risk Management-Counsel. In-house Counsel (Earth and Environment Environmental Services). WSP. Atlanta, GA, United States: Lancaster, PA, United States: Lawrenceville, NJ, United States. https://emit.fa.ca3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_2001/job/54313. 7 to 10 years of relevant experience. 3 to 5 years of related industry experience preferred. WSP’s dynamic and multiple-award winning legal team is committed to providing world class legal services to our managers and consultants practicing in the field of engineering, environmental and construction services.
Residential Legal Lead. Trane Technologies. Davidson, North Carolina, United States. https://careers.tranetechnologies.com/global/en/job/2401942/Residential-Legal-Lead. 15+ years’ experience practicing as an attorney; at least 10+ years’ experience as in-house counsel. At Trane Technologies and through our businesses including Trane® and Thermo King®, we create innovative climate solutions for buildings, homes, and transportation that challenge what’s possible for a sustainable world.
Senior Legal Counsel. Dott. Berlin, Germany. https://jobs.lever.co/dott/4ce5e303-b4d6-4c1d-a816-23c77db4a96b. No salary listed (varies based on region), seeking 10+ years of experience. Dott is a Dutch-French micromobility company based in Amsterdam which was founded in January 2019. Dott operates over 50,000 shared electric scooters and electric bikes.
Legal Director. The Climate Jobs National Resource Center (CJNRC). Remote. https://www.unionjobs.com/listing.php?id=25280. $150-180,000. 10-15 years of relevant experience. The Climate Jobs National Resource Center (CJNRC) and Climate Jobs National Resource Center Action Fund (CJNRCAF) are labor-led organizations that work to educate workers about and advocate for climate policies that will build a clean energy economy at the scale science demands, create good union careers, and reverse racial and economic inequality.