Summer 2027 Federal Climate Initiatives Legal Intern

Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.•Washington, DC

3d•$10,000•Hybrid

About The Position

NRDC (the Natural Resources Defense Council) works to safeguard the Earth, its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. NRDC combines the power of more than 3 million members and online activists with the expertise of some 800 policy advocates, lawyers, scientists, and communication experts to confront the climate crisis, protect nature, ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. As an international nonprofit environmental organization, NRDC is working to address the world’s most urgent environmental challenges, and advance innovative, science-based, and enforceable solutions. Since our founding in 1970, NRDC has helped craft and deliver many of America’s foundational environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. Today, we continue to lead in advancing and defending strong environmental protections at the local, state, federal and international levels, as well as through the marketplace. Our team works across the United States and around the world, from offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., as well as in Beijing, and New Delhi (a subsidiary of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd.). Supported by our members and online activists, NRDC is driving impactful solutions that confront the climate crisis, defend nature and safeguard public health across Asia, Africa, and the Americas. At NRDC, we believe lasting change happens when people bring their talent, passion, and expertise together for a common purpose: to build a cleaner, healthier, and more resilient world. Learn more at nrdc.org. Our interns play an active role on the front lines of the environmental movement. Over the course of an internship, NRDC interns work with lawyers, scientists, or policy analysts in different program areas and amass experience that they could not have obtained anywhere else. Interns also have access to various events to enhance their NRDC experience. NRDC interns may support or work on: Research, data collection, and analysis Writing and developing materials for state and federal campaigns Supporting with designing equitable policy solutions Copywriting and editing social media posts and supporting on marketing campaigns Brainstorming opportunities for process improvements, new vendors, partnerships, and engagement Project management of department and team-wide initiatives You can find examples of work by our interns on our Careers Page.

Requirements

Must be currently enrolled in a JD or LLM program
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Initiative, proactiveness, and creativity
Ability to work independently and collaboratively, within a team
Commitment to NRDC’s mission, values, and DEI principles
Must be familiar with Westlaw and/or comparable legal research tools.

Responsibilities

Support ongoing projects and priorities for our Power Division.
Work on multiple projects, including active litigation challenging Trump EPA Clean Air Act rollbacks and other Climate & Energy matters.
Participate in strategy discussions.
Draft legal memoranda and sections of briefs.
Interview standing declarants.
Participate in other forms of administrative advocacy, including drafting comment letters and researching related legal issues.
Collaborate with litigation team interns in the D.C. office.
Join structured programming and learning opportunities with the broader legal community within NRDC.