Legal Intern, Climate Risk

Environmental Defense Fund • Home, WA

7d • Hybrid

About The Position

EDF internships provide high-quality experiences (including relevant projects and opportunities for networking) that form the foundation for any individual who is serious about pursuing an environmental career. The U.S. Legal & Regulatory team envisions a world in which people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected to the environmental challenges we face and are engaged in creating durable, equitable solutions. We are dedicated to achieving that vision in our work, helping achieve clean air and a stable climate for all. The U.S. Legal & Regulatory team works out of the Washington, D.C., Boulder, CO offices and remotely. Legal interns on the U.S. Legal & Regulatory team contribute meaningfully to the team’s work securing clean air and climate protections. We aim to make our interns’ experience relevant, challenging, and rewarding. Our interns have directly contributed towards landmark cases over the years and have supported activities including U.S. Supreme Court litigation, D.C. Circuit litigation over greenhouse gas regulation under the Clean Air Act, major international agreements and guidelines regarding trans-boundary pollution control programs in the U.S./Mexico border region, and projects that work towards ensuring protections for low-income and vulnerable communities from air pollution. Interns have also contributed to energy regulatory advocacy seeking to prevent wasteful expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure and to facilitate the clean energy transition. EDF’s Climate Risk team works to reduce climate-related risks and reveal the consequences of climate change across the US economy, with a focus on regulation in the financial, insurance, and energy sectors. Our work focuses on a mix of comment letters, litigation, and advocacy. Our team is collaborative with other environmental NGOs and we attend numerous coalition meetings to drive the identification, disclosure, and management of climate-related risks. We are also cognizant of environmental justice issues, particularly with the insurance crisis, and we work to combat bluelining.

Requirements

• Current student at an ABA-approved law school.
• Interest in working on climate-related financial risk issues and insurance law.
• Demonstrated interest or experience related to diversity, equity, and inclusion as it intersects with environmental law.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Must be well organized, motivated, and detail oriented.
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work in a team setting and have the ability to work independently when projects are due.
• Demonstrated initiative and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrate self-awareness, cultural competency and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across all cultures and backgrounds.
• Demonstrate initiative and problem solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Conduct legal and factual research on climate risk issues.
• Contribute to litigation filings and administrative comments advocating for data transparency and environmental protections.
• Assess the impacts of recent court decisions on EDF priorities.
• Draft public-facing documents such as fact sheets and blog posts about legal issues.
• Support environmental justice initiatives, particularly those related to addressing the disparate impacts of climate change.
• Participate in advancing EDF’s organizational effectiveness and culture goals, so people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected, included and empowered to address environmental and organizational challenges in ways that align with EDF values.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: No Education Listed