Legal Intern

• Job Title: Legal Intern
• Department: Environmental Law Program
• Location: Oakland, CA; Washington, DC
• Reports to: Manager, Environmental Law Program
• Duration:

Spring/Fall: 14 weeks, 20 hours per week

Summer: 10 weeks, 37.5 hours per week

Context: At the Sierra Club, we believe in the power of interdependence. Together, we remain committed to the fight for a healthy climate built on a foundation of environmental, racial, economic, and gender justice – a future where all people benefit from a healthy, thriving planet and a direct connection to nature. As the climate crisis and deeply entrenched systemic racism all fuel injustice, we will continue to fight for a bold, transformational agenda that recognizes the interconnectedness between our planet, our humanity, and our future. By recognizing that our destinies are tied, we continue to name that all things are fundamentally connected, and the overlap between ecology, race, gender, and representative government will move to either advance our collective humanity or to oppress it. Sierra Club has close to 800 staff across the country and a network of 64 local chapters that are led and fueled by thousands of volunteers. We are also proud to be a unionized employer, with three labor unions representing more than half of our employees.

Scope: The Environmental Law Program is at the cutting edge of climate change litigation. We work with our allies to reduce the environmental and public health degradation that flows from the lifecycle of fossil fuel use, ranging from destructive mining and fracking to combustion to disposal. At the same time, we advocate for the expansion of energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions. In the past few years alone, we have achieved tremendous public health and climate change benefits for many communities, including for those engaged in environmental justice struggles in particular.

ELP seeks law students passionate about public interest environmental litigation to assist with our strategic lawsuits. Interns work on many aspects of litigation, including undertaking legal research, preparing written memoranda, and conducting factual investigation. During the course of the program, students typically work with several of the Club’s attorneys, thus gaining exposure to a wide range of litigation styles. Our interns are encouraged to participate in weekly legal team meetings where we discuss our dockets and strategies.