Senior Litigation Assistant

Overview

NRDC is a non-profit environmental advocacy organization. We use law, science, and the support of 3.1 million members and online activists to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. NRDC was founded in 1970 and our people helped write some of America's bedrock environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act and many of the implementing regulations. Today, our team of more than 700 lawyers, scientists, economists, policy advocates, communications experts, and others work across the United States and the globe from our offices in Bozeman, Montana; Chicago; New York; San Francisco; Santa Monica; Washington, D.C.; and Beijing.

NRDC is seeking a Senior Litigation Assistant to work with the Litigation team in our Chicago, New York, San Francisco, or Washington D.C. office.

Position Summary
The Litigation Team is a group of approximately 40 lawyers, litigation assistants and other operations staff who pursue litigation across a broad range of environmental and public health issues and in collaboration with and on behalf of communities most impacted by environmental injustices (including Black, indigenous, and people of color, and low-income and rural communities). Over the past five years, we have litigated cases against the federal government to prevent climate pollution, challenge agency approvals of toxic chemicals and pesticides, resist the suspension of clean water safeguards, oppose offshore drilling and seismic exploration for oil and gas, defend national monuments, and protect energy efficiency standards, among other matters. We also bring enforcement cases against corporate and governmental entities whose violations harm health and the environment—including recent cases to protect the people of Newark, New Jersey and Flint, Michigan, from lead in drinking water; to remediate toxic pollution in the Penobscot River in Maine; to abate mold in New York City public housing for residents with asthma; and to halt air pollution from a coal-fired power plant in Illinois.

We are looking for an experienced litigation assistant or paralegal to support the Litigation Team. This is a unique opportunity to build a career at NRDC supporting litigation and case development efforts.

Responsibilities

Litigation support (80%)

• Formatting, proofreading, and fact-checking documents to be filed in court, including generating tables of contents and authorities, assembling exhibits, etc.
• Arranging service of court filings.
• Researching and summarizing court rules.
• Drafting and proofreading legal correspondence (cover letters, notices, etc.).
• Managing and maintaining up-to-date case files.
• Computing and calendaring court deadlines.
• Conducting factual research to advance case development and summarizing findings in written memoranda.
• Reviewing documents and evidence produced by other parties in litigation and analyzing and summarizing relevant documents.
• Interviewing NRDC members to support anticipated and pending litigation, and drafting affidavits.
• Assisting attorneys with hearing preparation and depositions, including preparing document binders, printing exhibits, creating exhibit lists, etc.
• Generating research notes, memoranda, tables, graphs, and other visuals.
• Tracking media outlets, websites, and relevant dockets and issues relating to the Team’s litigation.
• Participating in and taking notes during conference calls and meetings.
• Assisting, mentoring, and working collaboratively with other Litigation Assistants and the Operations Assistant as needed.

Administrative support (20%)

• Processing invoices and expense reports, and maintaining detailed budget trackers.
• Assisting in hiring and orienting new staff and interns.
• Scheduling meetings, booking travel and logistics, and organizing retreats.
• Additional non-case-related administrative support as needed.

Qualifications

• At least 3 years of paralegal or litigation-related experience preferred. Paralegal certification preferred, though not required.
• Federal court litigation experience preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Outstanding problem-solving skills, including the ability to proactively identify obstacles and propose solutions or recommendations to overcome them.
• Well-honed editing, research, and data synthesis skills.
• Excellent research and analytical skills, including ability to understand technical, scientific, political, economic and policy issues and synthesize this knowledge in a coherent and non-technical fashion.
• Commitment to accuracy and rigor.
• Demonstrated ability to perform or quickly learn new tasks, systems, and technology.
• Ability to prioritize and efficiently execute multiple tasks, follow institutional procedures, and work independently with meticulous attention to detail.
• Willingness and flexibility to work paid overtime, when needed.
• Ability to work with a broad range of people on different projects.
• Strict adherence to confidentiality requirements and discretion with sensitive information.
• High proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, and Outlook.
• Strong sense of teamwork, work ethic, and humility; a growth mindset; the ability to maintain composure and sense of humor under deadline pressure; and an aptitude for knowledge-sharing and mentoring others.
• Minimum two-year commitment.
• Commitment to NRDC’s values and mission.
• Familiarity with environmental and social justice issues preferred.

NRDC is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in our work and in our workplace. We believe that celebrating and actively welcoming diverse voices and perspectives is essential to solving the planet's most pressing environmental problems, and we encourage applications from candidates whose identities have been historically under-represented in the environmental movement.

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

We offer competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment. Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and is commensurate with skills and experience. For this position, the salary is $70,000 to $80,000. Internal equity considerations will be reviewed before making a final offer.

Our offices are open and we are operating in a hybrid model. We offer NRDCers flexibility, we ask them to come into the office and spend meaningful time there in collaboration with their colleagues.  We call this purposeful presence.

As a science-based organization, NRDC aims to do our part to help contain the COVID-19 public health crisis. For the sake of health, safety, and equity, we ask that people be vaccinated unless they have an approved medical or religious accommodation or other exemption in accordance with state and local law. We consider a person to be vaccinated two weeks after receiving one full course of a CDC-approved vaccine. In accordance with state or local law, new hires will be asked to attest to vaccination, those wishing to do so may request medical or religious accommodations or other exemptions via NRDC Employee Relations. NRDC treats all vaccine-related data confidentially, in keeping with local, state, and federal laws.

To apply, visit www.nrdc.org/careers and upload your résumé and cover letter. Please mention where you saw this posting and upload any additional materials that showcase your abilities. Due to the high volume of applications, we will contact only those candidates we would like to interview. Please no phone calls, emails, or in-person résumé drop-offs.

If you experience technical problems while applying or if you are a person with a disability and need assistance applying online, please reach out to iCIMS Customer Care at 1-800-889-4422.

For more about NRDC, visit www.nrdc.org.

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