Everything You Need to Know About Environmental Law Jobs in 2021

Environmental law is a term used to describe the spectrum of regulations and laws that tackle the issues of sustainability and humans’ effect on the natural environment. 

The global climate is changing at a rapid pace, heating the world to potentially dangerous levels. With this crisis looming, the need for a regulatory framework that will address the issue of sustainability is growing every day. The demand for lawyers who offer counsel about business operations and so-called “green” norms is becoming greater and greater. 

Those who work in environmental law jobs typically propose regulations or advise companies on how to reduce the harm they inflict upon their natural surroundings. 

What Does an Environmental Lawyer Do?

Environmental law practice has one broad purpose: to define and regulate how humans interact with nature in the best possible way. For example, environmental lawyers provide counsel or advocate for corporations, individuals, or even governments on a range of issues. Some of those include climate change, endangered species, deforestation, waste management, and air and water pollution. 

There are many crucial fields of expertise that a successful environmental lawyer can address. You need to represent your clients in legal proceedings, which cover fields like clean air technology, water law, and the management of the land. To do that, your knowledge of both local and international environmental law, the law of the sea, and law regarding international resources should be at a commendable level. 

Jobs for environmental lawyers are typically multifaceted, as this area of law is pretty complex. If your plan is to work in this noble field, you’ll need to hone all the skills required to represent clients in matters of the environment. Further, you’ll likely have to write academically on the topic of environmental law and help draft policies in this department. 

To excel, you need to be capable of understanding technical information and scientific literature on the topic. Moreover, you’ll have to stay up to date with legal precedents and good practice in the field, then be able to use all this to your advantage in legal situations involving the environment.

Types of Environmental Lawyer Jobs

Are you more interested in working in a governmental agency or representing clients in court? Do you want to work for a corporation or a non-profit organization?

There are many options for those who choose careers in environmental law and policy as their calling. But with a wide range of possibilities, each niche offers something different. 

To help you choose, here are some of the common professional paths for environmental lawyers.

Environmental Regulatory Consultant

To be a good consultant on environmental matters, you need to continuously add to your standing knowledge of scientific data so you can ensure your clients comply with the active regulation. Naturally, you’ll also need to be well-versed in the relevant regulatory requirements. 

One of the main tasks in environmental law and policy jobs is to prepare detailed reports on scientific findings and recommendations for a wide array of clients. Typically, these reports consist of an analysis of the impact of water, land, or air contamination on people or the environment. Based on the investigation and collected data, you provide the solutions that will mitigate the issues.

Litigation/Prosecutions Lawyer

An environmental attorney’s job in litigation consists of representing clients at trial or before various boards. Usually, the parties you represent are accused of committing an infraction of environmental policies or contaminating a specific location. 

One of your main tasks in the role of a litigator is to defend clients against citizen suit claims seeking damage and relief for these alleged violations. On the other hand, the prosecutor’s job is to represent the other party by seeking these damages. 

Another type of litigation involves claims for damage to natural resources. 

Environmental Barrister

Any lawyer who chooses this profession needs to have expert knowledge of a specific topic (in this case environmental regulations) and provide adequate advice to clients. On top of that, you’ll represent your client in court proceedings, as all barristers do. 

Barristers usually don’t work for environmental law firms, but are self-employed. However, some do provide specialist services to specific law offices.

Agricultural & Landed Estates Lawyer

Of all environmental law careers, working in the field of agriculture and landed estates is arguably the most complex. That’s because this is one of the most heavily regulated fields of law. 

To perform duties as an agricultural and landed estates lawyer, you’ll need to keep track of each and every change in these regulations. You’ll need to deal with issues involving water, environment, agricultural labor, marketing, pesticide use, seeds, land use, and many more niches.

Also, big agricultural bodies need permits to operate. Your job is to help them with this, among many other tasks:

• Zoning assistance, domain, and land use;
• Getting licenses for work; 
• Counsel about regulatory constraints;
• Counsel on labor and employment rights and law in agriculture;
• Knowledge of environmental legislation, as well as landowner rights;
• Fraud prevention in packaging and labeling;
• Assisting in the implementation of federal farm policies;
• Protecting farmland from urbanization;
• Tax assessment in specific areas;

Planning and Environmental Solicitor

If you’re considering this type of law as the path for your environmental law career, you should be aware that it involves a lot of negotiation with the local planning authorities and third parties, as well as tasks such as:

• Mitigating legal risk on planning applications by guaranteeing compliance with all regulations;
• Negotiating the terms of planning permissions;
• Providing counsel on the provision of infrastructure delivery;
• Dealing with appeals, hearings, and performing advocacy services, or protecting the client’s business against any enforcement action;
• Providing counsel on legal matters like planning enforcement and licenses for lawful development;
• Standard knowledge of legislation and precedent in this area.

Working Conditions

The typical job surroundings for an environmental lawyer vary from workplace to workplace. Usually, you’ll spend your workdays in the office, but frequently your duties will involve meeting clients, drafting documents, or researching environmental legislation in a legal library. 

All of this depends, of course, on the size of your organization and the specific tasks included in your job description. Depending on your position, you may even have to represent your clients in the courtroom. If you work on international environmental law jobs, there could well be some business trips included. 

Injuries and Illnesses

Environmental lawyers often experience high levels of stress at work. That’s because you always need to be up to date with the latest legislation and prepare thorough research to best serve the interests of your client. 

Physically, this job isn’t usually demanding; it consists primarily of time in the office, so you’ll need to watch out for injuries like RSI, carpal tunnel syndrome, and back pain. If you work for a big company, you can rest assured that your employer will cover your health insurance and benefits. 

Work Schedules 

Jobs in environmental law tend to take up a lot of time. Environmental lawyers frequently work long hours and need to be flexible due to the requirements of their cases. 

The average working time for attorneys in private practice or large law firms varies based on the number of clients they have and the hours they spend on research. 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, many lawyers work more than 40 hours a week. Some 37% of full-time lawyers work more than 50 hours a week. 

How to Become an Environmental Lawyer

The road to becoming an environmental lawyer is tough, but at the same time it’s one of the most rewarding careers in the legal field. And considering the growing global demand for environmental legal jobs, it’s going to get even more rewarding, both financially and spiritually. 

Let’s start from the beginning and walk you through the process of forging a career in this fascinating area of the law.

Education

Environmental law is a complex branch of the law, so to complete your education to the appropriate standard, you need around seven years. Only then you can start practicing it and building your environmental law career.

The first step on this path is choosing an appropriate undergraduate program. A bachelor’s degree is the first precondition if you want to practice environmental law, or any type of law for that matter. Since there is no predefined program you have to complete to qualify for this field, students usually enroll in government, business, or economic studies. 

However, those keen on taking up this type of law might consider first graduating from environmental policy or science. Programs such as these will expand your knowledge of the matter, thus better preparing you for environmental law schools. Bachelor’s programs typically last around four years. 

The next step on your road toward becoming an environmental lawyer is obtaining Juris Doctor (JD) qualification by finishing a postgraduate law program. 

At first, postgraduate students concentrate on general law subjects. Only during your second and third years will you get the opportunity to take up the course of your desire, such as environmental law. At this stage you might be able to do a clinical internship, which can prove very beneficial for those chasing environmental law careers. 

However, in some law schools, you can enroll directly into courses that focus on environmental law and policy, focusing on areas like natural resource law and regulations on hazardous waste. This is still fairly rare, but if you’re lucky enough to attend such an institution, you can cut right to the chase.

In addition to taking the course, it’s also beneficial to apply for environmental law internships, which will provide you with some first-hand experience. In some cases, they might even open doors to entry-level environmental law jobs.

According to 2020 rankings, some of the top environmental law programs in the USA can be found at Northwestern, Berkeley, the University of California - Los Angeles, Vermont Law School, and Columbia. 

Generally, postgraduate law programs last three years.

The next step is optional; you can continue your studies to gain a master’s, either in law or environmental law, or a PhD. These diplomas can significantly increase your pay and qualify you for more senior positions. 

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations 

To be eligible for environmental law jobs, it’s not just enough to finish the aforementioned formal education steps. 

You can’t enroll in any law school without taking the LSAT first. This half-day exam is designed to put your analytical skills, reasoning, and critical thinking to the test. 

According to the Princeton Review, the required LSAT score varies depending on the school you wish to enroll in. The average score is around 152, and you’ll need to answer 60 questions correctly to achieve it. Some law schools require higher results. 

The second important certification process is taking the bar exam. After successfully passing the state bar exam, which is different for every state, the lawyer is admitted to that state’s bar association and can practice law and provide legal advice. Only then can your environmental lawyer career commence. 

The National Conference of Bar Examiners lists all information on the different criteria for each state, which you can look up before you sign up for the bar exam. In addition to that, most states require all environmental lawyers to continuously educate themselves on legal matters from their area of expertise to keep their license.

Environmental Law Jobs Salary

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary for lawyers in general in 2019 was $122,960. Among these listed salaries, the largest was for those with senior federal government positions (approximately $144,300 per year). But how much money do environmental lawyers make?

When it comes to environmental law, the newest statistics come from Salary Expert. According to this source, the median gross annual salary for environmental lawyers’ jobs is $118,936. The lowest 10% earn around $80,000 per year, while the top 10% of environmental lawyers receive about $148,000.  

This, of course, varies depending on a range of factors such as education, location, and level of expertise. For example, different levels or types of environmental jobs earn different amounts of money.

Environmental Law Jobs Outlook 

Growing sustainability concerns, as well as a global agenda to prevent climate change and address the depletion of natural resources, will drive the need for people who specialize in this field. 

As such, jobs for environmental law degree attorneys and counselors are sure to increase in number. 

Employment statistics for the general law profession, according to the BLS, should grow by 4% from 2019 to 2029. The services of experienced professionals with knowledge and skills relating to environmental regulation will be sought after by the government, individuals, and businesses alike. 

In 2019, there were 813,900 lawyers in the United States. This number is forecast to increase to 846,200 by 2029. 

Job Prospects

Many corporations and organizations are shifting toward boosting their in-house legal departments. This will create demand for specialized lawyers and legal professionals in a wide array of fields. 

Demand for environmental lawyers to work in-house will also be on the rise. If you’re a fresh graduate, it might be hard to find one of these permanent positions. However, many firms offer short-term jobs that might be good for building up your practical experience and helping you land permanent employment in the field. 

Due to the uneven distribution of jobs across the United States, a willingness to relocate in search of practical experience will be of great importance for those wishing to start any kind of law career. For instance, based on BLS data from 2019, California (68,700) and New York (68,640) had the largest number of licensed lawyers, while this number was lowest in North Dakota (760). 

However, remember that most states condition you to pass their bar exam, so you might need to sign up for additional certification if you move interstate. 

If your choice of employment is a law firm, it’s important to know one thing about environmental law associates’ jobs: usually, all newly hired associates need to gain momentum and advance through the ranks fairly quickly if they want to stay. The common saying “up or out” typifies this culture: if you don’t progress quickly enough, you’ll need to leave the firm. 

But even then, not all is lost, as these lawyers can find jobs in the in-house legal departments of government institutions and corporations. In-house jobs in general provide a more stable balance between your workload and your private life.