Everything You Need to Know About Environmental Law Jobs in 2022
Passionate about the environment? Want to save the sharks? See the list of environmental law jobs and be a part of the change!
Found 4 jobs
Location
Position Type
Experience Level
Date Posted
Assistant County Attorney - Environmental
Houston, TX, USA
18 hours ago
Environmental and Construction Litigation Practice Assistant (Legal Assistant/Secretary)
Portland, OR, USA
4 days ago
Environmental Sustainability & Real Estate Attorney
Dallas, TX, USA
3 weeks ago
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.
Duties
Every environmental lawyer job description differs depending on the company you work for, but some of the basic tasks are universal. An environmental lawyer will:
- Interview scientists and environmentalists to be able to better portray data in the court or provide an expert opinion;
- Collect and interpret information accumulated from scientific literature, law, and civil research;
- Analyze specific events and predict their damage to the organization and the environment;
- Suggest measures that can mitigate the consequences of the event, or appoint monetary value or remedies to different stakeholders;
- Arbitrate on sufficient evidence regarding the breach of a particular environmental regulation and provide advice on legal responses;
- Use good persuasion skills and arguments to convince a judge and/or jury of the validity of their legal argument;
- Participate in the negotiations that precede trial, trying to reach a settlement on behalf of a company, government, or other entity as part of their environmental law job;
- Determine the rights and obligations of both parties, and their correlation with the relevant environmental regulation;
- Counsel clients about their rights and obligations;
- Analyze every new case based on the existing information, precedents, and case law;
- Perform their duty as an advisor and legal advocate in protecting the environment and natural resources;
- Communicate with all stakeholders involved in the proceedings on environmental matters and trends/incidents;
- Represent clients in criminal cases that occur due to environmental breaches;
- Gather evidence and interview all relevant stakeholders (clients, witnesses, etc.);
- Form cases and defend them in court.
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.
Environmental Solicitor
These lawyers are usually the first port of call for all sorts of legal matters and advice in the field of environmental regulation.
The quintessential duties of environmental solicitors are:
- Offering legal advice to clients;
- Drafting legal documents;
- Researching legislation;
- Meeting with clients;
- Representing clients (although this is usually done by a barrister).
Solicitors usually work in private law firms, but they can also work as in-house counsel in corporations or organizations.
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.
Important Qualities
Aside from the obvious - an environmental law degree - every good attorney in this field needs to possess a set of skills that will make their job much easier.
For starters, you need to be able to convey information clearly and effectively. This is possible if you actively listen to other people, understanding the crucial points of what they’re telling you. It goes without saying that speaking and writing skills are also extremely important.
Other quite important traits include critical and analytical thinking, which play an essential role in decision making, conducting effective research, and finding the right approach to solving problems. To evaluate the relevant information, evidence, and data so as to implement a solution, an excellent environmental lawyer has to be able to recognize and understand all the context surrounding an issue.
In the same way, environmental law attorney jobs require admirable persuasion and negotiation skills. For instance, you have to bring all stakeholders to one table and make sure your clients’ interests are preserved while reconciling the differences between parties.
These are some of the most important qualities, but there are many more traits that go into making a top-class environmental lawyer.
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.
Entry-Level Environmental Law Jobs
Based on statistics from Salary Expert, entry-level positions in environmental law in the US come with an average gross annual salary of around $80,000.
Paralegal Environmental Law Jobs
Paralegals act as sort of legal assistants, representing one of the most crucial supporting positions in the entire legal process. Environmental paralegals thus play an important role in every environmental law firm.
The median annual salary for general paralegals, according to the BLS, was $51,740 in 2019. However, the average salary for environmental paralegals was significantly higher: $71,740 annually.
Environmental Law Professor Jobs
Many people with environmental law degrees choose academia as their calling. Based on recent statistics from Comparably, the average salary of environmental law professors in the US is $111,982 per year.
Environmental Law Enforcement Jobs
The United States Environmental Protection Agency exists to ensure the protection of the natural environment and human health. This includes enforcing the Clean Water and Clean Air Acts, as well as other regulations from its domain.
Environmental law enforcement jobs consist of preserving and protecting water, air, and natural resources.
In line with the most recent estimates, the annual salary for these types of professions is around $60,000.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:
Can you make money in environmental law?
A:
Environmental lawyers’ jobs are in higher demand today than ever before. With an average annual salary of $118,936 in 2019, there are fantastic possibilities to make good money in environmental law.
This, however, depends on your position in the organization, level of experience, and most importantly your location.
For example, the median salary for environmental lawyers is much higher in Washington (around $103,000) than in Montana (about $67,000).
Finally, some roles in environmental law get paid more than others. For instance, environmental law paralegal jobs are paid on average $71,740.
Q:
Is environmental law a growing field?
A:
Environmental policy and planning are the two fastest-growing fields of law, and they play a key role in the preservation and management of the world’s natural resources.
Environmental law degree jobs in the field of policy have an impact on public regulations, and people in these positions create legal standards for environmental conservation. With the growing number of agencies and bodies dealing with environmental protection standards, there will be more jobs in this field in the future.
Likewise, environmental planning careers carry huge potential. Positions in this field have a task in developing programs for more efficient use of the land. By generating research on the use of natural resources, they evaluate the risk for damage and plan mitigation solutions.
Q:
How much money do environmental lawyers make?
A:
According to the most recent info, the annual salary of an environmental lawyer is $118,936 on average. This, of course, depends on multiple factors, such as level of education or experience, location, and the organization you work for.
Junior attorney and entry-level positions typically begin with an annual salary of around $60,000 to $80,000, depending on the location. Senior lawyers generally receive annual salaries of well over $100,000.
Q:
What can you do with a degree in environmental law?
A:
An environmental lawyer can work in many different fields. Whether you prefer environmental law policy jobs in governmental organizations or defending the interests of private corporations, your options are many.
The focus of this sector is on regulations that define how humans should interact with the surrounding nature, air, land, or water. As such, those in this field can work on renewable energy environmental law jobs, climate change and sustainability projects, pollution and waste management, or many other areas.
Aside from a career as a lawyer, a person with a degree in environmental law can work as an environmental law enforcer or professor.
Q:
How many hours do environmental lawyers work?
A:
Based on BLS statistics, the majority of lawyers, including environmental specialists, tend to work around 40 hours a week.
However, this is not set in stone, and it can vary depending on numerous factors. It’s not uncommon for those in private law firms or paralegals conducting research to work nights and weekends.
For those environmental law jobs involving any kind of representation in the courtroom, hours can stretch even longer depending on the nature of the particular case.