Parenteau Climate Action Fellow

Description

Parenteau Climate Action Fellow

Environmental Law Center / Environmental Advocacy Clinic

Full-time, exempt

Reports to: Director, ELC

Salary: $79,000

VLGS Benefits and PTO include:

- Full benefits (medical, dental, vision, etc.).

- 403b including 4% employer contribution.

- 2 weeks of paid vacation in addition to paid personal and sick days.

- 11 paid holidays plus two weeks of paid "Dean's Days" for Summer and Winter breaks.

- Employee Assistance Program.

- VLGS course participation with tuition assistance.

- Flexible schedule potential.

Vermont Law and Graduate School is committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of inclusion and connectedness. We grow and learn better together with a diverse group of faculty, staff, and students. In recruiting for faculty and staff, we seek unique backgrounds to enrich and challenge our community.

Please see full application instructions below under \"Application Requirements.\"

Position Summary:

The Vermont Law & Graduate School's Environmental Law Center and Environmental Advocacy Clinic invite applications from recent or upcoming law graduates to serve as a one-year climate action fellow to begin in August 2025, with presumed renewal for one additional year (specific start and end dates are negotiable). The position combines an opportunity to conduct academic, legal, and/or policy research on climate law with responsibilities to work with student clinicians in the Environmental Advocacy Clinic on cutting-edge climate litigation and advocacy.

The Climate Action Fellow position provides a strong starting point for an academic career in doctrinal or clinical environmental law teaching, and for other opportunities in public-interest climate policy and advocacy. The position honors the climate law leadership of Professor Emeritus and Senior Fellow for Climate Policy Patrick Parenteau.

The position is full-time and can be either residential in South Royalton, Vermont, at VLGS's beautiful campus along the banks of the White River (preferred), or hybrid/remote, with a limited on-campus presence to be negotiated as part of the hiring process. This one-year position is presumptively eligible to renewal for one additional year, subject to VLGS needs.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Reporting to the director of the Environmental Law Center (ELC), the Fellow will:

• research and publish white papers, articles, and other materials on topics related to climate change law, in disciplinary areas of the fellow's choice, with relevant guidance from VLGS environmental faculty, including on behalf of the ELC (50%); and
• contribute to climate-related cases and projects within the Environmental Advocacy Clinic, with oversight by the Director of the Clinic, including case and client development; coordination with clients and other partners; support and assistance with supervision of student clinicians on case work; representation of Clinic clients before courts, agencies, and in other legal and policy settings; and participation in and presentations at clinic seminars (50%).

As part of these responsibilities, the Fellow will:

• participate actively in the dynamic VLGS environment, including collaboration with other law school and graduate programs;
• participate in and assist with the ELC's Annual Colloquium on Environmental Scholarship, Summer Session, and other ELC events and activities;
• deliver at least one public or campus-community presentation or lecture on the Fellow's research;
• work with ELC and VLGS communications staff to inform the press and help develop communication strategies where appropriate;
• attend and present at relevant conferences; and
• help organize conferences, seminars, and collaborative publications at VLGS and with other institutions.

Requirements

Required Education, Skills and Experience:

The ideal candidate will be available to start in time for the Fall 2025 semester, though the precise start date is flexible. The candidate must have graduated with a J.D. degree with 0-5 years of practice experience. Although not required, membership in good standing of at least one bar (or pending bar passage) is preferred.

Strong academic qualifications and a demonstrated interest in climate law, climate justice, and/or environmental, natural resources or energy law and policy, will be expected.

Candidates should also have a demonstrated commitment to racial justice and an understanding of and appreciation for inclusive teaching practices.

Other Requirements:

• Understanding of and appreciation for inclusion, including the ability to work with students, faculty, and staff from diverse backgrounds, identities, and viewpoints.
• Ability to communicate clearly and fluently in English by phone, email, and in-person with internal and external constituents.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (365) programs.
• Must be able to adapt to new and emerging technology as established and communicated by the school.
• Must be able to work legally within the United States without sponsorship.
• Ability to perform all essential functions of the job with or without basic accommodations.

Additional Information:

The Environmental Law Center (ELC) oversees VLGS's environmental law program, the most comprehensive graduate environmental law program in the country. Consistently ranked among the nation's best by U.S. News & World Report, our environmental law program includes six legal clinics, six centers and institutes, 67 environmental law courses, and 76 environmental faculty. We prepare students to work on the frontlines of environmental advocacy, energy and climate justice, animal law and protection, as well as the sustainable food movement. We develop leaders who can work with environmental and public policy issues within the framework of the legal system and are prepared to meet the environmental challenges of the 21st century.

The Environmental Advocacy Clinic is an in-house public interest environmental law firm. Its mission is to inspire the next generation of environmental attorneys with practical, real-world opportunities to learn the skills and strategies of environmental litigation and advocacy. In the clinic, students represent public-interest clients including leading national, regional, and local non-profit organizations under the supervision of experienced lawyers, working on cases involving important and challenging environmental and natural resources issues. The clinic's work is especially focused on litigation projects at the intersection of natural resource protection, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and environmental justice. Past clinic cases have sought to conserve natural resources and public lands, protect endangered species, reduce community exposure to toxic pollution, and promote climate resilience.

Application Requirements:

Please attach a resume, cover letter, and initial proposal for the research component for the fellowship of no more than 5 pages. The research proposal must concern a scholarly or policy project that advances climate justice, mitigation, adaptation, and/or innovation.

If you are applying from a third party website (Indeed, etc.) and are unable to attach additional materials to your online application, please apply directly at https://www.vermontlaw.edu/community/about-vls/employment-opportunities or email required documents to Christine Moyer, cmoyer@vermontlaw.edu.

As part of our commitment to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, candidates who meet the qualifications for this position and who require accommodations to apply should contact Human Resources at jobs@vermontlaw.edu. Vermont Law and Graduate School strives to raise the bar for being an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, place of birth, marital status, disability, veteran's status, HIV status, pregnancy, genetic information, health insurance status, and crime victim status.

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