Jobs and Internships at the Sabin Center

The Sabin Center seeks a Renewable Energy Legal Defense Initiative (RELDI) fellow to be hired at the postdoctoral research scholar level.

Launched in 2019, RELDI adds legal firepower to the advocacy strategies employed by renewable energy advocates, and aids individuals, community groups, and advocacy organizations by providing them pro bono representation in courtrooms, before state utility commissions, in local zoning boards, and in other administrative contexts, to press for the rapid development of utility- and community-scale renewable energy. 

The goal of RELDI is twofold: First, to use strategic litigation and administrative advocacy to establish factual and legal precedent that can be employed and replicated in the many similar siting battles taking place across the country. Second, to empower individuals and organizations to defend utility- and community-scale renewable energy projects against siting challenges, support progressive energy policies in court and administrative settings, and fight undue restrictions on renewable energy development. These twinned goals serve the purpose of increasing the quantity of clean energy being generated and used to power our electric grids; light, heat and cool our homes; move people from place to place; and manufacture our goods and services.

Responsibilities

The incumbent will work with the Center’s Faculty Director and Executive Director, and with current RELDI staff, to provide thought leadership, applied research, peer learning, and other outputs that will assist advocates and researchers seeking to strategically engage with the planning for and siting of utility- and community scale renewable energy facilities and related infrastructure. Successful performance will require generating original research and communicating research findings clearly and through a variety of media and formats to a range of audiences in a manner that maximizes impact. 

In particular, the incumbent will:

• Conduct independent research and write about issues related to siting utility- and community-scale renewable energy projects, including those in communities that may not have equal access to clean energy;
• Contribute to the conceptualization, management, and implementation of online resources for researchers, advocates, and others working to advance renewable energy projects; and Work with the Sabin Center’s Faculty Director, Executive Director, RELDI staff, and others inside and outside the Columbia community to convene, coordinate, and synthesize a diverse range of research and communications activities related to siting battles and the energy transition;
• Identify, track, and engage in relevant regulatory proceedings, including by drafting comment letters and other documents; and
• Develop presentations and trainings for a variety of audiences and help organize conferences, seminars, workshops, and other events.
   

This is a one-year position, with the possibility of renewal contingent on funding.

You can learn more about the Sabin Center here. 

Minimum Qualifications

• J.D., J.D equivalent, or LLM
• 0-3 years of professional legal experience with a government agency (including through a clerkship), NGO, law firm, financial institution, or law school center. 
• Strong academic qualifications and a demonstrated interest in climate justice and equity, and/or in environmental, natural resources or energy law and policy, will be expected.

Columbia University is an Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran.

Hiring Salary Range

$78,000-$83,000

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Application Instructions and Deadline

Applicants are requested to submit a cover letter and CV to [email protected] by November 29, 2024. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

The Sabin Center for Climate Change Law seeks a Staff Associate II to serve as a Network Manager to build and coordinate the work of the RELDI Legal Assistance Network. The incumbent will work under the supervision of the Sabin Center's Faculty Director and Executive Director, and with RELDI staff, to:

• Conduct outreach to potential partners.
• Deepen connections to the field's broader networks for clean energy advocates and allies.
• Deepen connections into networks and resources for decision-makers.
• Organize virtual convenings.
• Gather, summarize and explain information and data for various audiences.
• Contribute to research and publish white papers, articles, and other materials on a wide variety of legal issues relating to renewable energy.
• May contribute to publications.
• Identify, track, and engage in relevant regulatory proceedings, including by drafting comment letters and other documents.
• Utilize analytical skills to solve moderately complex problems, analyze and present possible solutions. 
• The position may involve supervision of student casual employees.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Climate, Sustainable Development or closely related field is required. Masters or JD preferred. Minimum of 0-4 years of related experience.  
• Knowledge of and experience in partnerships and stakeholder engagement in climate change, environmental, energy, land use or local law and policy.
• Experience around climate strategy campaigning or legal experience with a US government agency, NGO, law firm, corporation, or law school center preferred.

Hiring Salary Range 

$80,000-$85,000
The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training.  The above hiring range represents the University’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Location

Morningside 

Application Instructions 

Apply here. 

We are no longer accepting applications for this position.

The Sabin Center for Climate Change Law seeks a Climate Justice Fellow to be hired at the postdoctoral research scholar level to contribute to Center’s work on issues related to climate justice and equity. This is a one-year appointment starting September 2024, with an option for a second year.

You can learn more about the Sabin Center here. More information about the Center’s environmental justice work is available here.

Responsibilities

Under the supervision of Michael Gerrard, Faculty Director, and Michael Burger, Executive Director, the incumbent will

• conduct independent research and publish white papers, articles, and other materials on a wide variety of issues related to climate change law, with a special focus on issues related to climate justice and equity;
• contribute to the development and implementation of strategies to advance climate justice and equity;
• contribute to programs and projects that engage in active law and policy contexts, including relevant regulatory proceedings addressing issues of climate justice and equity;
• contribute to conceptualization, management and implementation of the Center’s web resources, including various databases tracking developments in federal, state, and local climate change law;
• help organize conferences, seminars, and collaborative publications;
• assist with oversight of interns and volunteers, among other projects.

Minimum Qualifications

• J.D., J.D equivalent, or LLM
• Strong academic qualifications and a demonstrated interest in climate justice and equity, and/or in environmental, natural resources or energy law and policy, will be expected.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 1-3 years of professional legal experience with a government agency (including through a clerkship), NGO, law firm, financial institution, or law school center. 

Columbia University is an Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran.

Hiring Salary Range

$72,500-$80,000

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Application Instructions and Deadline

We are no longer accepting applications for this position. 

Law Students

The Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School is seeking several current law students to serve as interns for summer 2024. Legal interns work with Center’s Faculty Director Michael Gerrard, Executive Director Michael Burger, and current fellows on a wide range of cutting-edge climate change, energy, and environmental law topics. Past summer legal interns have conducted research on the international and U.S. regulation of GHG emissions from shipping, contributed to papers on atmospheric methane removal, and conducted litigation research relating to state-level anti-ESG laws, among many other projects. Internships are full time for 8-10 weeks. Although the Center cannot provide direct funding for summer legal internships, CLS legal interns are able to qualify for CLS non-profit summer funding. Non-CLS students may also apply for the summer internship program.

How to Apply: Please check back next year for summer internship announcements.