Managing Attorney Position Overview
The Managing Attorney leads the Rocky Mountain office in shaping its litigation strategies and programs, builds effective working relationships with clients and other environmental groups in the region, and works closely with the Earthjustice policy, communications and fundraising teams. The Managing Attorney is also responsible for managing and developing the staff of the office, helping them hone their legal and strategy skills and ensuring that the office maintains a high quality legal program. Additionally, the Managing Attorney oversees the administrative functions of the office, ensuring their efficient and effective operation.
The Rocky Mountain office serves as a regional office for Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of Wyoming. Current staff totals 12 including litigation and office staff members.
Rocky Mountain Office Areas of Practice
The Rocky Mountain office, one of Earthjustice’s nine regional offices, represents a diverse array of individuals and citizen groups of all sizes in our efforts to protect natural resources and human health in the Mountain West. The work in our office includes litigation to: preserve the region’s vast and diverse wildlands from irresponsible and illegal oil and gas development; protect Utah’s canyon country from the damage caused by off-road vehicles; restore and protect the Southwest’s rivers, forests, and native species; protect endangered and other imperiled species; address the causes and impacts of global warming, and halt the construction of new coal-burning power plants. This program of work continues to evolve as needed to respond to new and emerging environmental and public health threats.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
The Managing Attorney’s primary responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:
LITIGATION
The Managing Attorney ensures that all office litigation continues to be of the highest quality and delivers results by fostering highly effective collaborations among attorneys, supporting cutting edge approaches, and maximizing opportunities to strengthen each attorney’s core skills.
Specifically, the Managing Attorney:
- Maintains the Rocky Mountain office’s focus on far reaching, high impact litigation opportunities and issues.
- Ensures effective systems and procedures are in place to support effective litigation practice.
- Supports attorneys in developing their cases, crafting briefs, trial preparation, and developing legal strategies.
- Maintains and continues to enhance effective relationships with client groups and agencies.
- Identifies new and innovative litigation opportunities for Earthjustice to make an impact on environmental issues in the region.
STRATEGIC PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
The Managing Attorney ensures that the Rocky Mountain office pursues and develops strategic litigation programs that leverage litigation to maximum effect on the most pressing environmental problems in the region.
Specifically, the Managing Attorney:
- Guides the office in establishing high-impact litigation programs and effective strategies to achieve the goals underlying the litigation.
- Brings a broad vision to issues in the region and nationally.
- Identifies new opportunities to broaden the office’s reach in areas of concern to Earthjustice as a whole.
- Integrates media and political strategy to leverage litigation to have maximum effect.
- Ensures staff are effective spokespeople for the office and leaders in their areas of practice.
STAFF DEVELOPMENT and MANAGEMENT
The Managing Attorney builds a highly effective team and fosters a work environment that encourages and rewards commitment, productive engagement, and growth.
Specifically, the Managing Attorney:
- Hires, develops, and retains high quality litigation staff members.
- Provides regular feedback to staff members to help them develop and enhance their skills.
- Establishes programs and approaches to mentor junior attorneys.
- Establishes programs and an atmosphere that helps each staff person reach his/her highest potential. Guides, empowers, challenges, and promotes the growth of each staff member according to his/her needs and to strengthen the overall effectiveness of the team.
- Maintains the highest ethical standards and integrity for self and all staff members.
- Encourages staff members to take on new challenges while ensuring that core objectives continue to be met.
- Resolves personnel matters in a fair, consistent, and timely manner.
- Fosters high levels of communication and transparency.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities (continued)
ORGANIZATION LEADERSHIP
The Managing Attorney promotes and integrates the work of the Rocky Mountain office into the overall Earthjustice organization and is an effective leader for the organization.
Specifically, the Managing Attorney:
- Connects the Rocky Mountain office with other parts of Earthjustice and ensures effective communication between the office and other Earthjustice offices and departments on a regular basis.
- Participates actively in fundraising activities and develops strong relationships with regional individual donors and foundation representatives.
- Serves as an ambassador and spokesperson for the office, internally and externally.
- Ensures that office operations are fiscally responsible and aligned with Earthjustice expectations, policies, or processes.
- Ensures office participation and integration with cross-office practice groups.
- Participates actively in various organizational management structures and projects.
- Ensures that the office has the resources necessary to meet its strategic objectives.
OTHER DUTIES AS REQUESTED BY THE VICE-PRESIDENT OF LITIGATION AND REQUIRED FOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE ORGANIZATION.
Desired Leadership Qualities and Experience
- Highly effective litigator with substantial experience in environmental or public interest law; 12+ years of litigation experience.
- Strategic and visionary balanced with pragmatic approaches to ensure results are obtained consistently.
- Commitment to making Earthjustice as a whole and the Rocky Mountain office specifically highly effective in cutting edge litigation.
- Entrepreneurial with proven ability to identify new opportunities that have lasting impact while also working effectively as part of regional and national teams.
- Demonstrated experience in managing staff and using effective internal communication structures and approaches.
- Demonstrated experience and interest in coaching, guiding, and mentoring attorneys at different levels of their career development to continually improve their effectiveness.
- Knowledge of primary environmental issues in the Rocky Mountain region.
- Outstanding written and verbal communication skills with experience in working with the media and political and community leaders.
- Commitment to fundraising and developing ongoing relationships with donors, especially individual donors and foundation representatives.
- Proven ability to partner with other organizations to achieve objectives and to maintain long term relationships with clients and partnering agencies.
- Proven ability to manage operations including budgets and programs.
The Managing Attorney must be a member of the Colorado bar or be able to be admitted to the Colorado bar within one year of employment. The Managing Attorney must also be willing to live in the Denver metro area and travel as needed.
The Managing Attorney is a results-oriented, visionary, creative, highly skilled litigator. The Managing Attorney is collaborative, collegial, and values working with a dedicated, skilled team that also has a sense of humor. The Managing Attorney works collaboratively and strategically with the leadership and the staff of Earthjustice to protect places, natural resources and wildlife of this earth, and to defend the right of all people to a healthy environment.
Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply for this position by sending their resume, cover letter, and salary requirements to Carolyn McCormick of Peak HR Consulting, LLC at Carolyn.McCormick@peakhrconsulting.com. All applications are to be submitted via email.
