BIPOC Owned
Energy

Legal Administrative Assistant

Southern Environmental Law Center

Overview

Location

Washington

DC

Experience

Mid

Compensation

$63,000-$73,000

Workplace

Hybrid

Education

N/A

Apply Before

February 27, 2025

Job Description

The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) is accepting applications for a Legal Administrative Assistant to join our Washington, D.C. office. This is an excellent opportunity to join a highly successful, nationally recognized organization that is effectively addressing some of the most pressing and challenging environmental issues throughout the South and the nation. 

The principal responsibilities of the Legal Administrative Assistant are to provide support to the attorneys in the office and perform and coordinate administrative functions. This support will fall into two main categories. The assistant will have a full range of legal support responsibilities, including court-related filings and research tasks. In addition, the legal assistant may assist with various administrative duties to ensure efficient and well-organized office operations. 

 SELC has a hybrid work model that offers employees the flexibility to work remotely up to two days per week. This is a full-time, non-exempt position.  


Primary Responsibilities: 

  • Provides legal support to SELC attorneys, which may include preparing and submitting court filings in state/federal courts and FERC, preparing and submitting comment letters to federal and state agencies, researching local court rules, calendaring deadlines, proofreading and editing written materials, and other litigation support tasks. 
  • Maintains digital and physical files including pleadings, transcripts, memos, and correspondence, computes and calendars court deadlines. 
  • Prepares and submits Freedom of Information Act requests; tracks receipt. 
  • Assists in the collection and review of documents and records obtained through public records requests, including authoring summaries or memoranda.  
  • Handles discovery in litigation in e-discovery software; experience with Logikcull a plus. 
  • Conducts factual research utilizing a variety of resources including internal records, newspaper and media sources, scientific reports, government websites and social media; and then uses the findings to prepare spreadsheets, graphs, charts, and summaries. 
  • Produces professional-level research and writing. 
  • Processes and tracks consultant invoices. 
  • Handles various administrative tasks including booking travel and submitting expense reports. Assists fellow legal administrative assistants with daily tasks in a collaborative environment. 

Required Qualifications: 

  • At least five years of legal support experience. 
  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent mix of education and experience. 
  • Strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion; you engage in ongoing personal learning and are eager to contribute to our organizational efforts to be a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. 
  • Cheerful outlook and enthusiasm for all tasks required for this position.  
  • Highly dependable and punctual. 
  • Ability to work well both independently and within several different teams. 
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills and ability to work effectively and efficiently under tight deadlines. 
  • Proficiency with PCs and Microsoft Office applications, including editing and working with PDFs in Adobe, formatting and formulas in Excel spreadsheets, advanced word processing skills in Word, and creating professional Power Point presentations. 
  • Demonstrated organizational and administrative skills. 

Desired Qualifications: 

  • At least two years of litigation support experience in federal court; experience with discovery and depositions.  
  • Demonstrated environmental interest. 

About SELC:  

The Southern Environmental Law Center is one of the nation’s most powerful defenders of the environment, rooted in the South. With a long track record, SELC takes on the toughest environmental challenges in court, in government, and in our communities to protect our region’s air, water, climate, wildlife, lands, and people. Nonprofit and nonpartisan, the organization has a staff of over 200, including more than 130 legal and policy experts, and is headquartered in Charlottesville, VA, with offices in Asheville, Atlanta, Birmingham, Chapel Hill, Charleston, Nashville, Richmond, and Washington, DC.  

At our core, we are place-based, rooted in our region, and connected with the communities and clients we serve. We believe in an equitable and inclusive workplace that reflects the rich racial and cultural diversity of our region and allows diverse perspectives to come to the forefront. We approach our work with the highest level of integrity, holding ourselves to high standards with an emphasis on honesty, accountability, and thoughtfulness. We value collaboration and camaraderie, realizing we are strongest when we work together and knowing that everyone has a critical role to play. We strive for impact through a strategic, bold, pragmatic, and ambitious outlook that is dedicated to achieving powerful results. We believe in these values and in the power of SELC. We hope you consider joining us. Learn more at https://www.southernenvironment.org/.   


Compensation: 

SELC offers salaries competitive with other leading environmental nonprofits nationally and provides an excellent benefits package. The starting salary range for this position is $63,000 – $73,000 commensurate with experience and inclusive of a geographic premium for Washington, DC. For more details about our benefits package, please visit our Careers page

SELC is a PSLF (Public Service Loan Forgiveness) eligible employer.  

SELC will also provide relocation reimbursement for those relocating for an SELC position, up to a specific dollar amount and contingent on the move being at least 50 miles from the current primary address. 


To Apply:

To apply, click on the ‘Apply Now’ button below to be directed to an online application where you may upload your application materials. Applicants must submit a cover letter and resume. Interested persons should apply immediately. We will review and interview applicants on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

SELC is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to fostering an inclusive workplace environment. We are eager to welcome new team members who share this commitment. We still have much progress to make, but our goal is to create and maintain a staff that, at every level, reflects the rich racial and cultural diversity of the communities where we work and the clients that we serve. Persons of all backgrounds—including people of color, women, people with disabilities, veterans, and LGBTQ candidates—are strongly encouraged to apply. 

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