Environment Texas seeks summer 2015 legal interns

At Environment Texas, our legal interns can put their ideals front and center. From minimizing the damage done to our communities from oil and gas drilling to advocating for more wind and solar energy, protecting Texas’ state and local parks to keeping our air clean and healthy, Environment Texas’ legal interns work with a team of experienced advocates and organizers to create social and political change that protects the places we love, advance the environmental values we share, and win real results for our environment.

Environment Texas Legal Intern Job Description:

At Environment Texas, our legal interns can put their ideals front and center. From minimizing the damage done to our communities from oil and gas drilling to advocating for more wind and solar energy, protecting Texas’ state and local parks to keeping our air clean and healthy, Environment Texas’ legal interns work with a team of experienced advocates and organizers to create social and political change that protects the places we love, advance the environmental values we share, and win real results for our environment.

While much of Environment Texas work centers on the legislative arena, we take our issues to whatever forum offers the best hope of winning results. In addition to lobbying decision makers, we file lawsuits, testify at administrative hearings, and even file shareholder resolutions.

Individual Environment Texas legal intern’s responsibilities will be dependent on the campaigns with which they work. Representative job duties include:

  • Legal Research: Produce high quality legal research on a range of potential issues, including violations of the Clean Water Act, potential legal consequences of proposed bills or policies or review the merits of relevant pending cases.
  • Campaign strategy: Strategize how to gain political support for Environment Texas’ campaigns through coalition-building, grassroots organizing, media publicity, endorsements and message development. Take complex policies and boil them down to succinct messages that can be delivered to the public through media and grassroots organizing.
  • Media outreach: Serve as a public spokesperson for our campaigns by drafting letters to the editor, organizing media events, submitting press releases, attending editorial board meetings and other PR tactics.
  • Fundraising: Write grant proposals, network with donors, and present our case to foundations. Seek creative approaches for bringing more resources to our efforts.

Qualifications:

We’re looking for goal-driven and results-oriented individuals with a strong commitment to protecting our environment, leadership skills and initiative, and an aptitude for verbal and written communications. Candidates should have completed at least 1 year of law school. The ideal candidate has experience volunteering or working with a nonprofit organization or political campaign.

To apply, please send a resume and cover letter to Luke Metzger at [email protected]

Authors

Luke Metzger

Executive Director, Environment Texas

As the executive director of Environment Texas, Luke is a leading voice in the state for clean air and water, parks and wildlife, and a livable climate. Luke recently led the successful campaign to get the Texas Legislature and voters to invest $1 billion to buy land for new state parks. He also helped win permanent protection for the Christmas Mountains of Big Bend; helped compel Exxon, Shell and Chevron Phillips to cut air pollution at four Texas refineries and chemical plants; and got the Austin and Houston school districts to install filters on water fountains to protect children from lead in drinking water. The San Antonio Current has called Luke "long one of the most energetic and dedicated defenders of environmental issues in the state." He has been named one of the "Top Lobbyists for Causes" by Capitol Inside, received the President's Award from the Texas Recreation and Parks Society for his work to protect Texas parks. He is a board member of the Clean Air Force of Central Texas and an advisory board member of the Texas Tech University Masters of Public Administration program. Luke, his wife, son and daughters are working to visit every state park in Texas.