Legal Fellow

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Details

Job Type:Full TimeJob Type:TemporaryStart Date:January 23, 2026End Date:March 31, 2027Education:J.D. RequiredExperience Level:Entry levelSalary:USD $72,000 - $85,000 / yearIdealist encourages all organizations to include salary ranges when possible. Please consider this range a "best estimate" rather than a firm or final offer.Dependent upon experience and location.Cause Areas:Environment & Sustainability, Climate Change, Agriculture, Policy, Consumer Protection

Description

Legal Fellow

Food & Water Watch (FWW) is looking for a Legal Fellow to join our legal team, Food & Water Justice (FWJ), to advance our legal work to oppose factory farming. The fellowship will primarily focus on issues and matters in the Midwest. This position is remote but may require some travel.

About Food & Water Watch:

Food & Water Watch is working to create a healthy future for all people and generations to come—a world where everyone has food they can trust, clean drinking water, and a livable climate. Making this happen requires involving people in the pressing issues of our time at the local, state, and federal level, building on one win after another, as we develop a larger movement that has the political power to make our democratic process work.

About the position:

The Legal Fellow will report to the Legal Director and will work with other staff on the legal, policy, organizing, digital, and communications teams to support Food & Water Watch’s work. The Legal Fellow will advance our broad and creative docket of legal strategies, including case development, litigation, regulatory advocacy, and grassroots campaign support. The Legal Fellow will primarily work on legal advocacy to counter the many environmental, social, and public health impacts of the concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) industry in the Midwest. This is a full-time, temporary grant-funded position for one year.

Salary: $72000 - $85000 annually dependent upon experience and location; this is an exempt status position.

Location: The position is fully remote, but most work will be done on Midwest matters. Some work may revolve around the Central time zone. Occasional travel may be necessary.

Responsibilities:
Advance high-impact litigation. Work with FWJ attorneys and outside co-counsel to represent FWW and allies, from case development through appeals, on a wide range of legal strategies to further FWW’s campaign to ban factory farms. **
- Engage in strategic administrative advocacy. Represent FWW in state and federal regulatory proceedings, including rulemakings, and advocate for our policy positions in meetings with federal and state government agencies and policymakers.
- Support bold organizing. Provide legal support related to CAFO issues for FWW’s organizing team, coalition partners, and grassroots allies.
- Represent FWW. Maintain familiarity with Food & Water Watch’s priority issue campaigns and policy positions and be comfortable presenting aggressive viewpoints to decisionmakers, the media, and allies in various settings.
- Write to inspire action. Effectively communicate about complex and technical issues to a broad audience through website content, email actions, and other public-facing materials about our legal work.
- Build Food & Water Watch for the long haul. Participate in development-related tasks as needed.
- Carry out other projects as assigned.
Required Qualifications:**

• Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school and bar admission in any U.S. state.
• 0-2 years of experience as a practicing attorney.
• Substantive knowledge of environmental law and litigation.
• Commitment to Food & Water Watch’s core values of justice, human dignity, fair treatment, and equity.
• Ability to work effectively with people of diverse racial, ethnic, class, age, gender, and sexual orientation backgrounds.
• Excellent legal analysis and writing skills.
• Excellent verbal communication skills.
• Excellent time management & organizational skills, and ability to balance multiple projects.

• Ability to work remotely using basic online programs, including email, Slack, and Google docs.
  Desired but not required skills and experience:

• Environmental litigation experience.

• Familiarity with food system issues and demonstrated commitment to ending factory farming.
• Familiarity with Midwest environmental issues, politics, and communities.
  Compensation: $72000 - $85000 annually dependent upon experience and location.

Food & Water Watch provides an excellent benefits package for full-time employees. This includes 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision plans for staff; 403b retirement plans with employer contribution once eligible; 12 weeks paid parental leave once eligible; 3 weeks’ vacation for new employees; 12 sick days and 5 personal days; paid federal holidays and winter break (December 24 – January 1).

This position is a bargaining unit position covered under a contract between Food & Water Watch and the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU). This is an exempt status position.

Click here to apply. Please include your resume, cover letter, legal writing sample of no more than 10 pages, three professional references, and your law school transcript to be considered. Position open until filled. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

We will review your application, and if we feel that your knowledge, skills and abilities are potentially a good match for our organization, we will be in contact with you.

Food & Water Watch is an equal opportunity employer who encourages applications from women, people of color, LGBTQ individuals, individuals with disabilities, and other members of underrepresented groups. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this role.

Food & Water Watch (FWW) is committed to the health and safety of its staff members. Moreover, FWW, as an organization, promotes science-based policy. Science clearly shows that unvaccinated populations drive the spread of the coronavirus and the emergence of new variants, and that unvaccinated people are more likely to contract COVID and experience severe symptoms. Effective immediately, it is strongly recommended that prospective new staff members provide proof of vaccination.
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Benefits

Food & Water Watch provides an excellent benefits package for full-time employees. This includes 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision plans for staff; 403b retirement plans with employer contribution once eligible; 12 weeks paid parental leave once eligible; 3 weeks’ vacation for new employees; 12 sick days and 5 personal days; paid federal holidays and winter break (December 24 – January 1).

Location

RemoteWork can be performed from anywhere in United States

Associated Location

Washington, DC, USA

How to Apply

Go to WebsiteSend EmailCopy Email
Please include your resume, cover letter, legal writing sample of no more than 10 pages, three professional references, and your law school transcript to be considered. Position open until filled. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

We will review your application, and if we feel that your knowledge, skills and abilities are potentially a good match for our organization, we will be in contact with you.

Food & Water Watch is an equal opportunity employer who encourages applications from women, people of color, LGBTQ individuals, individuals with disabilities, and other members of underrepresented groups. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this role.

Food & Water Watch (FWW) is committed to the health and safety of its staff members. Moreover, FWW, as an organization, promotes science-based policy. Science clearly shows that unvaccinated populations drive the spread of the coronavirus and the emergence of new variants, and that unvaccinated people are more likely to contract COVID and experience severe symptoms. Effective immediately, it is strongly recommended that prospective new staff members provide proof of vaccination.
Read more about how to applyRead less about how to apply

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This role creates positive change by advancing legal strategies to oppose factory farming and concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), working to create a world with safe food, clean water, and a livable climate through litigation, regulatory advocacy, and grassroots campaign support.

Required qualifications:

• Juris Doctor degree from accredited law school and bar admission in any U.S. state
• 0-2 years of experience as a practicing attorney
• Substantive knowledge of environmental law and litigation
• Excellent legal analysis, writing, and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work effectively with diverse populations and manage multiple projects

Compensation: $72,000 - $85,000 annually dependent upon experience and location

Benefits include:

• 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision plans
• 403b retirement plans with employer contribution
• 12 weeks paid parental leave
• 3 weeks vacation for new employees
• 12 sick days and 5 personal days
• Paid federal holidays and winter break (December 24 – January 1)
• Bargaining unit position covered under union contract

Food & Water Watch is working to create a healthy future for all people and generations to come—a world where everyone has food they can trust, clean drinking water, and a livable climate by involving people in pressing issues at local, state, and federal levels.