Senior Staff Attorney, Clean Energy & Green Finance

ABOUT US Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) coordinates large scale pro bono programs to ensure that all levels of government - national, state, and local - protect human rights and provide equal justice under the law. We believe not only in the establishment and enforcement of equality under the law, but in the creation of social and economic conditions that lead to true equity and systemic change. We currently run programs in the following areas: climate change and environmental justice (CCEJ), immigration, racial justice, voting rights, government accountability, and responding to emergent legal needs. L4GG’s CCEJ Program mobilizes lawyers nationwide to combat the climate crisis and promote environmental justice. We use the law to implement and execute climate solutions equitably at federal, state, and local levels, with twin goals of expediting the country’s just transition to a green economy and directly addressing environmental racism. We do this by: advocating for federal agencies to address climate change and equity through their climate and infrastructure program funding assisting state and local governments with creating and implementing laws and policies Directly assisting tribal governments and territories, nonprofits, religious institutions, school districts and local governments to deploy clean energy projects that benefit communities Pushing for environmental justice policies at the state and local level providing low-income cities, underserved communities, nonprofits, Tribal entities, etc. that are most harmed by discriminatory environmental practices with high quality, pro bono legal representation. Over the past four years, the CCEJ Program has become a key technical assistance provider to federal, state, and local leaders, tribal and territorial governments, nonprofit partners and frontline communities to help ensure the equitable distribution of historic federal funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and other federal laws to expedite a just transition to a green economy. Over the last year alone, L4GG has provided guidance to over 800 local governments, states, tribal entities, and nonprofits who have had their federal funding frozen, canceled or terminated. L4GG has also provided direct assistance to over 250 community developers to expedite clean energy projects with services including but not limited to: tax credit advice, building a capital stack, green finance and project finance assistance, pre-development work, utility negotiations, and community developer roadmaps. L4GG has assisted hundreds of communities navigate the obstacles created by the current federal administration and complete their projects. L4GG is regularly sought out by governor’s offices, local governments, tribal governments, thought leaders, and nonprofit partners to provide guidance on clean energy projects and environmental justice policies. L4GG is looking to expand its efforts to provide a more comprehensive set of services to communities to deploy clean energy and infrastructure projects, particularly with respect to project predevelopment to help level the playing field for community developers with incredible clean energy projects that cannot afford complex project finance, tax, and pre-development legal advice. L4GG has a pipeline of over 400 community developed projects that, if constructed, could change the historic inequities between utility scale solutions and local community ownership. L4GG is looking for a dynamic transaction-oriented attorney with experience in any of the following combinations: project finance, capital markets, project entitlements (federal, state, and local permitting requirements), energy development, or tax credits for clean energy. ABOUT THE POSITION STATUS: Full-Time LOCATION: Remote; location flexible. RESPONSIBILITIES: L4GG is searching for a senior clean energy and project finance attorney to help expand our “Runway Project” clean energy initiative, which includes leading the nationwide effort to expedite a just transition to the green economy and help communities and governments deploy clean energy and infrastructure projects. In particular, L4GG is perfectly positioned to identify and enable hundreds of projects whose funding has been disrupted by the current federal administration by helping these projects to become more financeable and overcome any development barriers. This person would help manage assistance to state and local agencies, Tribal governments and indigenous organizations, state and community green banks, CDFIs, and CBOs looking to maximally deploy community-led clean energy and infrastructure projects. Experience working with CDFIs or green banks in particular would be desirable. This person would be supported by a team of legal energy experts, including a supervising tax attorney and a supervising finance attorney as well as a large network of pro bono attorneys who could assist in providing any missing necessary expertise to help projects move forward. Specific Job Responsibilities Could Include: Evaluate project readiness in terms of project planning, funding, financeability, authorizations, and regulatory compliance, including reviewing pro formas, conducting due diligence Identify the list of authorizations that would be needed to complete the project Review procurement contracts for sufficiency and risk management Maintain a strong relationship with partner organizations and identify new partners that would be needed to help remove barriers to project deployment (L4GG has already built a large network of green lender partners that this person would help to cultivate) Create documentation templates, toolkits, guidance briefs, and training or educational content Guide or coach client communities on navigating the project development from planning to completion Develop a strong relationship with mission-oriented lenders and funders Be or become familiar with available federal and state incentives including tax credits with assistance from in-house experts Present to partners, funders, lenders, government officials, community leaders Facilitate solutions-oriented discussions with internal and external stakeholders to solve problems Help to co-counsel and manage the work of pro bono attorneys working on pre-development issues for our community developer clients The ideal candidate will have top-notch interpersonal skills, experience working with government officials and community leaders, good judgment, and the ability to work and thrive in a fast-paced environment with like-minded, passionate clean energy advocates. We seek someone who can work independently with a strong sense of urgency and take the initiative to identify and resolve challenges. This person will have the ability to move energy or infrastructure projects forward by proactively identifying barriers, offering solutions to de-risk projects, and working with partners to bring the projects to completion. The person should be mission-driven to help finance clean energy and climate justice projects in distressed communities by leveraging the tools in the IRA and other historic federal funding, as well as leveraging other state and local funding sources to build creative capital stacks for community projects. Must have access to a quiet workspace (home office or other space) with high-speed internet and the ability to take calls and/or video conferences during working hours. Required qualifications include: Education required: Law degree and 6+ years of experience in at least two of the following areas: tax, finance, banking, energy/infrastructure, permitting for clean energy projects, utility law, OR 3+ years specifically in project finance and tax Experience with the implementation of federal or state laws on clean energy or infrastructure Ability to work constructively with internal and external stakeholders and facilitate solution-oriented discussions Commitment to equity and our organization’s mission Passion for tackling climate change and climate justice issues Ability to work autonomously as well as collaborate and work well with a team Exceptionally strong written and verbal communication and presentation skills Strong interpersonal skills Comfortable working with and communicating with private sector attorneys and higher-level decision-makers at the federal, state, and local level Comfortable presenting technical legal issues to large audiences Proven ability to lead multiple projects simultaneously Consistent attention to detail Strong ability to prioritize, meet deadlines, and escalate issues to supervisors as needed Experience using Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Drive, and Mac computers Technology comfort and competence, including willingness to embrace new tools and self-train using provided resources as needed Desired qualifications include: Direct experience with implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act or the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, in particular, the various programs under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Experience helping to structure clean energy financing deals Located in or around Washington DC with a willingness to travel to present on public policy Experience with any or all of the following digital tools: Asana, Airtable, Zoom