Associate General Counsel

NRDC (the Natural Resources Defense Council) works to safeguard the Earth, its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. NRDC combines the power of more than 3 million members and online activists with the expertise of some 800 policy advocates, lawyers, scientists, and communication experts to confront the climate crisis, protect nature, and ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities.

As an international nonprofit environmental organization, NRDC is working to address the world’s most urgent environmental challenges, and advance innovative, science-based, and enforceable solutions.

Since our founding in 1970, NRDC has helped craft and deliver many of America’s foundational environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. Today, we continue to lead in advancing and defending strong environmental protections at the local, state, federal and international levels, as well as through the marketplace. Our team works across the United States and around the world, from offices in Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., as well as in Beijing, London, and New Delhi (a subsidiary of NRDC India Pvt.

Ltd.).

Supported by our members and online activists, NRDC is driving impactful solutions that confront the climate crisis, defend nature and safeguard public health across

Asia, Africa, and the Americas. At NRDC, we believe lasting change happens when people bring their talent, passion, and expertise together for a common purpose: to build a cleaner, healthier, and more resilient world. Learn more

NRDC, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, employs over a hundred lawyers who practice law on a wide range of matters and in various jurisdictions throughout the United States. NRDC is seeking a highly knowledgeable and motivated Associate General Counsel to advise and support NRDC and its employees on a range of legal matters, with a primary, but not exclusive focus on legal ethics in the practice of law and complex professional responsibility matters, along with privacy, security, and other issues.

Associate General Counsel will be part of the Office of the General Counsel, which provides in‑house legal support to all NRDC programs and departments, and will also collaborate closely with attorneys on the Litigation Team. The position is based in our Washington, DC, Chicago, IL, New York, NY, Santa Monica, CA or San Francisco, CA office.

• Provide guidance to individual lawyers employed by NRDC and to NRDC as an institution on practice of law issues.
• Conduct legal research, and develop and update memos, policies and guidelines on legal ethics and practices.
• Interpret complex ethical rules across jurisdictions to ensure legal and professional standards are met within the organization.
• Remain up to date on relevant areas of law and communicate relevant changes to staff as appropriate.
• Serve as in‑house resource on professional responsibility matters.
• Serve as point of contact on litigation and legal contracts to resolve complex ethical and institutional matters.
• Conduct conflict of interest searches for incoming attorneys and staff and identify areas of concern and provide guidance.
• Provide periodic training to all NRDC lawyers and other staff, including but not limited to legal ethics, attorney‑client privilege, attorney work product, and common interest privilege.
• Work with relevant Legal Operations staff to ensure adequate procedures where conflicts are identified.
• Collaborate with HR, IT and other departments to ensure policy and practices alignment.
• Support cross‑functional teams to address institutional risks, and investigate and resolve privacy and security matters.
• Advise relevant staff leaders on emerging compliance trends and risks.
• Perform other duties as required, including but not limited to legal operations and institutional risk management.

The above list of duties is not comprehensive but generally demonstrates the types of matters under this position’s responsibility. Other duties may be assigned.