Litigation Strategy Director

The Southern Environmental Law Center is seeking a Litigation Strategy Director
, a senior leader responsible for the strategy, standards, and professional development that keep SELC’s litigation among the best in the country.

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.

This full-time, exempt position has a flexible start date. This position may be based in any of SELC’s offices:
Asheville, NC;
Atlanta, GA;
Birmingham, AL;
Chapel Hill, NC;
Charleston, SC;
Charlottesville, VA;
Nashville, TN;
Richmond, VA; or Washington, D.C. We have a particular interest in candidates who could be based in Chapel Hill, NC, or Charlottesville, VA, but candidates interested in any SELC office are encouraged to apply. SELC has a hybrid work model that offers employees the flexibility to work remotely up to two days per week. Employees must reside in a state where SELC has an office, Maryland, or Washington, D.C. Relocation reimbursement is available for those moving to join us.

The Litigation Strategy Director sustains SELC’s tradition of legal excellence: well-trained, well-supported attorneys bringing high-impact litigation to the highest professional standards. Reporting to the Chief Program Officer, the Litigation Strategy Director is a leadership position on a peer level with Managing Directors, Program Directors, the Federal Affairs Strategy Director, and the Advocacy Strategy Director. This position requires exceptional legal judgment, subject-matter expertise, and the interpersonal skill to work effectively with attorneys ranging in experience from associates to senior litigators.

The Director provides institution-wide leadership on litigation strategy and tactics, standards, policies, professional development, and the deployment of litigation resources.

The Litigation Strategy Director will not carry a substantial independent docket. Instead, the Director consults with litigators on significant decisions and engages directly in matters only when experienced engagement would materially strengthen SELC’s work.

To learn more about this position, please read the Litigation Strategy Director Leadership Profile.

• Partner with the Chief Program Officer and other leaders to make litigation a central part of SELC's program plans, policy strategy, and coordinated advocacy across offices and jurisdictions.
• Serve as SELC's principal advisor on litigation strategy, helping teams make consequential decisions, strengthen significant filings, and prepare for arguments and other critical proceedings.
• Approve novel or especially consequential litigation decisions and first-chair assignments, and oversee litigation approvals and updates to the Board. Guide the development of test cases and precedent-setting litigation.
• Anticipate legal and procedural developments that may affect SELC's work, guide teams on emerging risks, and work with the General Counsel on ethics, conflicts, and professional standards.
• Supervise attorneys and mentor litigators across SELC, helping them build sound judgment, strong advocacy skills, and the experience to take on greater responsibility.
• Set priorities for litigation training and professional development, and foster a culture of legal excellence, integrity, collaboration, and respectful candor.
• Work with leaders to assess litigation capacity, deploy resources effectively, advise on hiring decisions for senior litigators, and maintain the policies and systems that enable excellent litigation.
• Coordinate strategy with national and regional partners and build strong…