Environmental Justice Law Fellow - Staff Attorney / Staff Attorney Trainee

Salary : $102,720.40 - $186,655.57 Annually
Location : 375 Beale St # 600, San Francisco, CA
Job Type: Full Time
Remote Employment: Flexible/Hybrid
Job Number: RS-2026-8M102-LEG
Department: Legal
Opening Date: 10/01/2026
Closing Date: 11/16/2026 5:00 PM Pacific

Description
The Bay Area Air District's Environmental Justice Law Fellowship Program provides new attorneys with experience in the Air District's equity and environmental Justice work. Full information about the program is available The program is intended for new attorneys with less than two years of experience at the time of hire. Current third-year students (3Ls) and recent graduates who are in the process of obtaining admission to the California bar are encouraged to apply. A successful applicant who is admitted to practice at the time of hire will be hired into the Staff Attorney position. A successful applicant who is still in the process of gaining admission at the time of hire may start work pending admission to practice; they will be hired into the Staff Attorney Trainee position and will be eligible for placement into the Staff Attorney position upon admission to the California bar within 12 months of hire.

ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP
The provides new attorneys with experience in the Air District's equity and environmental justice work. Fellows work on matters in the Legal Division involving environmental justice issues, and they also provide legal support for the Air District's environmental-justice-focused work being undertaken through the Environmental Justice and Community Engagement Office.

Examples of the types of projects a fellow may work on include:

• Working with the Air District's AB 617 Community Emission Reduction Plan steering committees;
• Impact litigation in overburdened communities to enforce Air District regulations against chronic violators;
• Legal work supporting the Air District's Community Advisory Council;
• Implementing initiatives to address cumulative impacts, disparate impact analyses, and other elements of civil rights compliance in the Air District permitting program;
• Drafting CEQA comments on projects proposing to locate in overburdened communities.

The Air District is currently accepting applications for the Environmental Justice Law Fellow (Staff Attorney / Staff Attorney Trainee) in the Legal Division. This is an open recruitment for one (1) full-time position for a temporary 2-year term. The Air District is seeking to hire an Environmental Justice Law Fellow as a Staff Attorney (for applicants who are admitted to practice in California at the time of hire) or Staff Attorney Trainee (for applicants who are still in the process of gaining admission at the time of hire) for a 2-year term.

As this is a 2-year temporary position, it is paid on an hourly basis and is eligible for limited medical benefits under CalPERS after exceeding 1,000 hours of work per fiscal year. The Air District will also provide paid sick leave in accordance with the City and County of San Francisco's statute regarding paid sick leave. As an hourly temporary position, this position does not include paid holidays or vacation leave.

Staff Attorney:
Staff Attorney is the entry-level attorney position in the legal division. It is designed to allow a new attorney to gain specific environmental law experience. Incumbents receive direct guidance and supervision in the performance of their duties. Assignments at this level require the ability to handle routine matters under general supervision.

Staff Attorney Trainee:
Staff Attorney Trainee is the position intended for recent law school graduates and others who are not yet admitted to practice who begin work while they are in the process of obtaining admission to the California bar. Positions in this class provide supervised assistance to Air District attorneys with work on routine legal assignments while learning the Air District policies and procedures and specialized legal knowledge relating to air quality. Positions follow existing guidelines and procedures. Works under supervision of an Air District attorney and does not engage in the practice of law. Eligible for placement to Staff Attorney upon admission to practice in California, which must be completed with 12 months of hire.
Examples of Duties for this Position

The following are examples of typical duties of the Staff Attorney / Staff Attorney Trainee position. Participants in the Environmental Justice Law Fellowship Program will perform duties of this nature, but with a specific focus on the Air District's equity and environmental justice work.

Staff Attorney:

Researches legal issues and prepares and reviews legal documents, including opinions, briefs, ordinances, resolutions, and contracts.

Advises Air District departmental management regarding Air District authority, jurisdiction, functions and operational procedures.

Attends Air District departmental, board and committee meetings and provides legal advice on a variety of matters.

Investigates and prepares reports regarding claims by and against the Air District and recommends actions to be taken.

Prepares and tries routine legal cases, often involving a specialized body of law.

Represents the Air District in court and in administrative hearings before boards and commissions and state and federal agencies.

Reviews ordinances, resolutions, contracts and other documents for legal sufficiency; recommends modifications as required.

Maintains accurate records and files and compiles reports of work performed.

Monitors legal developments, including proposed legislation and court decisions; evaluates their impact on Air District operations.

Supports special projects as needed.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Staff Attorney Trainee:
Conducts legal research and prepares legal memoranda for review by Air District attorneys.

Assists Air District attorneys in the preparation of routine cases, often involving a specialized body of law.

Assists Air District attorneys in reviewing air quality regulations and policies.

Monitors legal developments, including proposed legislation and court decisions, considers their impacts on the Air District operations, and reports to supervising attorneys.

Participates in Air District departmental, Board, and committee meetings.

Maintains, organizes, and tracks accurate records and compiles reports of work performed.

Supports special projects as needed.

Performs related duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications

Staff Attorney:
Equivalent to a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and a law degree from an accredited law school. Must be a member in good standing of the State Bar of California.

Staff Attorney Trainee:
Equivalent to a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and a law degree from an accredited law school. Must be in the process of gaining admission to the California bar (including studying for, taking, and passing the bar exam and fulfilling all related requirements for admission). Employees in the Staff Attorney Trainee position must obtain bar admission for placement to Staff Attorney within twelve months of hire.
How to Apply & Selection Criteria

How to Apply

Interested individuals must submit a completed Air District application and responses to the supplemental questionnaire by 5pm on Monday, November 16, 2026. Resumes are encouraged, and will not be accepted in lieu of the required application materials. Applications are accepted online; please visit our website at to apply. Postmarks, faxes, and e-mailed applications will not be accepted.

Except as requested in this announcement, do not include any additional documents, such as letters of recommendation, performance evaluations, work samples, etc. They will not be considered.

Supplemental Questions InstructionsIndividuals who apply for this position must respond to each of the required supplemental questions. Applications must be received by the Human Resources Office no later than the time and date specified in this vacancy announcement.

Persons with disabilities who may require reasonable accommodations during the application and/or selection process should notify the Human Resources Office at (415) 749-4980.

• Cost-Sharing Medical, Dental & Vision Options
• Life Insurance (up to 5 times annual salary)
• CalPERS Retirement Plan
• Money Purchase Pension Plan
• 457 Deferred Compensation Plan
• Transit Subsidy
• Education Reimbursement
• Vacation Leave
• Sick Leave
• Paid Holidays
• Floating Holiday Leave
• Administrative Leave
• 9-80 Compressed Work Week
• Flexible schedule and Remote Work option
• Employees Assistance Program
• and the Opportunity to Help Provide a Healthy Breathing Environment for Every Bay Area Resident.

For a list of the full benefits, please click
01

Are you a member in good standing of the California State Bar?

• Yes
• No

02

If your answer to Question 1 is no, please explain. If you have not obtained admission to the California bar, you may apply for this position if you are planning to do so or are in the process of doing so. Please explain your plans for obtaining admission to the California bar, including but not limited to when you plan to take the bar exam, and if you have already taken the exam, the date(s) of the exam(s) taken. A successful applicant who has not yet been admitted at the time they start work will be hired into the Staff Attorney Trainee classification pending admission to the California bar for placement to Staff Attorney.
03

Please describe your own personal experience facing environmental injustice.
04

Please describe your interest in a legal career focused on equity and environmental justice issues, or on related issues with relevance to the intersection of environmental pollution, civil rights, and social justice. Please include all relevant lived and practical experience (e.g., prior jobs, internships, community advocacy work, etc).
05

Please provide one legal writing sample demonstrating your analytical and legal writing skills. We encourage you to use a piece with as little editing by someone else as possible. Please specify whether your writing sample was edited by anyone other than you and, if so, which sections were edited and for what purpose. You can submit this as an attachment.
06

Please provide copies of your transcripts from your law school and undergraduate studies. You may submit unofficial copies at the time of application, but official transcripts will be required before an applicant may be hired.
Required Question