Job Posting for SOS Staff Attorney

Save Our Springs Alliance
Austin, Texas 

Preferred Start Date: As soon as possible (negotiable)

Practice Areas: Water, endangered species, land protection, and historic and cultural preservation under federal, state, and local laws. Policy and legislative advocacy on land, water, wildlife, and climate issues.

Description: Save Our Springs Alliance seeks a motivated and dedicated public interest environmental protection advocate to join its teams as a Staff Attorney. Save Our Springs is a small nonprofit using education, advocacy, and litigation to protect the Edwards Aquifer Ecosystem, which includes all of the largest springs in Texas, the major water supply for the Austin-to-San Antonio corridor, and dozens of threatened and endangered species that live here and nowhere else in the world. Since 1992, Save Our Springs has combined science, economics, and citizen action with legal expertise to protect our Texas Hill Country home. The attorney would work under Executive Director and attorney Bill Bunch. We work hard, we have fun, and we go swimming. The swimming is optional but recommended.

Responsibilities include:

• Managing a project load with a variety of litigation and non-litigation advocacy projects. Typically, an attorney’s docket will include projects for which he or she has primarily responsibility as well as cases on which he or she works in a supporting role with other attorneys.
• Participating in all aspects of litigation in state and federal court, including factual investigation, legal research, discovery, briefing, witness preparation, and oral advocacy.
• Submitting comments orally and in writing to federal, state, and local governmental agencies.
• Attending and speaking at various meetings and hearings of governmental entities, including the Texas Legislature.
• Participating in coalition building on interdisciplinary policy issues; collaborating with other organizations on strategies and work product.
• Drafting FOIA and Texas Public Information Act requests.
• Aiding in the selection and supervision of legal interns.
• Supporting various outreach events throughout the year.

Qualifications:

• J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school.
• Membership in the Texas bar or willingness to waive in or sit for the Texas Bar Exam.
• Demonstrated interest in and commitment to environmental protection and/or public interest law.
• Excellent research and writing skills.
• Ability to work independently and in a small, collegial environment.
• A strong work ethic, sense of initiative, and creativity. Salary is commensurate with experience, on the non-profit scale.

To Apply: Send a résumé, cover letter, law school transcript (for lawyers practicing five years or less), writing sample (preferably a legal brief or memorandum), and a list of references to victoria@sosalliance.org Please put “Staff Attorney Applicant” in the subject line.

We intend to fill this position as soon as possible.  Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Date Posted: November 2, 2022.

Contact Information:
Victoria Rose victoria@sosalliance.org
512-477-2320, ext. 6
4701 West Gate Blvd., D-401 Austin, TX 78745