Assistant Section Chief - Environmental Defense Section

The Environmental Defense Section (EDS) is seeking to hire an experienced attorney for the position of Assistant Section Chief for the petition for review practice. This practice area within EDS consists of challenges to rules and other final EPA actions under the major pollution-control statutes (e.g., the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Toxic Substances Control Act, etc.) that are filed as petitions for review in the courts of appeals. One position will be filled in Washington DC or Denver.

The Assistant Section Chief, along with the section's Senior Counsel for Appellate Matters, supervises the work of dozens of the section's staff attorneys on petition for review matters. These cases run the gamut from complex, multi-party challenges to high-profile national rules, to more limited challenges to regional, state and facility-specific actions. Historically, over fifty percent of Section petition for review cases have arisen under the Clean Air Act. While these petitions for review are filed in all the courts of appeals, the majority are typically filed in the D.C. Circuit. The Assistant Section Chief's responsibilities include: direct supervision of the section's Senior Counsel for Appellate Matters; assigning legal casework to EDS staff attorneys; assuring appropriate staffing on each petition for review matter; providing legal, strategic and other guidance; ensuring compliance with all relevant Department of Justice policies; reviewing written briefs and other court filings for substantive accuracy and for consistency with positions in other litigation; determining settlement positions; and preparing attorneys for oral argument. The Assistant Section Chief may also work on select high profile petition for review matters directly. The Assistant Section Chief also provides advice and consultation to client agencies and DOJ leadership on significant environmental and administrative law issues and works closely with the Office of the Solicitor General on cases involving rehearing en banc and certiorari. The Assistant Section Chief is responsible for annual attorney progress reviews and ratings, mentoring attorneys at all stages of their careers, and promoting the professional development of EDS attorneys. Responsibilities also include assisting the EDS Section Chief on non-litigation and administrative matters, and with overall management of the section.