Office of the
Illinois Attorney General
Kwame Raoul

The Illinois Attorney General plays a critical role in the enforcement of civil environmental laws. The Attorney General's primary role in environmental enforcement is handling enforcement actions referred to the Office by various state agencies, including the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois Department of Natural Resources and others.  The Division also engages in outreach to community members to learn of potential violations of environmental laws that are endangering the health and well-being of families and communities.  The Division works to stop pollution and ensure that polluters, not taxpayers, pay the cost of cleanup.

The Illinois Attorney General’s Office also ensures that federal agencies and officials comply with constitutional and statutory obligations and that federal environmental policies and actions do not unlawfully impinge on Illinois laws, Illinois residents, or the state of Illinois. 

Responsibilities:

Complex Environmental Litigation Counsel will pursue the Attorney General's environmental justice and environmental protection agenda, including enforcing Illinois’ environmental laws, promoting clean energy, addressing climate change, and advocating on other environmental matters of regional and national importance. The position will focus on combatting rollbacks of federal environmental, natural resource, and energy regulations that are important to the residents of Illinois. Responsibilities include evaluating potential and pending civil litigation, developing legal arguments and strategies, and collaborating with stakeholders to advance these efforts. The Complex Environmental Litigation Counsel may participate in litigation before state, federal, and appellate courts, as well as administrative agencies. The Complex Environmental Litigation Counsel will dually report to the Environmental Enforcement and Public Interest Divisions.

Qualifications:

Candidates must be licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois.  Candidates should have at least ten years of post-J.D. legal experience and possess excellent research and writing skills.  Candidates with significantly more legal experience are welcome to apply. Candidates must have demonstrated commitment to public service and experience in enforcing state and/or federal environmental laws. Candidates must also be able to work independently, interact with a diverse group of colleagues and stakeholders, and possess strong research, analytical, communication, and organizational skills. Candidates should have a demonstrated working knowledge of environmental and/or energy law and a strong background in federal administrative law.

Fellowship:

The position is a fellowship sponsored by the New York University School of Law State Energy & Environmental Impact Center (State Impact Center). The non-partisan State Impact Center supports state attorneys general in defending and promoting clean energy, climate, and environmental laws and policies. This is a one-year fellowship position and is expected to be extended for at least an additional year, contingent on funding. The NYU School of Law pays for the AAG's salary and benefits. Under the structure of the fellowships, the appointed attorneys will work solely under the direction of the Office but will be an employee of NYU. For more information regarding the fellowship program, please visit NYU's website at: https://stateimpactcenter.org/about/fellows-program/.  

Salary:

Salaries are commensurate with number of years of practice as a licensed attorney and range from $110,000 to $140,000. 

An Equal Opportunity Employer