Water Rights Attorney Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

NRDC (the Natural Resources Defense Council) works to safeguard the Earth, its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. NRDC combines the power of more than 3 million members and online activists with the expertise of some 800 policy advocates, lawyers, scientists, and communication experts to confront the climate crisis, protect nature, ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities.  As an international nonprofit environmental organization, NRDC is working to address the world’s most urgent environmental challenges, and advance innovative, science-based, and enforceable solutions.  

Since our founding in 1970, NRDC has helped craft and deliver many of America’s foundational environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. Today, we continue to lead in advancing and defending strong environmental protections at the local, state, federal and international levels, as well as through the marketplace. Our team works across the United States and around the world, from offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., as well as in Beijing, and New Delhi (a subsidiary of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd.).  

Supported by our members and online activists, NRDC is driving impactful solutions that confront the climate crisis, defend nature and safeguard public health acrossAsia, Africa, and the Americas. At NRDC, we believe lasting change happens when people bring their talent, passion, and expertise together for a common purpose: to build a cleaner, healthier, and more resilient world. Learn more at nrdc.org.

POSITION SUMMARY

NRDC is seeking to hire a cohort of Summer Legal Interns to work on cases and projects with attorneys on core issue areas (Human Health, Equity & Justice, Climate & Energy, and Nature) with the lawyers associated to our San Francisco, Santa Monica, New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C. office(s).

This posting is specifically for:

• full-time law students in their 2L year, and,
• Part-time or dual-degree law students who have completed at least one year of coursework and who will not graduate before summer 2027.

There will be a separate posting for 1L positions later this fall, details below.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the following essential functions:

NRDC’s Summer Legal Interns gain exposure to and support the broad range of our legal and policy advocacy that we use to protect the environment and public health. Our interns play an active role on the frontlines to protect our planet and the communities that depend upon it. In past summers, intern projects have included:

• Researching and preparing legal memos in support of rulemaking proceedings,
• litigation case development, and active litigation
• Interviewing NRDC members and preparing standing declarations
• Helping draft and review portions of pleadings and review briefs
• Helping prepare comments to submit to administrative agencies or legislative bodies
• Helping craft proposed legislation to address environmental and public health problems    

The above list of duties is not comprehensive but generally demonstrates the types of matters under this position’s responsibility. Other duties may be assigned.

REQUIREMENTS

This internship is designed for current law school students. Prior experience in environmental law or with environmental issues is not required.  When assessing candidates for the summer internship, we look for:    

• Strong legal writing, analytical, and oral communication skills 
• Experience effectively working on a team  
• Creativity and resourcefulness
• Commitment to public service, equity, or justice  
• Growth mindset and openness to feedback
• Demonstrated ability to work with people across different social identities and backgrounds
• Record of academic and/or professional accomplishment  
• Commitment to NRDC’s values and mission  

A successful candidate need not satisfy all of these criteria. Because a key purpose of our summer legal intern program is to help our interns learn and develop new legal skills, we welcome applicants who have room to grow as legal writers, researchers, and communicators.

Our offices are open and we operate in a hybrid model. We ask that all summer interns commit to being in office 3 days/week, Tuesdays - Thursdays.

This position is a paid internship with a stipend of $10,000 paid bi-weekly over the course of 10 weeks (35 hours a week at $28.57 an hour for 10 weeks).

Applications for 2027 Summer Legal Internships can be submitted online at www.nrdc.org/careers. The deadline to apply as a 2L student is Monday, September 7th, 2026.

You will need to electronically submit a cover letter, transcript, resume, contact information for two references, and a legal writing sample (samples from a legal research & writing class are fine).  In your cover letter, please:

• Let us know how you learned about the position
• Indicate all the NRDC offices to which you are applying, and any order of preference among the offices
• Describe why you are interested in learning more about environmental law and advocacy. 

You may address your cover letter to "Hiring Manager.”   

We will have a separate application and review process for 1L candidates later this fall that allows 1Ls to complete their first semester and gather all application materials before applying. We will post our separate 1L application announcement on NRDC’s careers webpage by December. We ask that all 1L students hold their applications until our 1L posting is open.

If you have questions about the application process or requirements, email us at legalinterns@nrdc.org. Please specify that you are applying for the Summer Legal Internship (SLI) program. 

The incumbent will not qualify as an employee, fellow, volunteer, or independent contractor of NRDC, nor will the incumbent be guaranteed employment at the end of the internship term.

NRDC is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in our work and in our workplace. We believe that celebrating and actively welcoming diverse voices and perspectives is essential to solving the planet's most pressing environmental problems, and we encourage applications from candidates whose identities have been historically under-represented in the environmental movement.

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

As a science-based organization, NRDC aims to do our part to help contain the COVID-19 public health crisis. For the sake of health, safety, and equity, we ask that people be vaccinated unless they have an approved medical or religious accommodation or other exemption in accordance with state and local law. We consider a person to be vaccinated two weeks after receiving one full course of a CDC-approved vaccine. In accordance with state or local law, new hires will be asked to attest to vaccination. Those wishing to do so may request medical or religious accommodation or other exemptions. NRDC treats all vaccination-related data confidentially, in keeping with local, state, and federal laws.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS  

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position within the described work environment.

Frequently: Perform desk-based computer tasks

Frequently: Ability to interact and communicate with employees and others as necessary

Frequently:  Attend planned meetings and collaborate with management and coworkers

Frequently: Hand draw illustrations for advocacy materials

Occasionally: Ability to attend events and activities in the office or offsite

Work is sometimes performed primarily in office.  The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet in office settings and moderate in other situations.  Hours of employment may sometimes require working flexible and/or longer hours, including nights and weekends, when necessitated by projects. The job includes work-related situations such as those involving challenging, important, urgent, time-sensitive, or multiple matters.

If you experience technical problems while applying or if you are a person with a disability and need assistance applying online, please reach out to iCIMS Customer Care at 1-800-889-4422.

For more about NRDC, visit www.nrdc.org.