The Center for Food Safety is a non-profit, membership organization established to address the impacts of our food production systems on human health, the environment and animal welfare. The organization is a leading advocate working to ensure consumer and environmental protection on a variety of issues including genetic engineering, irradiation, aquaculture and organic food standards.

Position Overview: The Center for Food Safety (CFS) has an immediate need for a highly qualified staff attorney in its San Francisco, CA office. The attorney will work with California staff and staff attorneys in CFS’s substantive practice areas concerning the regulation of genetically engineered food, the implementation of national organic food standards, and other food safety issues. This work will include litigation and legal advocacy in state and federal courts and in front of state regulatory agencies, and policymaker education.  

Responsibilities Include:
Management of Legal Docket - Keep and maintain docket of legal cases to which staff attorney is designated as lead attorney.  This shall include maintaining relationships with all plaintiffs or “clients,” communicating with opposing counsel, filing pleadings as necessary, conducting legal research to complete pleadings as necessary, and undertaking all other actions necessary to professionally and ethically represent the CFS in ongoing legal matters.

Actions before Regulatory Agencies and State Legislators - Attend and participate in agency meetings, hearings, and other events concerning agency actions relevant to CFS areas of practice. Other actions include: working with other legal staff and outreach staff to engage the public in all rulemaking procedures germane to CFS topic areas; petitioning state and federal agencies for regulatory changes as necessary; implementing CEQA as necessary; and meeting and educating policymakers on the policy positions of CFS.  

Organizational Interactions - Maintain and promote cordial and mutually beneficial relationships with individuals and organizations that are allied, in coalition with, or may work in concert with CFS to achieve its policy goals.  This includes attending briefings, strategy meetings, conferences, speaking engagements, and working with local activist organizations working on legal initiatives.

Qualifications:  All candidates should possess an excellent academic background, a strong commitment to CFS’s mission, and at least 3 years legal experience. Membership to the California Bar is a prerequisite. Experience in litigation and environmental and food safety advocacy are preferred. Salary commensurate with experience. Excellent benefits and work environment.

To Apply:  Please send letter of interest, resume, short writing sample, and references to:

Rebecca Spector, rspector@icta.org. No phone calls please.

CFS is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) seeks a Staff Attorney to work with some of the nation’s leading animal and environmental protection lawyers on all aspects of the organization’s animal protection litigation efforts. The Staff attorney will serve as lead and co-counsel in a variety of state and federal court actions, including actions to protect whales, dolphins, manatees and other wildlife, to improve the treatment of performing animals and animals used in research to halt cruel animal fighting and to prevent the systematic mistreatment of animals in factory farms. JD and at least 3 years of legal experience, preferably in litigation. Candidates must have excellent legal writing and research skills.  Salary starting mid $40K’s (but is dependent on experience) plus award-winning benefits package. Please submit cover letter and resume to Recruiting at HRJobs@humanesociety.org. This position is located in our Washington, DC office.

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) recently released the report "Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century:  A Vision and A Strategy." (A prepublication version of that report is attached to this email.) The report states that EPA should transition from its animal-based toxicity testing to a testing strategy that uses in-vitro, computational and other non-animal techniques.  The report thus lays out a bold but achievable challenge for transforming toxicity testing at EPA.  We believe that it also demonstrates that in-vitro (alternatives) science is the science of the future.  

The Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (JHU CAAT) is interested in advancing the implementation of this bold vision.  To best understand (and confront) any gaps or roadblocks, we believe that the federal legal and policy institutions that influence humane science need to be examined.  In particular, the federal laws, regulations and policies that impact toxicity testing require a thoughtful review and analysis. These include, but are not limited to, the Animal Welfare Act, the ICCVAM Act of 2000, the Toxic Substances Control Act, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, and the Food Quality Protection Act.  

PROJECT: JHU CAAT would like to hire a law student intern to research issues associated with the implementation of the NAS report.  I am in the process of preparing a law review article on this topic, and the research would contribute to this article.  It is very possible that a student could write a note based on this work.  In addition, JHU CAAT is organizing a series of visits to Capitol Hill to educate policy makers about the NAS report and its findings.  It is possible that a student intern could assist us in research related to such visits.

TIMING & LOGISTICS:  Ideally, Dr. Locke would like to begin working with a law student sometime between May 15th and June 1st and finish the research by the second week in August.  While there are office space and facilities for an on-site student intern, it is not necessary for the student to physically be in Baltimore this entire time.  It is possible that some research could be conducted off-site.  Students will have to have full access to LEXIS and WESTLAW legal database services (which we cannot provide).

Please direct questions about this position to:

Paul A. Locke, JD, DrPH
Associate Professor
Department of Environmental Health Sciences
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
615 North Wolfe Street, W7032G
Baltimore, Maryland 21205
(410) 502-2525 (office)
(410) 955-0617 (fax)
plocke@jhsph.edu

To apply for this position, email (preferred method), mail, or fax a cover letter, copy of your current resume, current academic transcript (unofficial is okay), and two letters of recommendation to:

Animal Legal Defense Fund
Attn: Nicole Pallotta
170 E. Cotati Ave.   
Cotati, CA 94931
(707) 795-7280 (fax)
npallotta@aldf.org

Position Objective:
To assist the senior litigation counsel and the senior regulatory counsel to address all legal questions and matters that arise in those divisions by providing assistance with the development and management of litigation

Term of Employment: Full-time, Salary Level 5 (Exempt)

Reports to: Senior Litigation Counsel

Primary Responsibilities and Duties:

• Monitor issues and cases for potential legal action
• Provide legal support to the caseworkers, researchers, and campaigners
• Assist in the development and management of litigation in state and federal courts
• Communicate with prosecutors, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations on a variety of legal issues
• Research a variety of animal protection and animal rights issues 
• Research, interpret, and apply applicable federal and state statutes, regulations, and case law
• Submit letters to prosecutors and other law enforcement personnel to encourage diligent prosecution of cruelty-to-animals cases
  

Qualifications:

• J.D. degree and a minimum of two years’ experience
• Litigation experience as well as expertise in animal law, administrative law, environmental law, and/or criminal law preferred
• Strong legal research, writing, and oral advocacy skills
• Ability to handle multiple tasks with strict time constraints
• Ability to work with a minimum of direct supervision and to resolve most routine and nonroutine situations 
• Commitment to the objectives of the organization and the ability to professionally advocate PETA’s positions on issues