Job Title

Social Justice DivisionEnvironmental Protection Bureau BuffaloAssistant Attorneys General Reference No. EPB_BUF_AAG_3866Application Deadline is May 8, 2026Salary Range: $83,594 - $178,463To be considered for this opportunity, submit a complete application online at ag.ny.gov/job-postings/attorneys Prior litigation experience required but experience litigating environmental and energy cases and knowledge of state and federal environmental statutes is not required. This position is an excellent opportunity for litigators to laterally transition to an environmental justice and environmental litigation practice while joining a supportive and collegial team of professionals working together to protect the rights of all New Yorkers to clean air, clean water, and safe and healthy communities. The Office of the New York State Attorney Generals (OAG) Environmental Protection Bureau is seeking an experienced litigator for its Buffalo office. This position involves representing the state in environmental, public health, and energy matters in lawsuits in state and federal courts, and in proceedings before administrative agencies. The Environmental Protection Bureau enforces state and federal environmental laws that protect New Yorkers rights to clean air, clean water, and safe and healthy communities, and conducts investigations into violations of those laws. The bureau is focused on advancing environmental justice throughout the state, including addressing the inequitable distribution of pollution and other environmental health burdens, and associated health disparities. The bureau also defends in both federal and state courts the states executive agencies charged with environmental responsibilities, including the Departments of Environmental Conservation, Health, and Transportation; the Adirondack Park Agency; and the Lake George Park Commission, among others. This opening is primarily for attorneys interested in affirmative litigation and investigations to enforce state and federal environmental laws and regulations. Recent matters handled by the bureaus attorneys include securing a major settlement to protect Buffalo families from dangerous residential lead paint hazards; leading a multistate coalition in litigation to help defend EPAs greenhouse gas emissions standards for fossil fuel-fired power plants; a natural resource damages action to recover for the lost use of a public park in an environmental justice community as a result of dumping contaminated construction site debris within the park; protecting agricultural sector workers and their families from pesticide exposures; and school bus engine idling enforcement. Attorneys also develop and litigate contaminated site cleanup cost recovery actions and have negotiated agreements regarding the decommissioning and cleanup of nuclear power plants and surrounding sites that are viewed as national models. Qualifications: Applicants who have a minimum of four (4) years of post-graduate legal experience with a focus on civil litigation in federal or state courts are preferred. However, the bureau is seeking applications from attorneys who have a wide range of skills and experience to offer. Therefore, interested attorneys who have more than the minimum years and well-qualified attorneys who have fewer than the minimum years of experience are encouraged to apply; Applicants should also have experience performing several of the following: writing briefs (or portions of briefs), performing document review, conducting depositions or other witness examinations, appearing in court, and conducting or participating in settlement negotiations; The bureau will also consider applicants who have completed state or federal court clerkships as a substitute for hands-on litigation experience; Excellent research, reasoning, and writing skills, including completing quality writing assignments in a short timeframe; Comfo