Job Description and Duties The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is a global leader in protecting air quality, fighting climate change, and furthering environmental justice. CARB's Executive Office plans, organizes, and directs the activities of staff to further the Board's mission to protect and preserve California’s air quality while considering the effects on the State’s economy. The Legal Office is part of the Executive Office. Its mission is to provide the highest quality legal advice and representation to the Board and staff to support programmatic efforts to improve air quality to protect public health and the environment and to ensure that all legal obligations of CARB are met in carrying out these efforts. The Legal Office provides legal support to the agency on a variety of complex topics related to the control of air pollution (criteria pollutants, toxic air contaminants, and greenhouse gases), including, but not limited to: adoption, interpretation, implementation, and enforcement of State environmental and administrative laws and regulations, coordination with federal laws and regulations, litigation in conjunction with the Attorney General's Office, personnel matters, contracts, conflicts of interest, hearing procedures, and proposed legislation. The Legal Office maintains the primary responsibility for assisting CARB staff in the development of regulations and the documentation necessary to support their adoption. The Legal Office also provides legal assistance to California's 35 Air Pollution Control and Air Quality Management Districts. Under the general direction of an Assistant Chief Counsel, the Deputy Counsel, and the Chief Counsel, the Attorney III in this position is responsible for independently providing written and oral legal advice to CARB's executives, management, and staff on legal issues. As part of this work, the attorney would help develop, implement, defend, and enforce regulations, including regulations related to climate change programs and performs difficult and complex litigation, negotiate disputes, serve as a legislative liaison, appear in hearings, conduct legal research and draft memoranda; respond to legal correspondence; develop strategy and tactics in complex disputes or litigation; and coordinates their actions with other CARB attorneys and enforcement staff as needed to maintain consistent enforcement policy and strategy. These assignments may also include legal support for incentive programs, addressing general law questions, and meeting other legal needs. The Attorney III in this position will work closely with CARB staff and officials from other federal and State government agencies, on all phases of the development and implementation of the State's climate change and air quality programs. This includes independently developing and drafting regulations and preparing rulemaking materials to ensure regulations can withstand any subsequent legal challenges in both federal and State courts. Key functions of this position include: providing legal advice on requirements of various State and federal environmental laws; review of staff reports, letters, guidance and other documents for potential legal issues relating to interpretation of statutory and regulatory provisions and program implementation; and providing legal assistance to support Board actions. This position will provide CARB Executive Management, CARB staff, the Chief Counsel, Deputy Counsel, and Assistant Chief Counsels with written and oral advice, draft and review legal correspondence and documents, and perform a variety of related legal tasks. Travel between CARB headquarters (Sacramento and Riverside locations), other offices, and occasionally out of state, as required to complete duties. This position is at the California Air Resource Board (CARB) based at the Headquarters Office in Sacramento, CA. You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement. Working Conditions This position may be eligible for hybrid in-office work and in-state telework. The amount of telework is at the agency's discretion and is based on the California Air Resources Boards' (CARB) current telework policy. While the CARB may support telework, some in-person attendance is also required. The positions at the CARB may be eligible for telework with in-person attendance based on the operational needs of the position under Government Code 14200 for eligible applicants residing in California, subject to the candidate meeting telework eligibility criteria outlined in the CalEPA telework policy and/or future program need. Employees not residing in California are not eligible for telework. Regardless of hybrid telework eligibility, all employees may be required to report to the position’s designated headquarters location at their own expense, as indicated on their duty statement. Effective July 1, 2025, the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) implemented the Personal Leave Program 2025 (PLP 2025). PLP 2025 directs that each employee in the Attorney classification series shall receive a 4.62 percent reduction in pay in exchange for 8 hours PLP 2025 leave credits, monthly. The salary range(s) included in the job advertisement do not reflect the 4.62 percent reduction in pay.
- Position located in a high-rise building.
- Requires being stationary, consistent with office work, for extended periods.
- Standard office environment (artificial lighting, controlled temperature, etc.)
- Daily use of a personal computer, office equipment, and/or telephone. Minimum Requirements You will find the Minimum Requirements in the Class Specification.
- ATTORNEY III Additional Documents
- Job Application Package Checklist
- Duty Statement Department Information This employer participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.; for more information about E-Verify, please go to www.dhs.gov/e-verify CARB values diversity at all levels of the organization and is committed to fostering an environment where employees from various backgrounds, cultures, and personal experiences are welcomed and can thrive. CARB believes the diversity of our employees collectively makes up one of the world’s most respected environmental organizations. CARB offers various modern interview options, including remote phone and video interviews. Join CARB and help us improve the lives of all Californians.
Department Website:
http://www.arb.ca.gov Special Requirements
- The position(s) require(s) a(n) Attorney California Bar License. You will be required to provide a copy of your license prior to being hired. Applicants must include a Supplemental Questionnaire (SQ) for this recruitment. Applications without an SQ or including an SQ that does not directly answer all the items below will not be considered. Cover letters and resumes do not take the place of the SQ. Require Name on SQ Require Job Control Number on SQ Maximum number of pages: 5 (Arial font, 12 point, single spaced, 1-inch margins) Describe the importance and estimated number of times in the past three years you have done the following: (1) identified available facts of a particular circumstance or case and applied relevant law to reach a conclusion; (2) recommended a course of action based upon an evaluation of available facts and relevant law; (3) prepared legal memoranda summarizing pertinent facts, the state of current law, or recommended further action; (4) prepared written communications to clients, other decision makers, or other parties summarizing the pertinent facts, the state of current law, and recommended further action or reached a determination; (5) drafted legal documents, such as contracts or agreements, or administrative or judicial filings. Desirable Qualifications In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate: Candidates should have a demonstrated commitment to advance the underlying objectives of CARB to protect and enhance California's air quality, fight climate change, and improve environmental justice. Candidates should have the demonsrated ability to work with high-level government officials, as well as experience interacting with members of the public, technical staff, and other public agencies, and demonstrated familiarity with the functioning of administrative agencies in State government. Among other qualifications, the most competitive applicants will have excellent writing, research, oral communication, and organizational skills and be able to:
- Present statements of fact, law, and arguments clearly and logically in written and oral form.
- Draft rules and regulations and proposed legislative measures.
- Develop legal documents necessary to support proposed regulations, defend against legal challenges to government action, and administer public contract, grant, and loan programs.
- Show knowledge of air quality, climate, environmental justice, and general state government laws (e.g., State and federal Clean Air Acts, Public Records Act, Bagley-Keene Act, California Environmental Quality Act, Public Contracts Code).
Benefits
Benefit information can be found on the CalHR website and the CalPERS website. Headquarters
- Nearby (third-party) Parking
- Convenient to public transportation
- Gym
- Daycare facility Experience and Education For experience/education to qualify during the application screening process and to ensure that minimum qualifications can be determined, applicants should include all employment history on the Employment Application (STD 678), including detailed job descriptions, hours worked per week, and start/end dates (MM/DD/YYYY). Application packages without this information may experience delayed processing times, and your eligibility for this position may be impacted. If you are using education to meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must submit a copy of your transcript or diploma. Applicants who completed their education outside the United States (with foreign degrees/transcripts) must obtain and submit verification of the United States course/degree equivalency. Foreign education credential evaluation services can be found at https://www.naces.org Failure to submit all the required documentation will result in an incomplete application and disqualification from consideration for this position. Additional Instructions for Mailing or Drop-Off Application Packages Applying electronically via CalCareers is highly recommended. If submitting hardcopy applications (mail/drop-off), please email Monica.Walden@arb.ca.gov with the JC number in the subject line to confirm submission. Your email will serve as a time stamp that a document was dropped off before the final filing date. Drop-off applications must be received, and date stamped by 5:00 PM on the final filing date. NOTE: Applicants must not include Social Security Numbers, LEAP status information or paperwork, Equal Employment Opportunity information, exam result notices or scores, or medical or criminal history information on any document within their application package.