Associate General Counsel — Save the Redwoods League
Use your legal skills to protect the last of California's ancient redwoods.
If you've spent your career wondering how to make your legal work matter beyond the balance sheet, this is that role. Save the Redwoods League (SRL) is looking for an Associate General Counsel who wants to spend their days doing sophisticated, high-impact legal work — corporate governance, complex land conservation transactions, nonprofit compliance, policy — all of it in direct service of protecting and restoring the redwood forests for generations to come.
This isn't a legal department that exists to minimize risk for its own sake. It exists to help an accredited California land trust push conservation forward. You'll be trusted with real responsibility from day one, working shoulder-to-shoulder with the General Counsel, executive leadership, and the Board of Directors — and this role is explicitly built as a runway toward a future General Counsel position within a mission-driven nonprofit.
Why is this job compelling?:
- Your work has a visible, tangible outcome. Every transaction you help close, every governance framework you help build, translates directly into acres of redwood forest protected or restored — not an abstract corporate objective.
- Breadth, not a box. You'll touch conservation transactions, nonprofit and corporate law, Tribal law, IP, HR, government affairs, insurance, lobbying, dispute resolution, and commercial contracts. If you want to keep growing as a generalist counsel rather than narrowing into one practice area, this role delivers that.
- Collaborative, not adversarial. SRL describes its culture as non-adversarial and consensus-driven. You'll be a trusted advisor and thought partner to staff, leadership, and the Board — not a gatekeeper people route around.
- Work-life sanity. Hybrid, San Francisco-based, with just two in-office days a week, occasional field travel to the forests you're protecting, and only periodic evening/weekend work.
- Benefits that reflect the mission. Paid vacation and sick time, medical, dental, transit subsidy, life insurance, and a generous 401(k) match.
What you'll actually do:
Support the General Counsel and drive strategic legal work across the org Advise every department on the full range of issues that come with running a complex, evolving conservation nonprofit — from conservation transactions and grant agreements to commercial contracts, IP, and dispute resolution. Manage outside counsel. Conduct research, write memoranda, and shape recommendations that reach the Board.
Own compliance and risk management Guide SRL through California nonprofit and corporate law, tax-exempt requirements, state and federal reporting, and Land Trust Alliance standards. Build and refine the policies that let the organization move confidently. Train staff so legal judgment gets embedded across teams, not siloed in your office.
Be a core partner on Board governance Help steward the organization's governance framework, prep Board materials — resolutions, minutes, background memos — and support onboarding for new Board members and Councilors.
What we're looking for
- J.D. from an accredited law school and active membership in good standing with the California State Bar
- 7–12 years of relevant experience, with real strength in one or more of: corporate/Board governance; nonprofit, corporate, or complex environmental/conservation transactional law; policy development and compliance; or in-house/law firm work advising nonprofits or corporations
- Strong research, writing, and analytical chops, plus the judgment to translate them into practical advice senior leaders and Board members can act on
- The organizational discipline to juggle many priorities without dropping the important ones
Bonus points if you have:
- In-house experience at a nonprofit or mission-driven organization
- Familiarity with California nonprofit public benefit corporations
- Experience supporting a board or board committee
- A background in land conservation, real estate, public policy, or environmental work
- Genuine interest in eventually stepping into a General Counsel seat
The person we want:
Someone with a real personal commitment to protecting redwood forests — high integrity, sound judgment, and the emotional intelligence to be a collaborative, solutions-first presence in a consensus-driven environment. Someone who can hold legal rigor and practical, mission-focused advice in the same hand.
A note on fit: SRL is fully committed to its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion goals and welcomes candidates with diverse backgrounds and multicultural skillsets. If you don't check every box above but believe you're the right person for this role, SRL encourages you to make that case — they're open to being persuaded.
Hybrid role based in San Francisco, CA (minimum two days in-office). Periodic travel within California, including visits to forest and field sites.
Pay: $170,000.00 - $185,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- 403(b)
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Employee discount
- Flexible schedule
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Professional development assistance
- Relocation assistance
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
License/Certification:
- California Bar License (Preferred)
Work Location: Hybrid remote in San Francisco, CA 94104
