Lawyer

Job Details

Sector(s)

Component Manufacturing & Research & Development; Project Development; 
Construction; Operations & Maintenance

Median Pay

$127,990 per year

$61.54 per hour

Job Type

Mid-Level

Typical Entry-Level Education and Work Experience Requirements

Law (juris doctoral) degree, little to no experience required

Position Title

Lawyer

Alternate Titles

Attorney, advocates, advisors, environmental lawyer, and lawyer with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) experience

Job Description

Lawyers advise and represent a wide variety of clients involved in the hydropower industry on legal issues and disputes.

Education and Training Description

Typically, lawyers complete a bachelor’s degree, followed by a 3-year law program to fulfill the necessary education requirements to become a lawyer. To work as a lawyer in the United States, most states and jurisdictions mandate that all lawyers hold a juris doctoral (J.D.) degree from an American Bar Association-accredited law school and pass the bar exam in the state(s) in which they plan to work. After passing the bar exam, lawyers are licensed to legally practice law in the state(s) in which they have passed the exam. Employers typically value experience, so law students often work as interns or summer associates at law firms or legal divisions of governmental agencies before graduating.

Job Profile

Lawyers advise and represent a wide variety of individuals and organizations involved in or impacted by the hydropower industry. They also help clients navigate legal processes, like designing agreements between different groups and preventing or resolving legal issues and disputes.

Hydropower lawyers advise and represent a wide variety of individuals and organizations involved in the hydropower industry to resolve legal issues and disputes. Businesses, community organizations, government agencies, tribes and First Nations, and other nongovernmental organizations use hydropower lawyers to resolve legal issues and disputes that arise in the hydropower industry. A few examples of these legal processes include protecting the rights and well-being of communities impacted by hydropower development, establishing contracts between utilities and hydropower plant operators to buy and sell power, and acquiring land and water rights and permits.

The lawyers who represent sponsors, developers, financial institutions, and private equity clients are often involved in the licensing, permitting, regulation, and financing of hydroelectric projects. These lawyers often work closely and negotiate with government regulatory agencies  such as the FERC, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Departments of the Interior and Commerce, and other federal and state agencies. Lawyers who represent community or environmental organizations take legal action to protect the people and environment impacted by hydropower plants. Lawyers who work with the hydropower plant operating company or electric utility often negotiate power purchase agreements, sales agreements, and other off-take arrangements. Government organizations also have their own lawyers who help create and write the rules and regulations that govern the hydropower industry.

Hydropower lawyers may work for private or corporate legal offices or federal, local, or state governments or as independent contractors.

Lawyers working with hydropower clients take care of the following responsibilities:

  • FERC licensing and relicensing proceedings, including negotiating complex licensing settlements
  • FERC license and settlement implementation
  • Regulatory compliance, including enforcement proceedings
  • Non-FERC federal and state regulatory requirements
  • Dam safety and infrastructure security
  • Water rights and supply contracts
  • Environmental permitting
  • Land use and real estate
  • Asset transactions, including license transfers and due diligence review
  • Power purchase contracting
  • Design and development of public policy and federal tax strategies
  • Litigation before state and federal courts
  • Administrative litigation, including hearings at the FERC as well as under the trial-type hearing provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Job Skills

Lawyers typically need:

  • Analytical skills. Lawyers must be able to analyze large amounts of information, determine relevant facts, and propose viable solutions.
  • Interpersonal skills. By developing a trusting relationship with their clients and making them feel at ease to discuss sensitive information about their cases, lawyers can gain their clients' respect and confidence.
  • Problem-solving skills. Lawyers must set aside their feelings and biases in order to examine the difficulties of their clients in an objective manner. To prepare the most satisfactory defense and  recommendations for their clients, lawyers must have strong problem-solving abilities.
  • Research skills. To give their clients the right legal advice, lawyers must be able to locate the laws and regulations that are relevant to a specific situation.
  • Speaking skills. As they are speaking on behalf of their clients, lawyers must be able to concisely convey and explain their argument to arbitrators, mediators, opposing parties, judges, or juries.
  • Writing skills. Lawyers need to be precise when preparing documents, such as wills, trusts, and powers of lawyer.

More Information

For more information on legal protection jobs in the hydropower sector, see: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook: Lawyers

Resources