Movers

Alston & Bird elected Greg Berlin and Jennifer Bonneville to partner. Greg and Jennifer, both based out of Los Angelos, are members of the firm’s environment, land use & natural resources practice group. Greg represents companies in the energy, manufacturing, real estate, and food and beverage industries, and Jennifer works with energy companies and manufacturers of specialty consumer and automotive products, industrial and commodity chemicals, pesticides, and medical devices.

Brittany A. Bolen was elected to partner in Sidley Austin’s Washington, DC, office, where she works in the firm’s energy, environmental, and government strategies practice groups. She has a wide-ranging regulatory and policy practice in which she provides counseling, strategic advice, and advocacy on complex environmental matters.

Fred Breedlove joined Dorsey & Whitney’s Phoenix office as of counsel. An experienced water law attorney, Fred focuses his practice on water rights transactions, state and federal land permitting, mining, administrative law, and governmental relations.

King & Spalding promoted Tyler Brown to partner. Tyler, who works out of the firm’s Atlanta office, counsels energy clients on regulations impacting the pipeline, oil and gas, and electric power industries, as well as commercial matters in the upstream and midstream sectors.

ELI Board Member Marisa Buchanan moved to a new role at BP as senior vice president of strategic corporates and partnerships. She previously served as senior vice president for low carbon solutions—BP Trading & Shipping.

K&L Gates promoted Vincenzo Chimera to partner. Vincenzo, based in Chicago, concentrates his practice on toxic tort matters, including defense of matters involving exposures to asbestos, benzene, and other alleged contaminants.

Downey Brand elected Austin Cho to partner in its Sacramento office. Austin is a member of the firm’s water law practice and counsels public and private clients in a wide variety of matters, including water rights permitting and litigation, flood control, groundwater management, and project development and financing.

Bracewell LLP announced that Bryan L. Clark joined the firm’s Dallas office as a partner, where he works in the oil and gas and energy transition practice groups.

ArentFox Schiff elected Alex Garel-Frantzen to partner. Based in Chicago, Alex represents businesses in a wide variety of environmental regulatory, permitting, transactional, and litigation matters, including cases arising under CERCLA, RCRA, the SDWA, and the CWA.

Sara Ghalandari was elected to partner in the San Francisco office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. A member of the firm’s land use and development practice, Sara focuses on land use law, advising clients on all aspects of land use and development.

Farella Braun + Martel announced the election of Linda Sobczynski Gilleran to the partnership. Linda, who has a comprehensive renewable energy, litigation, and regulatory environmental practice, advises on clean energy permitting relating to NEPA, the California Environmental Quality Act, and the ESA.

Nur Ibrahim was promoted to special counsel at Wiley Rein LLP, where she provides counsel to clients in environmental, natural resources, land use, and cybersecurity matters.

Van Ness Feldman elected Charlene Koski and Melinda (Mindy) Meade Meyers to partner. Charlene, based in Seattle, represents and advises clients on legal matters pertaining to wildlife, land use, and water. Mindy, based in Washington, DC, specializes in federal regulatory law and policy as they pertain to public lands, natural resources, and Native communities.

Elliott P. Laws, a former ELI board member and Forum columnist, and partner with Crowell Moring, announced his retirement after 15 years with the firm. Elliott co-chaired the firm’s environment and natural resources group and was a member of the government affairs group.

Nicholas Mowbray was named partner in the Washington, DC, office of Baker Hostetler, where he advises clients on renewable energy credits and incentives, including advocating before the U.S. Treasury Department and the IRS.

Jon Niermann joined Vinson & Elkins Austin office as partner in the firm’s environmental practice group. Jon previously served as chairman of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality from 2018 to 2024.

Venable LLP announced that Tara Pehush joined the firm’s New York office as a partner in the product liability and mass torts practice group. Tara’s practice sits at the intersection of products liability, commercial disputes, and toxic tort litigation and arbitration.

Marten Law is pleased to announce the promotion of James Pollack to its partnership. James joined the firm in 2021 and quickly established a national and international consumer products practice. James is lead author of ELI Press’s PFAS Deskbook.

White & Case LLP added Taylor Pullins as a partner in the global environmental practice and the global mergers & acquisitions practice. Taylor, based in Houston, co-leads the firm’s global sustainability & responsible business practice and represents clients in a broad range of EHS, ESG, and energy transition matters.

Blank Rome elevated Lamiya N. Rahman to partner in the firm’s energy, environment, and mass torts practice group. Based in Washington, DC, Lamiya focuses her practice on the federal regulation of the gas, power, and oil industries, as well as related agency and appellate litigation and transactions.

Wilmer Hale announced that Christopher A. Rheinheimer was named partner at its San Francisco office. Christopher, a member of the firm’s environmental litigation and mass torts practice, has litigated a wide variety of complex cases at the state and federal level.

King & Spalding announced that Lauren Roth, former FDA associate commissioner for policy, joined the firm as a partner in Washington, DC. Lauren practices in the firm’s FDA and Life Sciences team within the government matters and regulation practice group.

R. Justin Smith joined Beveridge & Diamond, where he will serve as of counsel in the firm’s Washington, DC, office. Justin joins the firm after two decades of experience at DOJ’s Environment & Natural Resource Division across multiple administrations.

Dustin Till, an attorney with extensive experience in hydropower, environmental, and renewable energy law, joined Troutman Pepper Locke as a partner in the firm’s energy practice group. Dustin brings over a decade of in-house counsel experience at PacifiCorp.

Shakers

Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, a member of Arnold Porter’s legislative & public policy practice group, was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Biden on January 2, 2025. Senator Dodd joined Arnold & Porter after a long and distinguished career in public service, where he served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Connecticut’s 2nd District and then five terms as Senator.

The Western Energy Institute, a nonprofit utility association with more than 80 energy companies from 20 U.S. states and Canadian provinces, appointed Lamis El Didi to its board of directors. Lamis is a principal in Exponent’s Construction Consulting practice, where she helps electric and gas utilities solve complex engineering, science, regulatory, and business challenges.

The National Ground Water Association elected Seth Kellogg, a senior principal geologist with Geosyntec Consultants in New Jersey, to president; she will begin her term in December 2025. A leader in evaluating and managing PFAS substances, Seth educates regulators and industry professionals on the unique challenges of managing, characterizing, and remediating PFAS.

Movers

Sarah E. Amick, a lawyer with more than 15 years of regulatory, public policy, and trade association experience, has joined Wiley Rein LLP as special counsel in the firm’s environment and product regulation group. Amick most recently served as environmental, social, governance counsel at Alcoa Corporation.

Barnes & Thornburg announces that Jennifer C. Baker has been promoted to partner. Based in the firm’s Indianapolis office, she assists clients with environmental challenges that arise during development and redevelopment projects, real estate transactions, and active operations.

Christopher Bowers joins the Stacey Evans Law firm in Atlanta as a partner. He will help the firm expand its environmental and toxic tort practice group. He most recently served at the Southern Environmental Law Center.

Covington & Burling, LLP, has promoted Thomas Brugato to partner. Working out of the firm’s DC office, he will focus on environmental matters, particularly those pertaining to FIFRA, as well as administrative litigation.

Hogan Lovells welcomes George (Chip) Cannon as a partner in the firm’s global regulatory and IP practice in Washington, DC. His practice focuses on electric energy and related products, mainly sourced from wind, solar, hydro, and other renewable energy resources, as well as fuel cells and energy storage systems.

Isabel Carey has been appointed to head Marten Law’s newest office, in Toronto, Canada. Licensed to practice in Canada and the United States, she specializes in advising clients in the energy and consumer product sectors and is a contributing author of ELI Press’s PFAS Deskbook.

Elizabeth Crouse has joined Holland & Knight as a partner in the firm’s Portland, OR, office. She counsels top-tier strategic and corporate investors, developers, and operators in the renewable energy and fuels, hydrogen, and carbon capture industries.

Renewable energy and project development attorney Hans P. Dyke has rejoined Bracewell LLP’s Washington, DC, office as partner in the firm’s energy practice. His experience includes managing complex energy transactions in both electric power and the oil and gas midstream industries.

James English joined the Denver office of Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner as partner in the firm’s corporate and finance transactions practice and energy transition team. He helps international oil and gas, LNG, fuel, mining, chemicals, and technology companies develop, buy, and sell projects and related infrastructure around the globe.

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP welcomes Danielle Garbien, a renewable energy and energy finance attorney, as partner in the firm’s New York office. She has over 20 years of experience advising clients on projects relating to the development, acquisition, financing, disposition, and restructuring of renewable energy and infrastructure projects.

Brian D. Israel has joined Paul Hastings LLP as a partner and co-head of the firm’s environmental litigation practice. Based out of Los Angeles and DC, his work focuses on environmental litigation, crisis management, and counseling.

Geosyntec Consultants, Inc., announces that Michael Kavanaugh, an internationally recognized chemical and environmental engineer with over 40 years of consulting experience focused on the areas of water quality, water treatment, and groundwater remediation, has retired from the firm after serving as senior principal for more than a decade.

Damien Lyster has joined Kirkland & Ellis as a corporate partner in the energy regulatory practice group. Based out of the firm’s Houston office, Lyster advises clients on transactional and state and federal regulatory issues related to the natural gas, oil, and conventional and renewable electric power industries.

Babst Calland welcomes Morgan M. Madden as an associate in the firm’s energy and natural resources, public sector, and employment and labor groups. Madden works out of the firm’s Harrisburg, PA, office where she represents traditional and renewable energy industry clients in land use and other local regulatory matters.

Lilly B. McKenna and Merissa Moeller have been promoted to partner at Stoel Rives LLP. McKenna, based in the firm’s San Francisco office, has experience in state energy policy and regulation. Moeller, who works out of the firm’s Portland, OR, office, is a natural resources attorney in the environmental group, who specializes in water resources and rural land use law.

Geosyntec Consultants, Inc., announces the election of Majdi Othman as president and CEO of the firm. A 32-year veteran of Geosyntec, Othman has extensive experience focusing on geotechnical, environmental, and civil engineering projects.

Rebecca Seidl joins Baker Botts L.L.P. as a partner in the global projects department of the firm’s Houston office. She also leads the firm’s critical minerals and metals subsector and works on mergers and acquisitions and projects in the energy and mining industries.

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP announces that Matt Sides has joined the firm’s Charlotte office as partner. He joins the firm’s energy, environment, and infrastructure practice group as well as its energy transition sector.

Damian Vanetti joins Geosyntec in Syracuse, where he will lead its central New York team, offering comprehensive environmental and geotechnical consulting services to private and municipal clients in the region.

Shakers

Antonio Herman de Vasconcellos e Benjamin was appointed chief justice of the National High Court of Brazil. Benjamin, who also serves as Chair of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law, was a co-drafter of a number of Brazilian environmental statutes, including the 2012 Forest Code and the 1998 Crimes Against the Environment Act.

Lynn L. Bergeson, managing partner of Bergeson & Campbell, P.C., and president of The Acta Group, received the Product Stewardship Society’s 2024 Allan K. Fleeger Distinguished Service Award in recognition of her contributions to the product stewardship profession.

Former ELI President John C. Cruden was elected to the board of the Council on Strategic Risks. Currently a principal at Beveridge & Diamond PC, he served as a senior leader on environment and natural resource matters at the U.S. Department of Justice for more than two decades, where he supervised some of the department’s most significant litigation.

The ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources has awarded John C. Dernbach with the 2024 Award for distinguished achievement in environmental law and policy. He is professor emeritus and founding director, Environmental Law and Sustainability Center, at Widener University Commonwealth Law School. He is co-editor of ELI Press’s Legal Pathways to Deep Decarbonization in the United States.

Michael B. Gerrard, professor at Columbia Law School and faculty director, Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, and Benjamin F. Wilson, former chair, Beveridge & Diamond, P.C., received lifetime achievement awards by the ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources. Wilson previously served as chair of ELI’s board. Gerrard is co-editor of ELI Press’s Legal Pathways to Deep Decarbonization in the United States.