Jean-Philippe Brisson > Latham & Watkins LLP > New York, United States > Lawyer Profile

The sizeable environmental transactional team at Latham & Watkins LLP fields sector-specialist expertise in highly-regulated industries, and possesses a loyal following of blue-chip corporations and financial institutions engaged in high-value deals in an array of sectors, including chemicals, energy and manufacturing. High-end real estate and portfolio deals are other areas of activity for the team which is highly sought after by private equity players given its ability to provide sophisticated environmental law advice in the context of global transactions, ranging from M&A and corporate financing to capital markets, project finance and insurance transactions. The department, which is recognised for its thorough national coverage, is led by four practitioners: New York-based Jean-Philippe Brisson  and Christopher Norton  in Orange County oversee the regulatory and transactional group, while James L. Arnone  in Los Angeles and Janice M. Schneider  in Washington DC jointly head the environment, land and resources department. Brisson brings to the table a strong commercial and transactional background, standing out for his experience of private equity deals and climate change matters. Sitting in DC, James R. Barrett  is a leading figure in the market; he is a name to note for transactional mandates in the energy and oil and gas sectors. Based in Houston, Joel H. Mack  plays a key role in nearly every environmental transactional matter in the firm’s Texas office, demonstrating particular knowledge in the energy, chemical and mining industries. Joshua Marnitz is a contact in LA for environmental issues across the energy and infrastructure sectors. The firm recently strengthened its DC offering with the addition of Betty Huber to the team; she joined from Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and brings longstanding transactional experience on ESG issues facing businesses and investors.

The environmental regulatory practice at Latham & Watkins LLP ‘is unparalleled in its technical excellence, legal and policy sophistication‘. Testament to this is its presence in a lead role capacity on major environmental legal and regulatory matters that have shaped the market over the past four decades. The team is well-versed in the entire spectrum of regulatory matters, cutting across air and water quality, climate change, and energy and natural resources projects. Also featuring heavily on the team’s workload is the representation of clients before federal and state agencies on major enforcement actions and rulemakings. Jean-Philippe Brisson  in New York and Christopher Norton  in Orange County oversee the environmental, regulatory and transactional group, while the environment, land and resources department is co-chaired by James L. Arnone  in Los Angeles and Janice M. Schneider  in Washington DC. Schneider has more than 30 years’ experience in environmental law, advising on regulatory, litigation and project-related matters. Also in the DC office, Stacey L. VanBelleghem ‘s ‘sweeping skill set encompasses the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act, as well as FIFRA, RCRA and the CWA‘; she is singled out for her experience in climate change issues. Associate Devin O’Connor in DC has advised on environmental legal issues in the context of major project development and administrative rulemaking. Key contacts in New York include Kegan Brown  and Gary Gengel , both of whom undertake work in the environmental litigation and regulatory spaces.