Adam Sowatzka > McGuireWoods LLP > Atlanta, United States > Lawyer Profile
McGuireWoods LLP Offices

1075 Peachtree St. NE
35th Floor
Atlanta, GA 30309-3900
United States
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Adam Sowatzka

Position
Adam is currently the co-lead of both the Environmental Regulatory and Incident Response Practice Groups at McGuireWoods. Fortune 500 companies turn to Adam when they face major legal and reputational risk in environmental, health, and safety proceedings. With more than 25 years of experience as an EPA enforcement attorney, a general counsel with an international manufacturing company and a private practice lawyer, he has helped clients manage bet-the-company environmental matters in all media, including air, water and waste.
Adam also leads the response and investigation of catastrophic accidents, fires, explosions, and spills, and he handles environmental crisis management matters such as criminal and civil inspections and investigations. He defends clients in government inquiries following a crisis, such as investigations by the EPA, OSHA, ATF, the Chemical Safety Board, and state and local regulatory agencies.
He also counsels on matters involving emerging contaminants, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (e.g., PFAS). Adam was the lead attorney in one of the first major regulatory matters involving PFAS contamination from a manufacturing facility that impacted a municipal wastewater treatment plant.
Lawyer Rankings
United States > Environment > Environment: regulatory
McGuireWoods LLP‘s client roster features domestic companies from a breadth of industries across energy, transportation, manufacturing, and chemicals. Operating out of Charlotte, David Franchina is active across a breadth of regulatory issues, with his expertise spanning hazardous waste, water and air pollution, and chemical issues. Washington DC-based Makram Jaber predominantly focuses on matters relating to the the Clean Air Act, while Atlanta’s Adam Sowatzka leverages prior EPA experience to position himself as a key advisor on air, water, and waste issues. All co-lead the team. Key names in the DC office include Allison Wood, who leads the ESG Task Force, and Aaron Flynn, who aid utilities, manufacturers, and oil & gas clients on the Clean Air Act.
Lawyer Rankings
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Transport > Shipping: litigation and regulation
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: middle-market (sub-$500m)
- Transport > Rail and road: litigation and regulation
Firm Rankings
- Insurance > Advice to policyholders
- Industry focus > Education
- Energy > Energy litigation: electric power
- Energy > Energy regulation: electric power
- Energy > Energy transactions: electric power
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: automotive/transport
- Transport > Aviation and air travel: finance
- Finance > Commercial lending: Advice to bank lenders
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: design
- Energy > Energy litigation: oil and gas
- Labor and employment > Labor and employment disputes (including collective actions)
- Real estate > Land use/zoning
- Tax > Not-for-profit (Fortune 1000 private foundations, national trade associations, and charities)
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Private equity buyouts: middle-market (Up to $500m)
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: pharmaceuticals and medical devices
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: toxic tort
- Energy > Renewable/alternative power
- Healthcare > Service providers
- Transport > Shipping: litigation and regulation
- Finance > Capital markets: debt offerings
- Antitrust > Cartel
- Media, technology and telecoms > Cyber law (including data privacy and data protection)
- Labor and employment > Employee benefits, executive compensation and retirement plans: transactional
- Energy > Energy transactions: oil and gas
- Environment > Environment: litigation
- Environment > Environment: regulatory
- Environment > Environment: transactional
- Finance > Fintech
- Dispute resolution > General commercial disputes
- Media, technology and telecoms > Outsourcing
- Dispute resolution > Product liability, mass tort and class action - defense: consumer products (including tobacco)
- Intellectual property > Trade secrets (litigation and non-contentious matters)
- Antitrust > Civil litigation/class actions: defense
- Finance > Project finance
- Real estate > Real estate finance
- Dispute resolution > Leading trial lawyers
- Tax > US taxes: non-contentious
- Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense