Holland & Knight

The full-service practice at Holland & Knight scores highly for its ‘knowledge, expertise, and prestige in matters related to environmental law and sustainability’. Leveraging robust offerings in public law and energy-and-natural-resources, the team is particularly active in matters concerning the oil-and-gas, power and mining sectors, while it also represents clients in the agricultural, manufacturing, and food and beverage areas. The department is led by go-to sector specialist Jose Vicente Zapata, who is hailed by clients as ’possibly the best environmental legal expert in the country’. Among Zapata’s recent matters, he advised Exxon Mobil Exploration Colombia on environmental sanctioning proceedings and other regulatory matters. Also noted at senior level is public law partner Juan Casallas, whose work spans environmental liability issues and administrative proceedings. The team further draws on an impressive pair of senior counsels in Estefanny Pardo, who specialises in environmental litigation; and newly promoted (January 2025) María Camila Aponte, whose environmental law practice takes in energy-and-natural-resources and public law.