Baker Botts L.L.P.‘s environmental, safety, and incident response practice provides counsel to clients in crises and handles follow-on litigation, including damage claims and defense against class and individual lawsuits. The firm pairs this with activity in contentious work arising from waste and contaminated sites. The practice is led by Houston’s Scott Janoe, who boasts long-standing experience advising energy, mining, and manufacturing clients. Meanwhile, operating out of Washington DC, Joshua Frank’s broad practice spans cost recovery, contribution and natural resource damage litigation under CERCLA, and Clean Air Act litigation. Kent Mayo is well-versed in toxic tort and class action litigation, while Allison Watkins Mallick represents clients in government enforcement actions and private citizen suits arising from the Clean Air Act, and Martha Thomsen covers suits arising from CERCLA. The three are based in DC. Megan Berge left the practice in March 2025.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Their environmental litigation practice is without peer. They are creative, excellent on execution, practical, and service oriented. I value that they take a collaborative team approach and deliver successful outcomes. They are responsive and have seen every version of environmental-based litigation. They are not general litigators that have done one or two cases in the subject matter, they have specialists who know these high stakes arenas.'
- 'Kent Mayo is an uncommon combination of excellent service, understanding the practical realities general counsel operate within, sharp legal mind, and flawless in the courtroom. He is the general you want with you in the trenches. I am grateful to have him on our team.'
Key clients
- Aloha Petroleum/Sunoco LP
- American Water Works Company
- Avista Corporation
- ConocoPhillips
- Energy Transfer LP
- Entergy Services, Inc.
- ExxonMobil Corporation
- Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority
- Halliburton Company
- Hess Corporation
- Intercontinental Terminals Company LLC
- Marathon Petroleum Company
- Murphy Oil
- Northwest Natural Gas
- NRG Energy, Inc.
- PacifiCorp
- PBF Energy
- Port Arthur LNG
- Portland General Electric
- Puget Sound Energy
Work highlights
Represents Halliburton Energy Services in a mass tort litigation involving several lawsuits and hundreds of plaintiffs in Louisiana asserting groundwater and soil contamination claims in Louisiana.
Represents five of the Colstrip coal plant owners in a mass tort lawsuit involving over 100 plaintiffs alleging property damage and nuisance from groundwater impacts and coal dust due to plant operations.
Represents Tennessee-American Water Company and American Water Works Service Company in a class action matter stemming from a 2019 main break that allegedly interrupted or reduced water service for several days to customers in and around Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
Scott Janoe
Other key lawyers
Joshua Frank; Kent Mayo; Allison Watkins Mallick; Martha Thomsen