Latham & Watkins LLP environmental team advises the full spectrum of clients, spanning from transport to media, across climate change, air quality, water quality, energy & natural resources projects. The team is chaired by Washington DC’s Janice Schneider, who has proven experience at the intersection of energy and environment, handling onshore and offshore development, as well as the National Environmental Policy Act and Endangered Species Act. Schneider and Stacey VanBelleghem are praised by their clients for their ability to ‘bring real, practical experience to a complicated practice’ and VanBellegham, based in the DC office, fields a strong track record in climate change and air quality matters, with a recent highlight of advising the National Coalition for Advanced Transportation on emission standards under the Clean Air Act. Julia A. Hatcher is active in the firm’s DC office, advising on environmental, health, safety, and product defense mandates, while Devin O’Connor handles federal land use matters involving the National Environmental Policy Act and Endangered Species Act. Gary Gengel is well-positioned to advise automotive, chemical, and food manufacturing clients with on-site investigation, remediation, and general regulatory matters from the New York office. James R. Barrett retired from the partnership in December 2024 and Kegan Brown left the team in Jan 2024.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Janice Schneider and Stacey VanBelleghem are both great legal advisors who bring real, practical experience to a complicated practice. Their knowledge goes beyond the library to real life problems that they solve through their deep expertise on the subjects they cover.'
- 'This team has ample experience in environmental law that they combine with real experience in various federal and state agencies so that they know how things work in addition to how things are supposed to work. They bring a practical approach and take the time to understand the details behind your issue.'
- 'Stacey Van Belleghem is extremely knowledgeable and responsive and is very skilled at working with in-house clients and balancing risk and business needs. She is reliable and will suit her advice and work product to what is needed. She also pulls in others who add value as necessary and looks for ways to be most efficient.'
- ‘Latham & Watkins has a high standard of excellence in delivering legal services and we have found the expertise of the environmental team to be valuable in understanding regulatory requirements and trends. ’
- ‘We rely on the insightful guidance and advice of Gary Gengel at Latham & Watkins when it comes to navigating environmental matters. When new matters arise we can count on him to make himself available and remain highly engaged while we develop a reasonable approach to resolving any issues.’
Key clients
- NCAT
- AOC Resins
- Platinum Equity
- Gannett Co., Inc
- Gavin Power, LLC
- KKR
- General Electric Company
- General Electric Company, Chromalloy
- Onshore Renewable Energy Rollup
- Beazer East
Work highlights
- Advising SoCalGas on the environmental, regulatory, permitting, and other strategic considerations in relation to its Angeles Link project.
- Advised KKR in acquiring Marmic Fire & Safety from HGGC. Provided guidance on environmental and chemical regulations associated with the inspection and maintenance services provided by Marmic.
- Latham represents the National Coalition for Advanced Transportation (NCAT) defending EPA’s and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s vehicle greenhouse gas emissions standards and fuel economy standards.
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
Janice Schneider
Other key lawyers
Stacey VanBellegham; Devin O'Connor; Julia A. Hatcher; Gary Gengel