Jim’s dynamic legal practice spans four decades and focuses on environmental and energy law matters.
This include seven years as counsel for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and three years as senior counsel reporting directly to the agency’s general counsel on all environmental and energy issues arising in the western half of the United States.
Jim counsels large industries and utilities on a wide range of complex energy and environmental permitting, compliance, and project development issues throughout the United States. His work spans matters concerning the siting of natural gas and renewable energy generation and transmission facilities, the acquisition and sale of utility assets and companies through auctions and direct negotiations, and counseling of senior management and general counsel on the management of regulatory risks.
He also represents lenders, borrowers, sellers, creditor committees, project developers, investors, project underwriters and portfolio managers on corporate and real estate transactions, including the acquisition and sale of regulated businesses and contaminated real property in the United States and overseas. His knowledge and substantial experience help clients negotiate contractual terms to properly allocate risk and structure business deals to limit and manage liabilities.
Throughout his legal career, Jim has advised several clients on U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission corporate governance issues, and energy companies on the re-evaluation of retained liabilities and reserves to meet Sarbanes-Oxley obligations. Prior to joining the firm, Jim was Of Counsel at Pepper Hamilton. From 1994 to 2012, he was a partner at LeBoeuf Lamb Greene & MacRae LLP and its successor Dewey & LeBoeuf and was chairman of the global Environmental and Health & Safety Practice at both firms. He served on the LeBoeuf Lamb Executive Committee for eight years and was head of the US-based Climate Change Practice from 2006 to 2012.
- Represented Essentra plc and its subsidiaries in connection with their acquisition of all of the outstanding stock of Innovative Components Inc. and its Costa Rican affiliate, Componentes Innovadores Limitada.
- Represented a global provider of essential components and solutions and its subsidiaries in their acquisition of all the outstanding stock of a manufacturing company and its Costa Rican affiliate.
- Represented a wastewater treatment company in the acquisition of three wastewater treatment facilities.
- Represented private equity fund as deal counsel in its successful bid and acquisition of four coal-fired power plants totaling 1200 MW of generation capacity in New Jersey, West Virginia and Arkansas including back leverage financing to support the acquisition.
- Named to The Best Lawyers in America in the area of environmental law (1992-2024), including D.C. (2008 – 2021)
- Recognized by Chambers USA: Guide to Leading Business Lawyers in the area of environmental law
- Selected for inclusion in Who’s Who in America
- Selected for inclusion in Who’s Who in American Law
- Selected for inclusion in The International Who’s Who of Environmental Lawyers
- Selected for inclusion in The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers
- Albert Nelson Marquis Who’s Who Lifetime Achievement Award
- Selected for inclusion in Washington, D.C., Super Lawyer® (2016)
- Member, American Bar Association (Environmental, Natural Resources and Energy Sections)
- Former Chairman, Board of Trustees of Talcott Mountain Science Center (1998-2009)
- Connecticut
- District of Columbia
- Massachusetts
- B.A., University of Pennsylvania
- J.D., George Washington University Law School
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