Environment
- Holland & Knight boasts a top-tier Environment practice that is nationally recognized as an industry leader. With a formidable, cohesive team of more than 80 lawyers and policy advisors in dozens of offices nationwide, we combine our deep experience and extensive local knowledge to lead our clients and the industry forward.
- Attorneys and policy professionals on our interdisciplinary team have held key industry and trade association positions and served in state and federal governments, including in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of the Interior (DOI), Coast Guard, President's Council on Environmental Quality and the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
- Our team's close work with public policy professionals in Washington, D.C., and municipalities across the U.S. means that we are poised to recognize trends the moment that they arise, whether emerging contaminants, clean technology, energy or tax policy
Overview
Environmental law cuts across all aspects of the economy, requiring businesses to match the right people with the right tools to the problems that they face.
Holland & Knight's Environmental Team has that rare combination of vast understanding, decades of experience, cross-regional presence, deep local knowledge and access to an external network of technical experts. All of these elements are crucial for helping businesses comply with local, state, tribal and federal laws; manage risk, reputation and public perception; and remain innovative and efficient in highly competitive industries. Importantly, we act as a team. We match each client with professionals who have the right experience and skills to address your issues and help achieve your goals.
The experience our lawyers have gained through work in various business sectors and government agencies arms us with an intricate understanding of how policy decisions are made at all levels and how they may impact day-to-day operations in different localities.
Our focus includes:
- all appropriate inquiries
- brownfields redevelopment
- clean air and greenhouse gas (GHG) permitting and regulation
- climate change, sustainability and disclosure
- coastal issues
- compliance, liability and risk management
- compliance auditing
- contaminated properties
- due diligence
- emerging contaminants and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
- endangered species
- enforcement defense
- environmental, health and safety regulation
- environmental insurance
- environmental justice
- environmental, social and governance issues (ESG) and greenwashing
- land use
- litigation, including administrative, appellate, civil, criminal and trial
- mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and other transactions
- maritime issues
- natural resources
- permitting, including air, water and waste
- pesticide licensing
- pro bono and academic work
- public policy advocacy
- real estate transactions and easements
- recycling and reuse
- representations and warranties insurance
- rulemaking comments
- Superfund and site remediation compliance and litigation
- stormwater
- toxic tort litigation
- toxic regulation and permitting
- waste management
- water pollution
- wetlands
At the cutting edge of environmental law, our attorneys have on-the-ground experience with operational regulatory and compliance matters, enabling us to apply a business and political lens to every legal issue.
Our lawyers handle all stages of environmental legal work – from the due diligence phase of buying a property or preparing for a merger or acquisition to managing ongoing compliance obligations, defending against enforcement actions and helping companies restore proper compliance. We are also experienced in environmental, health and safety compliance auditing, coordinating self-disclosures and directing post-enforcement litigation, and we create and run compliance programs to pitch to the DOJ as an alternative to government-led monitorships.
We resolve issues for clients in a wide range of industries, including real estate, automotive, manufacturing, oil, gas and renewable energy, among others.
Our legislative experience includes federal, state and local environmental laws such as:
- Clean Air Act
- Endangered Species Act
- Inflation Reduction Act
- National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
- state equivalents
Our Environmental Team's geographic reach extends across the country, including significant ongoing work in California, Florida, Tennessee, Texas, the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast and New England.
Leading Lawyers on Your Side
National and international publications have consistently recognized Holland & Knight's Environmental Team as one of the top leaders in its field. These include the Chambers USA and Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" guides, which have ranked our Environmental Law practice for its strong government background operating coast to coast in handling endangered species, land use and brownfield remediation and redevelopment issues, as well as our strength in a multitude of environmental subspecialties across the team.
