Reed Smith's environmental practice is global in both scope and reach. Our "one-stop service" approach allows us to advise on energy and greenhouse gas matters, provide regulatory compliance advice, litigate environmental claims, and counsel on commercial transactions. As for the range of environmental legal issues, we regularly counsel clients in every substantive area of environmental law, including air, water, hazardous waste, greenhouse gas issues, solid waste, chemicals management, pesticides, right-to-know laws, wetlands and commercial property transactions.
Our environmental lawyers provide litigation, counseling and regulatory services to a wide range of industries, including mining, metals & minerals, oil & gas, power, renewable & clean energy, manufacturing, chemicals, health care, pharmaceutical, commercial property, waste management, and food processing sectors. We have also counseled government entities, academic and research institutions, and trade organizations. Our global presence enables us to advise on environmental matters in the United States, Europe and beyond.
Energy and Greenhouse Gas Experience
Reed Smith represents clients on all aspects of regulatory and litigation counseling in the fields of environmental, natural resource and energy law. Reed Smith is involved in helping clients understand the potential impact, strengths and weaknesses, and business opportunities of emerging energy issues, greenhouse gas legislation, and related environmental issues in the RGGI states, California, and the European Union. Reed Smith attorneys are also involved with due diligence on major acquisitions for clients in the Marcellus and emerging Utica Shale play. With regard to the Marcellus Shale, we are currently handling groundbreaking cases related to air emissions for mid-stream oil and gas companies.
Environmental Regulatory Experience
Our Environmental Team provides ongoing regulatory compliance advice to clients in a range of industries. Recently we've offered counseling on a wide assortment of topics, from providing environmental compliance advice to clients in the up- and mid-stream oil and gas companies, to advising clients on compliance with chemicals-related regulations in the United States and related to REACH, to advising Austrade (Australian Trade Commission) on regulatory requirements for fracking of coal. Further, we counsel on environmental regulatory matters related to general land-use matters, and resulting land-use litigation. Our lawyers have led brownfield redevelopments throughout the world.
Environmental Litigation Experience
Reed Smith has represented clients in enforcement and penalty actions, citizen suits, rulemaking challenges, superfund and related state legislation, environmental insurance claims, contractual indemnities, toxic tort and property damage claims, environmental permit disputes, sewer and water disputes, and environmental criminal indictments - just to name a few.
Environmental Due Diligence Experience
Another core area of our business is due diligence, compliance and risk management on acquisition or disposal of commercial property interests, companies and/or their assets. Our long-term association with in-house legal teams ensures that our approach is practical and based on a deep understanding of environmental management matters. Reed Smith is a key player in due diligence on major acquisitions in the Marcellus Shale play. Reed Smith attorneys reviewed and evaluated environmental assessments involving multiple facilities at diverse locations in the United States, the European Union, Canada and Mexico.
