Environmental and Catastrophic Events

As climate volatility, aging infrastructure, and increasingly complex transportation and supply chains converge,, companies are facing heightened legal and enforcement vulnerabilities with significant business implications. Transformative incidents increasingly include not only extreme weather events, but also train derailments, high-hazard sectors such as mining and extractive industries, chemical releases, explosions, aviation accidents, and major air emissions. Regardless of the particular scenario, these events place pressure on Company, legal, and EHS leadership, operational decision making, and compliance systems. The business risks from environmental litigation are outpacing regulatory frameworks and now span allegations ranging from infrastructure-design shortcomings to negligence, public safety lapses, securities misstatements, fiduciary duty breaches, and environmental harms. In parallel, companies face heightened reputational exposure, investor scrutiny, and public accountability where real time decision making, coordination, and messaging can materially influence enforcement posture, litigation trajectory, and enterprise value.

Our nationally recognized attorneys navigate the developing regulatory landscape, craft creative strategies in civil and government enforcement suits, and offer dynamic tactics and a track record to prepare companies for serious environmental events and guide them through their legal impacts.

Advising on disaster response preparedness

Well-prepared organizations proactively strengthen their disaster response and preparedness protocols before a crisis arises. Our team offers meaningful support on the advisory side. We help clients review and benchmark their current disaster response protocols, mitigation plans and EHS management systems against industry standards, identify gaps or critical deficiencies, and recommend practical strategies for effective training and implementation. We evaluate emergency response readiness, including fatality and catastrophe response protocols, incident command structures, worker safety systems, reporting triggers, and data preservation protocols that are critical to downstream OSHA and environmental enforcement and litigation risk. This proactive, prelitigation engagement ensures our clients are equipped with demonstrably sound and defensible plans—mitigating litigation risks and, more importantly, helping to save lives. By partnering with us early, clients are positioned for success both in preventing crises and in mounting the best possible defense should litigation occur.

Catastrophic transportation and industrial incidents

High consequence transportation and industrial failures demand immediate, coordinated legal response. Train derailments, aviation accidents, mining-related incidents, and chemical releases—whether fixed site or in transit—often trigger parallel investigations by federal, state, and local authorities, along with civil litigation, insurance disputes, and intense media attention.

Our team advises clients across the full incident lifecycle, helping them stabilize operations, comply with urgent regulatory obligations, support EHS-driven response decisions, and position themselves for inevitable enforcement actions and civil claims.

Immediate response aftermath

Our environmental and catastrophic events team develops bespoke “first-48-hour” playbooks that guide legal, EHS, risk, communications, reputation management, and executive teams through each stage of a crisis response. These guides are instrumental in the immediate aftermath of a crisis event and in preparation for civil litigation and government inquiries by local prosecutors, state and federal regulators, or members of Congress. The playbooks integrate crisis communications and reputational risk management into legal and EHS decision-making from the outset—aligning factual development, regulatory engagement, employee communications, public statements, and board-level messaging to preserve credibility and prevent missteps that can escalate enforcement or litigation exposure. By helping clients establish strong governance frameworks, we empower them to strategically respond in time-sensitive situations to effectively manage litigation and regulatory risks.

Business-focused holistic strategies

Drawing on experience from dozens of national crises—including wildfires, extreme weather events, large-scale transportation and industrial incidents, and unexpected pollutant discharges—we deliver business-focused solutions that strengthen companies’ crisis response, mitigate litigation and enforcement risks, and protect long-term value. We are trusted advisors in high-stakes crisis litigation and are regularly appointed as national and regional coordinating counsel for companies involved in class action and mass tort litigation. Our cross-disciplinary team includes former members of government response agencies, EHS practitioners, and seasoned litigators, allowing us to bridge operational realities with regulatory expectations and litigation strategy. We leverage subject matter experience in high-profile environmental, product liability, mass tort, and class action claims to develop holistic strategies that protect companies’ long-term business interests.

Litigating industry-shaping environmental crisis cases

We are at the forefront of industry-shaping environmental crisis cases alleging negligence, strict liability, and more novel claims. Our lawyers represent the world’s largest companies in high-stakes disputes arising from catastrophic events with the potential to transform business practices across major industries, including utilities, insurance, and technology.

We routinely defend claims arising from transportation accidents, chemical releases, and large scale air emissions, navigating complex factual records, overlapping regulatory regimes, emerging theories of liability, and scrutiny of EHS systems, safety culture, and emergency response decisions.

We litigate emerging threats with precision—developing tailored strategies and navigating complex legal gray areas. We are trusted by Fortune 500 clients to defend and win novel, precedent-setting lawsuits arising from critical weather events

Incidents we routinely advise on include:

• Wildfires and climate driven disasters
• Train derailments and rail infrastructure failures, including hazardous materials releases and evacuations
• Chemical releases and industrial accidents, at fixed facilities and during transportation
• Aviation accidents and airline incidents triggering federal investigation and civil liability
• Major air emissions and atmospheric releases leading to regulatory enforcement and community impact
• Hazardous materials transportation incidents involving trucks, railcars, ports, and intermodal facilities
• Fixed site industrial process failures, including refinery, chemical plant, and manufacturing releases
• Water contamination and discharge events affecting rivers, wetlands, and drinking water sources
• Soil and groundwater contamination matters, including legacy contamination and off site migration
• Pipeline and energy infrastructure failures resulting in environmental releases
• Fires, explosions, and battery related incidents with environmental fallout and debris management issues
• Port, maritime, and coastal environmental incidents, including vessel spills and harbor releases
• Environmental justice driven incidents involving community exposure and heightened regulatory scrutiny

WILDFIRE

We have worked extensively in the wildfire space from multiple angles, including litigation, compliance, risk mitigation, and crisis response for utilities, insurers, and other stakeholders facing wildfire-related exposure.

Key member of utility monitor team involving wildfires

Served as key member of utility monitor team appointed to oversee operations in relation to wildfires. Contributed to oversight and ensured compliance with safety regulations, including site inspections, data analysis, reporting, and compliance monitoring.

Deterred enforcement and defeated class action over California wildfires

Defended telecommunications company in more than 25 lawsuits and government investigations relating to California wildfires. Successfully resolved criminal investigation and regulatory investigation without charges or liability. Defeated litigation seeking to represent a putative class of 100,000 evacuated residents, based on arguments regarding timeliness and individualized damages.

Advised on wildfire mitigation risk and PSPS protocols

Advised a major East Coast utility company on wildfire mitigation strategy and its Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) program, helping the client navigate evolving standards of care, regulatory expectations, and litigation risk tied to de energization decisions and post event scrutiny.

Defending against civil claims including antitrust and consumer protection claims

We currently represent insurance carriers in class action and multi-individual litigation alleging antitrust and related misconduct in connection with the California wildfire insurance market, giving us insight into how wildfire risk, insurance availability, and competition issues intersect.

MAJOR FIRE INCIDENTS & MASS TORTS

Secured Third Circuit win for Arconic in Grenfell Tower mass tort dismissal

Achieved a significant win for Arconic Inc. and its affiliates in a mass tort suit before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, which affirmed dismissal of claims arising from the largest mass tragedy in the UK since World War II – the Grenfell Tower fire in London in 2017.

Defended six class actions and 2,000 individual lawsuits from chemical distribution center fire

Represented an international pool chemical manufacturer after a warehouse facility fire by crafting and initiating a claims center and defending six class actions and 2,000 individual lawsuits.

Internal investigation and crisis response following fatal residential fire

Led an internal investigation and crisis response arising from an assisted living facility fire, including coordinating fact development, expert assessment of causation, regulatory engagement, and risk mitigation following a high-fatality residential fire incident.

RCRA fire and explosion involving hazardous waste operations

Advised on regulatory response and civil and criminal enforcement following a fire and explosion at a hazardous waste operation, addressing RCRA compliance obligations, agency investigations, and corrective action requirements.

Investigation and enforcement response to lithium-battery fire at waste and recycling facility

Led an internal investigation and managed technical experts following a major fire caused by lithium batteries at a waste and recycling center, addressing novel EHS regulatory and worker safety issues arising from battery related incidents.

UTILITY, TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE DISASTERS

Defended state utility regulator under investigation in connection with gas explosion and fire

Represented a state utility regulator under investigation by the state's Attorney General and the US Department of Justice in connection with a major gas explosion and fire, and the closing of a nuclear power plant.

Aviation related PFAS exposure investigation and risk assessment

Advised an airline on potential environmental and tort liability arising from PFAS risks following an aircraft crash and the use of PFAS based firefighting foam to extinguish the fire, including regulatory exposure, investigation strategy, and downstream litigation risk.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION & SPILLS

Defended recycler in waste oil spill from flash freeze

Represented multinational waste oil recycler in a headline-grabbing, large, land-based oil spill caused by equipment damage from an unprecedented freeze event. Navigated cleanup and response and defended ensuing environmental enforcement actions and litigation.

Intentional spill response, reporting, and enforcement defense

Advised clients on response, reporting, and enforcement strategy following intentional spill events, including regulatory disclosures, agency negotiations, and risk mitigation to prevent escalation to criminal proceedings.

PFAS releases from fire suppression systems

Advised clients on cleanup obligations and potential environmental liability following unintentional discharges of PFAS containing fire suppression systems, including coordination with environmental regulators and development of defensible response strategies.

Groundwater intrusion into residential buildings

Developed a comprehensive EHS standard operating procedure (SOP) for remediation where floodwaters containing PFAS entered residential building portfolios. Counseling included remediation protocols, risk evaluation, tenant communications, management of associated reputational risk, and notifications to government agencies and affected tenants.