Environment and Sustainability

Winston & Strawn plays a significant role in our clients’ efforts to achieve and maintain environmental compliance. This role includes permitting for air, water, and solid waste; development and implementation of audit programs and environmental management systems; strategic planning for the implementation of new regulations; and administrative or legislative lobbying on environmental issues that impact our clients.

An important segment of the environmental department's compliance and counseling practice involves counseling corporations, and their directors, officers, and employees in the area of federal and state criminal environmental enforcement matters. We conduct internal investigations for corporations and negotiate with the appropriate state and/or federal criminal investigative agency, and represent defendants in preliminary agency inquiries, grand juries, and trial proceedings.

Our attorneys also participate in the legislative and policy-making process on behalf of clients. We draft environmental legislation for consideration by Congress and state legislatures, submit comments on proposed regulations and rules, and confer with federal and state executive and administrative officials concerning the applicability and interpretation of existing rules.