Associate Drew Silton (Washington, DC) was quoted in a November 22 article in Law360 titled "4 Tips For Young Enviro Attorneys." The article provides advice for students and early-career attorneys looking to build a career in environmental law amidst a competitive marketplace and changing legal landscape due to the Trump administration's rollback of regulations. The four pieces of advice include adapting to changing regulatory climates, being flexible and keeping an open mind, adapting to work culture, and getting work experience of all kinds.

Regarding the changes in the Environmental Protection Agency and their possible unintended consequences, Drew notes, "I think one of the things to be cognizant of and that’s important to keep on top of in a deregulatory climate, is what are the relationships between different rules and policies that say EPA has in place — or that even among different agencies have in place — and how does the removal or scaling back of one impact another?" An example of this may include the Department of Justice's announcement that it will no longer sign off on settlements that include third-party payments, and the impact that may have on EPA administrative settlements.

Drew also points out the importance of gaining non-billable work experiences, such as marketing tasks that can both provide training and an opportunity to get noticed by supervisors. “These types of marketing assignments help you to stay abreast of new developments in the law, and they’re also a good way to become an expert on an emerging issue,” he said. “In my experience, where you’re the associate who helps prepare the alert or prepare the slide deck on a new rule that’s come out, you’re also going to be the first phone call within your practice whenever a question comes in from a client on that rule.” Attorneys can gain a lot by spending any downtime learning about the industry sectors they most interact with.

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