Responding to increasing demand, top-ranked environmental law and litigation firm Beveridge & Diamond welcomed eight new associates to the firm in 2021: Leandra A. Ansah (Austin), Michael Campinell (Boston), Majidah M. Cochran (Seattle), Noa L. Ervin (Baltimore), Vetone Ivezaj (New York), and Nicole M. Bayne, Jonas A. Reagan, and Justin A. Weatherwax (Washington, DC). B&D also welcomed 4 law clerks whom it will formally announce upon their admission to the bar.

“Associates choose B&D to build successful careers in the dynamic field of environmental and sustainability law and litigation,” said B&D Firmwide Managing Principal Kathy Szmuszkovicz. “We are delighted to welcome these new members of our team, who already have begun to make an impact as they contribute their unique talents and experience to assist B&D clients.”

Leandra leverages her prior experience in the public and private sectors to develop effective legal arguments and equitable resolutions while deftly navigating the continuous dialogue between business and government interests. Before joining B&D, Leandra served as an assistant attorney general in the Tort Litigation Division of the Texas Office of the Attorney General where she defended state agencies in personal injury, property damage, and wrongful termination lawsuits. She also defended the State Office of Risk Management and other state agencies in workers’ compensation contested case hearings and appeals. Her litigation experience includes first-chair representation of clients in front of the Texas State Office of Administrative Hearing, justice courts across Texas, county courts at law, district courts, and the First and Fourteenth Texas Court of Appeals.

Michael assists clients with the cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated sites as well as the regulatory and compliance challenges related to environmental stewardship. His practice focuses on helping private parties and municipalities navigate state and federal laws and regulations regarding hazardous and toxic waste contamination, site remediation, and cost recovery under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and its Massachusetts counterpart. His experience representing PRP groups in CERCLA matters has helped recover significant funds for site remediation. He also represents landfill operators, defending against Clean Water Act (CWA), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and state nuisance and trespass claims. In addition to his hazardous waste and contamination practice, Michael also has experience in multi-state insurance coverage disputes and Massachusetts land use law.

Majidah uses her passion for global environmental justice, stewardship, and sustainability to help solve clients’ problems and strategically achieve their long-term business goals. She advises clients across industry sectors in a variety of areas involving environmental justice, international regulations, corporate social responsibility, supply chain, and product stewardship. In addition to her regulatory practice, she also assists with complex civil and criminal environmental litigation. She clerked at a premier regional full-service firm and a large family-owned forestry company and served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Justice Mary I. Yu on the Washington State Supreme Court. During law school, Majidah served as an editor for the American Indian Law Journal, one of two law journals in the nation dedicated exclusively to Indigenous issues.

Noa channels her lifelong passion for wilderness adventure into her practice of environmental law, with experience litigating issues arising under the CWA and CERCLA. Prior to joining B&D, Noa was a judicial clerk at the Oakland County Circuit Court, managing a docket of civil and criminal matters, as well as a treatment court for combat veterans. During law school, she interned at the Division of Indian Affairs in the Office of the Solicitor, Department of the Interior, focusing on issues at the intersection of environmental and tribal law.

Vetone focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation, with a background in sustainability. Prior to joining B&D, Vetone was a litigation associate at a law firm in New York City, where her experience included successfully securing an award for $23.6 million for a public company client in an arbitration involving claims for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duties, and fraud in the inducement. She interned at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan for the Honorable Terrence G. Berg and externed at the Department of Justice in the Environment and Natural Resources Division.

Nicole advises clients on litigation and regulatory issues with a focus on natural resources, agriculture, and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). She focuses her practice on environmental regulatory law and litigation, federal permitting and project planning, and complex legislative analysis. She has experience with the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, the ESA, and Federal Acquisition Regulations for federal government contracting clients. Prior to joining B&D, Nicole practiced as an associate in the Washington, DC area, served as a law clerk with the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Agriculture, and interned with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of the General Counsel in the Natural Resources and Environment Division.

Jonas concentrates his practice in regulatory compliance and civil litigation, with a special focus on water, endangered species, and natural resources management. He advises clients on regulatory compliance, administrative enforcement actions, and civil litigation under state and federal regulations, including the CWA, ESA, Administrative Procedure Act, Pipeline Safety Act, General Mining Act of 1872, and Federal Land Management Policy Act. Jonas’ current work involves advising a $5 billion pipeline project on ESA compliance, assisting a mining company on land leasing issues in a National Forest, counseling a national railroad on county permitting and CWA compliance, and defending a biomedical company from ESA litigation. Before joining B&D, Jonas served as an attorney-advisor for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Office of Chief Counsel where he provided counsel on enforcement actions under the Pipeline Safety Act. Before that, Jonas practiced as an associate with a boutique natural resources firm, where he counseled a variety of private, government, and investment clients on environmental and water issues facing western states.

Justin represents clients in environmental regulatory law, focusing on natural resources preservation, contaminated site remediation, and eminent domain law. He has assisted clients with matters involving CERCLA, the Clean Water Act, and stormwater management. Prior to joining B&D, Justin worked for the Florida Sea Grant as a legal fellow where he assisted with the development of a legal guide for zoning and No Adverse Impact development within floodplains. As a law student, he worked on a variety of environmental issues, including marine conservation as a law clerk for Oceana, Inc. and eminent domain litigation while clerking for the U.S. Department of Justice and interning with the Florida Department of Transportation. Justin received the Dean’s Certificate of Achievement Award for his work with the Environmental Justice Clinic where he assisted in a class action, toxic tort lawsuit. Justin is also active in pro bono matters and represented an Afghan refugee as he secured his release from detention.