Bloomberg Law named Roy D. Prather, III (Baltimore) to its fourth annual “They’ve Got Next: The 40 Under 40” for environment. The group of recognized lawyers “inspire their law firms, companies, non-profit organizations and government agencies to elevate, innovate and serve — not only clients but their communities beyond.” Honorees are chosen based on records of success and how well they balance client responsibilities, leadership roles, and pro bono legal service.

“Our 2024 honorees represent the best of the future of the legal profession,” said Lisa Helem, executive editor, Bloomberg Industry Group. “This elite group of young leaders excels in foreseeing and navigating the complexities their clients face. Through their successes, they elevate, innovate and serve — not only clients but their communities beyond. They also represent a range of practice areas, life experiences and cultures — diverse in all senses of the word.”

In his profile, Roy said, “As an environmental attorney, I’m most proud to help clients navigate some of the most challenging and significant issues facing their businesses and the public.” His profile covers two of Roy’s proudest accomplishments. The first being defending the City of Newark in a high-profile Safe Drinking Water Act citizen suit led by the Natural Resources Defense Council in New Jersey federal court. Roy also noted his work in defending a large retailer facing a consumer protection class action in California asserting greenwashing claims.

Roy maintains a national practice focused on complex environmental and commercial litigation matters and counseling on environmental justice. Roy has defended citizen suits and class actions involving toxic tort and product liability claims under federal laws and state analogues, and has represented clients in class actions and other consumer protection litigation involving green marketing and related greenwashing allegations. A leader of the firm’s environmental justice (EJ) practice, Roy counsels clients on the development of enterprise-wide EJ policies to incorporate EJ into corporate responsibility and ESG implementation; consideration of EJ in their operations and project development plans; and representation during investigations related to EJ and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 enforcement. Roy serves as an adjunct professor at his alma mater, Georgetown University Law Center, where he teaches an EJ course.

In addition to his legal practice, Roy is an active member of his community. He joined the National Aquarium's Board of Directors in 2022 and is the Chair of the Board’s Governance and Nominating Committee.  Roy is also a founding member and serves on the Advisory Board of the Black BigLaw Pipeline, Inc., a non-profit comprised of senior Black attorneys established to promote positive outcomes for Black attorneys working in large law firms. Beyond legal-related roles, Roy contributes to his community through youth mentorship as a mentor for Bridges Baltimore. Roy also provides pro bono representation in various areas of law, including civil rights, unfair wage practice, immigration, and landlord/tenant matters.

Firm Chair Kathy Szmuszkovicz commented, “We thank Bloomberg Law for this meaningful recognition. Roy is a stand-out contributor to B&D as a member of our Management Committee, to our clients as their go-to litigator for significant cases, and to our community through all the good work mentioned here. We are proud of Roy’s leadership and appreciate Blomberg Law’s recognition of his talents.”