Citing the firm's "variety of clients at the local and national level" last year, Law360 has named Beveridge & Diamond a 2017 "Practice Group of the Year" for Environmental. This marks the second year in a row that B&D has received this honor. Law360 recognizes firms "with an eye toward landmark matters and general excellence," honoring the law firms behind the "litigation wins and major deals that resonated throughout the legal industry in the past year."

Law360 highlighted some of the firm's major matters over the past year. B&D assists in serving as the Independent Corporate Compliance Monitor and Auditor for Volkswagen as part of VW's criminal plea agreement in its emissions settlement last year. “Our expertise in air emissions, wastewater discharge, solid waste, electronics, and related issues put us in a good position to serve in that role of deputy monitor for emissions and environmental matters,” Jimmy Slaughter (Principal, Washington, DC) said. “B&D provides much of the environmental expertise in this. And it is our breadth in environmental law and our history that led to the selection of us to play this deputy monitor role.”

B&D also assisted the City of Los Angeles in securing a trial win striking down a biosolids ban on two constitutional grounds following a two-week bench trial, which Jimmy described as "complex litigation at its best." 

Principal Kathy Szmuszkovicz (Washington, DC) noted how the experience of the firm's attorneys has allowed it to easily adjust to the new administration's approach to environmental matters. "Since our start in the '70s, we have done nothing but this area of work. So what we are drawing on are decades of experience of dealing with the ups and downs, the changes, the nuances,” Kathy stated. “So, [the new administration] didn’t require us to add any special expertise. That is really our strategic plan is to be able to deal with whatever comes, wherever it is coming from. That’s our business.”

Kathy added that "we marry deep substantive expertise in environmental law with experienced litigators who have dealt with these issues across the country in federal and state courts that can combine a litigation strategy with a compliance strategy and an understanding of the industries and the industries desires on where they are moving."

Law360 also highlighted the firm's continuing commitment to diversity in 2017, noting that of its approximately 105 lawyers about half come from some kind of diverse background, and its commitment to focusing on both state-based and national environment matters with our new Seattle office expanding our capabilities into the Pacific Northwest. “We are in a time period when state and local governments feel that they need to step in to ensure that environmental regulation, environmental protection, is to the liking of their constituents,” Kathy said. “To us, that was a very important region of the country to be in and be strong in.”

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