Former in-house counsel, government enforcement lawyer and firm Management Committee member will lead implementation of numerous strategic objectives.

We are pleased to announce that the firm’s principals selected Stephen M. (Steve) Richmond as Chairman. Steve joined B&D in 2004 as a founder of the firm’s Boston office. He previously served for eight years as the managing principal of that office, and he just completed a three-year term as a member of the firm’s Management Committee. He succeeds Ben Wilson, who served as B&D’s Chairman until his retirement from the firm at the end of 2021.

Steve will work in close partnership with Firmwide Managing Principal Kathryn E. (Kathy) Szmuszkovicz to implement a number of business expansion, client service, and strategic planning initiatives at a time when the firm’s market-leading environmental and litigation services are experiencing record demand. 

“Steve brings superb legal judgment, business acumen and experience gained from both the corporate and government worlds. Our clients have long benefited from his insights and perspectives. I look forward to continuing to work alongside him as we focus our enterprise on providing exemplary service to our clients, national leadership in environmental law, and continually working to ensure that our firm is a great place for lawyers and staff to build fulfilling careers,” said Kathy. 

In addition to his role as Chairman, Steve will continue to advise clients from diverse industry sectors on environmental regulatory, permitting and compliance matters, with an emphasis on air, waste and recycling, government enforcement, and project development. 

“I am delighted to continue to work closely with Kathy, our Management team, and all our talented lawyers and staff. In the year to come, I look forward to helping drive the execution of our business goals and to continuing our relentless focus on providing exceptional legal support to our many valued clients. Beveridge & Diamond is a special place to practice environmental law, a place where we celebrate challenge, collaboration, diversity, and hard work. It is truly a privilege to work with such a talented team,” said Steve.

Steve received his J.D. from New York University and a B.A. from Johns Hopkins University. Before joining B&D, he gained practical experience serving as in-house environmental counsel at two multinational corporations, as Director of EHS Audit at an energy and environmental services company, and as a government enforcement lawyer in the role of Deputy General Counsel at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.

B&D’s principals also appointed firm principals Roy D. Prather, III (Baltimore) and Michael G. Murphy (New York) as new members of the firm’s Management Committee, which serves as the governing body for the firm. Roy focuses his practice on complex environmental and commercial litigation, including mass tort and citizen suit defense, and counsels clients on environmental justice issues. He also chairs the firm’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee. Michael focuses his practice on project development and litigation, including toxic tort and class action defense, with a particular concentration on the waste management and energy sectors.

B&D is a top ranked environmental and litigation firm with over 130 lawyers in 7 U.S. offices throughout the country. B&D was recognized as Law Firm of the Year for Environmental Law in 2022 by U.S. News-Best Lawyers (the fourth time it has been so honored), was named as Environmental Practice Group of the Year by Law360 in 2016, 2017, and 2020, and was awarded Tier One Environmental practice designations for its national environmental practice by Chambers USA and Legal 500. B&D is also a national leader on diversity, equity, and inclusion, holding Mansfield Plus certification from Diversity Lab, and a recipient of the Compass Award from the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity.

B&D’s focused legal practice includes traditional environmental, health and safety topics such as air, water, waste, endangered species, and worker health and safety, and it routinely advises and litigates in these areas. The firm litigates environmental, Superfund and toxic tort cases on behalf of its clients across the country and maintains a robust environmental crimes/white collar/internal investigations practice. The firm also advises on the many emerging issues that are driving current environmental policy development, including climate change, chemicals regulation, environmental justice, product life cycle, supply chain, and sustainability.