B&D is pleased to announce the arrival of Taylor Ferrell as Of Counsel in our Washington, DC office. Taylor brings nearly two decades of legal experience in environmental law and litigation, most recently serving as Deputy General Counsel, Environment, Energy, & Installations, at the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).

At DOD, Taylor was the senior legal advisor on all energy, environment, and installation issues, managing a team that provided critical advice on environmental cleanup, climate and sustainability efforts, and renewable energy planning. He oversaw NEPA compliance on significant DOD programs, led legal work related to PFAS cleanup, storage, and disposal, and led negotiations between DOD and various state and federal regulators on enforcement matters, including state and federal enforcement of corrective action requirements for the Navy and DOD in the aftermath of the 2021 jet fuel release from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Hawaii.

Before his tenure at DOD, Taylor served as Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works), overseeing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works program. He also served as a Trial Attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice Environment & Natural Resources Division, defending federal agency clients in environmental and Fifth Amendment takings litigation. Taylor successfully defended several NEPA challenges to critical DOD projects and successfully defended the Navy in a first-of-its-kind PFAS contamination case in the Court of Federal Claims, receiving a trial verdict in that case.

"We are thrilled to welcome Taylor to B&D," said Kathy Szmuskovicz, B&D’s Chair, “His extensive government experience and understanding of environmental law and policy will be invaluable to our clients as they navigate complex and evolving regulatory and project development landscapes.”