B&D continued its growth across practice areas and offices again this quarter. In Q3, the firm added 14 new Of Counsel, Associates, International LLM Fellows, and Law Clerks. These attorneys and clerks will practice in our Austin, Boston, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC, offices.

Please join us in welcoming Of Counsel Taylor Ferrell (Washington, DC) and Spencer Gheen (Seattle), Associates Ben Champion Washington, DC), Ragini Gupta (San Francisco), Ning Hsu (Seattle), and Lauren Murvihill (San Francisco), International LLM Fellows Leticia Duarte and Gabriela Espir (San Francisco), and Law Clerks Abby Barnicle (Boston), Amandine Fromont (Boston), Benjamin “HR” Huber-Rodriguez (Austin), Lexie Mulkey (Seattle), Emily Schwartz (Seattle), and Mariel Tang (New York).

“This is an incredibly exciting time for B&D as we celebrate 50 years and continue to execute our strategic plan," said Firmwide Managing Principal Marc J. Goldstein. "We are happy to welcome these attorneys and clerks at the respective stages of their careers and look forward to working with them and seeing their contributions to our clients, our firm, and environmental law and litigation.”

Taylor N. Ferrell

Taylor leverages his multi-agency U.S. government experience to counsel clients on regulatory and litigation matters related to environmental cleanups, renewable energy, and sustainability. With a distinguished career spanning nearly two decades, Taylor has served in various high-profile legal roles within the U.S. government, most recently as Deputy General Counsel, Environment, Energy, & Installations, for the 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. Before joining DOD, Taylor was a Trial Attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Environment & Natural Resources Division (ENRD), where he defended federal agency clients in environmental litigation and Fifth Amendment takings litigation.

Spencer Gheen

Spencer counsels clients on issues relating to contaminated sites. Before joining B&D, Spencer was a partner at a small environmental firm in Seattle. He combines his more than 12 years of experience in private practice with his passion for environmental law to help clients navigate difficult legal problems. Spencer’s experience includes representing clients in regulatory and litigation matters at complex contaminated sites, including disputes over hazardous waste cleanup under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and Model Toxics Control Act. He also advises clients on compliance issues relating to stormwater discharges under the Clean Water Act (CWA) and litigates those issues when claims arise. Additionally, Spencer assists clients in the energy sector with transactional, regulatory, and corporate governance matters.

Benjamin L. Champion

Ben counsels clients on a wide range of environmental and energy issues, including regulatory compliance, litigation, and strategic planning for sustainability initiatives. Before joining B&D, he gained wide-ranging litigation expertise as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable Evan J. Wallach at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, with a majority of Judge Wallach’s service as a visiting judge at the Ninth Circuit and the District of Delaware. Prior to his clerkship, Ben also held a U.S. Department of Energy fellowship hosted by the Arizona Corporation Commission, where he researched the implications of new wholesale electricity markets in the western U.S. and the impacts of the closures of coal plants on Arizona communities. After receiving his doctorate in geography at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, Ben worked for ten years in higher education sustainability on the academic and administrative sides.

Ragini Gupta

Ragini focuses her practice on international environmental law, climate change, and sustainability. She joined B&D after working as a Stanford Law School Public Interest Fellow with ClientEarth, North America, where she researched legal issues related to climate risk management and disclosure, ESG, coal phase-out in the Asia-Pacific, and environmental aspects of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Prior to receiving her LL.M., Ragini worked at an Indian law firm where she represented clients in various commercial disputes and provided advisory services on securities law, insolvency and bankruptcy, environmental compliance, and land acquisition securities law matters.

Ning Hsu

Ning has a particular interest in transportation, energy, and new technologies. Before receiving her LL.M. from Stanford University, Ning was an attorney in Taiwan, representing clients in administrative appeals and lawsuits concerning energy development and permits, as well as soil and underground water pollution control and remediation. While at Stanford, she interned with the California Public Utilities Commission, where she contributed to drafting rulings on electric vehicle supply equipment and researched critical energy and transportation issues, including autonomous vehicles.

Lauren M. Murvihill

Lauren defends clients in enforcement and due diligence matters before state and federal enforcement agencies. She helps clients navigate regulatory enforcement orders and actions, including agency-ordered cleanup and remediation efforts, compliance audits, and investigations. Lauren has experience with major environmental statutes, including the Clean Air Act, CWA, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, CERCLA, and state counterparts. Her litigation experience includes drafting research memoranda, complaints, answers, discovery, motions, briefs, and petitions, with a focus on natural resources issues and writs of mandate.

Leticia E. Duarte

Leticia uses her experience as an environmental attorney in Brazil to help counsel clients on regulatory and litigation matters. As one of B&D’s first International LL.M. Fellows, she has experience advising Brazilian and international corporations, financial institutions, and third-sector organizations on environmental advisory and litigation matters in connection with environmental regulations, occupational safety and health, climate change, sustainability, energy, and environmental harm. Leticia has worked on litigation and regulatory matters related to asbestos, mercury, mining dam collapses, pesticides, and contaminated sites. Leticia also has experience working on environmental and occupational health enforcement issues, in addition to environmental due diligence.

Gabriela Espir

As one of B&D’s first International LL.M. Fellows, Gabriela uses her experience as an environmental attorney in Mexico to help clients navigate a wide range of environmental issues. Before joining B&D and receiving her LL.M. in Environmental Law & Policy from Stanford Law School, she was an environmental attorney at a Mexican firm where she worked on regulatory, transactional, and litigation matters. Gabriela has experience representing domestic and international companies before environmental authorities and courts on matters related to water, wastewater, environmental impact, air emissions, and waste management, among others. Gabriela also advised on the development of renewable energy projects, including solar, wind, and green hydrogen plants, and the financing of infrastructure and mining projects.

Abby E. Barnicle

Abby uses her experience in energy to support environmental regulatory and litigation matters. Before joining B&D, Abby served as a certified student practitioner at the Suffolk University Environmental Law & Policy Clinic, where she counseled clients on CWA and municipal solid waste matters. Abby also interned with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Prior to law school, Abby worked as a Renewable Energy Program Coordinator at the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, assisting with the implementation of the state solar energy incentive program.

Amandine M. Fromont

Amandine has a particular interest in climate and international environmental law, wetlands protection, and environmental justice. While at Georgetown Law, she served as a student attorney for the Environmental Law and Justice Clinic, researching and anticipating litigation arguments under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Amandine previously externed with DOJ in the ENRD, where she developed brief materials and supported trial moots for ENRD’s Environmental Defense Section. Amandine also interned with EPA Region 1, where she researched and coordinated settlement preparations for CWA and EPCRA enforcement cases.

Benjamin J. "HR" Huber-Rodriguez

HR leverages his diverse educational background in law, global policy studies, civil engineering, and physics to counsel clients in the energy sector. He has experience reviewing environmental permits, state statutes and regulations, and researching environmental justice policies and developments. While pursuing his JD, HR was a research assistant at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, modeling the effects of carbon capture technology on pollutant emissions. Before law school, HR worked as a quantitative analyst at a renewable energy finance company, where he developed underwriting processes for renewable energy property liens using data analytics and machine learning.

Alexis R. Mulkey

Lexie helps guide clients through all stages of litigation, including E-discovery and document review, depositions, mediations, drafting important memorandum, and drafting preliminary motions. Lexie has worked on matters under federal law, such as RCRA, and state policies, including Washington’s Dangerous Waste Regulations. Lexie has extensive experience helping business clients navigate environmental insurance coverage issues under commercial general liability policies, as well as coverage issues expanding beyond environmental issues, such as matters arising under directors and officers and professional liability policies.

Emily E. Schwartz

Emily helps counsel clients on regulatory issues, with a particular interest in natural resources, waste, and site remediation. She has experience working on a wide range of issues, including source emissions, carbon market scrutiny, hydrofluorocarbon regulations, Interior Board of Land Appeals decisions, greenwashing, renewable energy, and solid waste. Emily has worked on matters under federal law, such as the Endangered Species Act, NEPA, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the National Heritage Area Act. While pursuing her JD, Emily held internships with EPA and the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Mariel Tang

Mariel combines her passions for sustainability and public health to counsel clients on regulatory and litigation matters. In law school, Mariel participated in Georgetown Law Center’s Environmental Law & Justice clinic, where she researched anticipated litigation arguments under NEPA within the oil and gas sector. Mariel additionally has experience assisting in high-stakes litigation, having helped write motions to dismiss and settlement agreements. She interned with EPA Region 2, where she assisted in high-stakes CWA litigation and gained an understanding of enforcement cases. With a master’s degree in public health, Mariel has a special interest in the Endangered Species Act and water issues, having written her thesis on public nuisance claims against livestock producers polluting groundwater.