Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG)

Mike Blankenship (co-chair) focuses on corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and securities law matters, and regularly counsels public companies on strategic transactions, capital markets offerings, and general corporate matters. He has advised numerous clients on many ESG matters, including ESG due diligence and developing and implementing long-term ESG strategies.

Eric Johnson (co-chair) has extensive experience representing private and public companies and investors, in a broad range of corporate and securities matters, including mergers and acquisitions and capital markets transactions. He regularly advises boards and management teams on ESG matters, including implementation of various ESG programs and ESG-related disclosures.

Jonathan Brightbill, a trial and appellate lawyer, served as Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Environment & Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the nation’s lead environmental law enforcement official. He has litigated the highest-profile climate and environmental cases, as well as major consumer fraud, advertising, securities, and competition matters. Jon brings experience from the most senior levels of DOJ on white collar and regulatory enforcement and investigations, federal policymaking, and rulemaking development and challenges.

Eleni Kouimelis focuses on environmental issues that arise in a variety of contexts, including transactions, compliance counseling, and litigation. She provides compliance counseling to diverse industrial and manufacturing clients in all the environmental media, including designing and implementing audit and sustainability programs, strategic planning, and permitting and siting approval.

Seth Farber, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, focuses his practice on white-collar criminal defense, corporate internal investigations, and related civil litigation. Many of his matters have involved investigations (often by multiple regulators across several jurisdictions) of U.S. multinational companies in the energy and renewable energy industries. Seth has tried numerous federal cases to juries and is an experienced appellate advocate who has argued both civil and criminal appeals in federal circuit courts around the country. He also handles SEC investigations, securities litigation, civil RICO litigation, and corporate governance litigation.

Cardelle Spangler focuses her practice on employment litigation and counseling matters across the full spectrum of issues, including EEO, ERISA, restrictive covenant, breach of contract, and diversity-related initiatives over her 20 years as an employment litigator and advisor. She has significant experience representing clients in the medical device, pharmaceutical, food service, financial service, and transportation industries.

Rex Sessions represents clients in employment discrimination, wrongful discharge, and ERISA litigation matters; advises clients on EEO practices and employment-at-will issues; and assists clients in developing human resource policies and employee handbooks. He is experienced in negotiations and litigation concerning executive employment agreements, non-competition provisions, and other contracts.

Peter Crowther has significant experience in all aspects of EU law. While his sector focus is broad, he has a particularly established track record of advising clients in the energy, technology, and financial services (including insurance) industries on a wide variety of issues. Amongst other advice to energy sector entities, he has advised on the application of secondary legislation in the sector and assisted with the preparation of and submissions to the EU authorities regarding the development of the EU energy legal framework. He has extensive experience in the international dimension of EU energy policy and energy treaties between the EU and third-world countries.