Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner

Energy, Environment and Infrastructure

Partner - Corporate and Finance Transactions

Global Practice Group Leader - Energy, Environment and Infrastructure

Bryan is the leader of the firm's Energy, Environment and Infrastructure Practice Group. His practice focuses on a wide range of environmental, energy, health and safety matters. In these capacities, he regularly counsels clients regarding the management of risks and liabilities associated with air, water, waste management, chemical handling and disposal, Superfund, process safety and risk management, and occupational  safety and health. He also counsels clients on strategic environmental, health and safety auditing and planning, and regularly defends litigation and administrative enforcement matters brought by U.S. EPA, OSHA, MSHA, and state and local regulatory agencies. His enforcement defense experience includes matters involving major federal environmental statutes, state and local environmental laws, and also cases involving release reporting issues. He has also successfully defended clients in safety and health enforcement matters following industrial accidents, including matters involving chemical spills and employee fatalities.

Bryan represents traditional, alternative and renewable energy businesses regarding environmental, safety and health, customer contract, supply contract, regulatory, transactional (asset and stock) and general business matters. His experience includes representation of alternative retail electric and gas suppliers, district energy companies, wind and solar companies, biofuel and other independent energy producers. He has helped clients negotiate pipeline/terminaling agreements, customer contracts, material supply and other energy business agreements. He has also represented numerous renewable energy companies regarding development issues involved with construction and permitting of large-scale wind and solar developments including counseling under the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

As part of his extensive transactional background, Bryan regularly represents clients in corporate and real estate transactions including the negotiation of asset purchase and sales agreements, stock purchase agreements, and real estate and remediation agreements associated with “Brownfield” redevelopment projects. He has significant experience representing clients conducting environmental remediation and participating in state voluntary cleanup programs. Representative “Brownfield” experiences include: the acquisition, voluntary remediation and redevelopment of a 265-acre metals manufacturing facility; development of a large scale intermodal facility; and numerous other remediation and redevelopment projects ranging in size from one acre to over 1000 acres.

Bryan has written several law review and journal articles on environmental issues. His articles on recovering attorney's fees under CERCLA and RCRA Criminal Liability have been published in the DePaul Law Review and the Chemical Waste Litigation Reporter, respectively. He also co-authored the Environmental Chapter of the Illinois Continuing Legal Education's Construction law handbook. Bryan regularly speaks on a range of environmental, energy, health and safety topics. He has made presentations to Fortune 500 and other private companies including Robert Bosch Corporation, Dean Foods Company, Brunswick Corporation, and ACH Food Companies.