George Gigounas > DLA Piper LLP (US) > San Francisco, United States > Lawyer Profile

Led by San Francisco-based litigator George Gigounas and regulatory expert Gwen Keyes Fleming, based between Washington DC and Atlanta, DLA Piper LLP (US) continues to advise a range of clients in heavily regulated industries on a variety of environmental issues related to corporate, financial and real estate transactions. Jeff Salinger, based in New York, is a key contact and routinely advises on ESG issues, climate change disclosure, and brownfield redevelopment. In Washington DC, regulatory compliance expert Paul Wierenga is known for advising oil industry clients on energy and environmental issues, including those related to renewable fuels, air quality standards, US policy on oil imports and renewable fuels, and climate change legislation and regulations.

The environmental practice at DLA Piper LLP (US) assists a spread of high-profile clients in matters relating to climate change, sustainability, supply chain and remediation. George Gigounas co-leads from the office in San Francisco, handling environmental contamination, product regulation and climate change law, alongside Gwen Keyes Fleming, best known for her ‘government experience’, who deals with compliance rulemaking and environmental justice. The team is also home to Robert Alessi , New York based environmental and energy lawyer, Adam Baas , of the San Francisco office, who is a key name to note in emerging contaminants and clean up and New York based Jeff Salinger, who is praised by his clients as ‘the best in the business’. His wide practice spans health and safety, ESG and real estate issues as well as corporate social responsibility.  Andrew Cooper joined the Washington DC office in early 2023 from Van Ness Feldman LLP specializing in compliance.

Leveraging ‘a deep bench of experts’ throughout the country including in California, a hotspot for environmental-related matters, DLA Piper LLP (US) provides a ‘very responsive’ service to clients in the defence of a range of toxic tort matters, including on cutting-edge climate change issues, and with regard to the proliferation of claims being brought through the courts with regard to PFAS  contamination.  Co-headed out of Boston and Baltimore by Matthew Holian and John Wellschlager, the firm is currently defending BASF in a high-profile PFAS MDL. Washington DC-based Buffy Mims is also part of this team, and as part of her broad trial practice, regularly represents clients in relation to toxic tort matters. In Los Angeles, first-chair trial lawyer Jayme Long  also regularly handles single and multi-plaintiff toxic tort and product liability cases, including for energy, chemical and manufacturing clients. In San Francisco, George Gigounas is a popular choice for clients seeking to comply with federal and California-specific environmental regulations, and is also regularly engaged in litigation and enforcement actions when litigation is challenged. Also located in San Francisco, the ‘exceptionally responsive’ Greg Sperla  combines regulatory and litigation skills to good effect in the context of Prop 65 work, consumer class actions and similar labeling claims, and is praised for his ability to ‘play the role of both tough litigator and careful negotiator very well’. Los Angeles-based trial lawyer Angela Agrusa, who co-heads the overarching mass torts and class action group with Christopher Campbell in Atlanta, is particularly skilled at defending clients in the food and beverages space, including recent work relating to alleged heavy metals in baby food and PFAS in food packaging.