The Haynes and Boone, LLP Environmental Practice Group has been named one of the Texas Lawyer 2016 Litigation Department of the Year winners for its wide-ranging roles across bankruptcy and business restructuring, energy, power and natural resources, water rights, and oil and gas production issues.
The firm becomes one of only three to win multiple times in the history of the competition. Last year, the firm won top honors in the general litigation category for large firms, and in 2013 the labor and employment practice took top honors in the specialty category.
"Once again we are proud that Texas Lawyer's editors have recognized Haynes and Boone trial lawyers for their extraordinary expertise," said Rick Anigian, chair of the firm's Litigation Department. "Our environmental lawyers are involved in counseling clients on critical matters that require a very sophisticated level of technical and legal knowledge.”
"Our clients have come to highly value the depth of our environmental litigation bench in Texas, Mexico and across the U.S."
Recently, Haynes and Boone environmental litigators have been active in representing clients challenging Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations. The practice group represents the Texas Independent Producers & Royalty Owners Association in a Washington, D.C. federal court seeking to intervene in a lawsuit brought by a group of environmental organizations that would force the EPA to adopt stricter oil and gas waste regulations.
Haynes and Boone, LLP lawyers also have filed a brief representing the Small Retailers Coalition in a dispute over the EPA's higher annual targets for its Renewable Fuel Standard, arguing that it gives an unfair advantage to large petroleum retailers and sidelines smaller ones.
On another front, Haynes and Boone environmental lawyers won a major appellate ruling that protects a company’s right to contest liability and cleanup orders issued under the Texas Superfund law. In that case, Texas issued an enforcement order declaring the firm’s energy clients and about 150 other parties liable for cleaning up an abandoned oil recycling site in East Texas. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) argued that the companies were limited to a highly deferential “substantial evidence on the record” standard in seeking review of the TCEQ’s order. A unanimous appellate decision agreed with Haynes and Boone briefing, allowing the companies to challenge the order on a preponderance of the evidenced standard.”
Texas Lawyer will officially announce all 2016 Litigation Department of the Year winners at a Nov. 1 dinner in Dallas. Detailed profiles of the winners will be released after the event.
Haynes and Boone’s Environmental Practice Group represents clients on a wide range of sophisticated environmental issues in litigation, transactional matters and day-to-day operations. For more information on Haynes and Boone’s Environmental Practice Group, please click here.
