WASHINGTON, D.C., March 1, 2021 – Earth & Water Law, LLC announces today the addition of three prominent environmental lawyers and litigators adding to an already talented bench of experienced environmental lawyers.
Susan Bodine joins Earth & Water Law after serving as the Assistant Administrator, Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As the former top environmental enforcement lawyer at EPA, Susan brings a wealth of experience from leading the largest enforcement cases brought against major industries over the last three years, drafting major pieces of legislation during her fourteen years on Capitol Hill, and developing major rulemakings during her service at EPA in the Bush Administration.
John Irving, the Deputy Assistant Administrator at OECA under Susan, also joins the firm to bolster the firm’s litigation, enforcement defense and white collar practice. John Sheehan, former senior trial attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environmental and Natural Resources Division also joins the firm, further bolstering the firm’s litigation and regulatory expertise.
“We are thrilled to have Susan, John, and John join Earth & Water Law’s already deep bench of lawyers with significant experience in navigating difficult environmental, legislative, regulatory, and investigatory matters,” said Brent Fewell, founder of Earth & Water Law. “With the expertise of our partners and our structure as a 21st century virtual firm, no other law firm can match the value Earth & Water offers to public and private sector clients seeking to address environmental challenges.”
Susan Bodine
Through thirty-two years of experience in the executive and legislative branches of government and in private practice, Susan Bodine is intimately familiar with the implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, the development of legislation, the development of regulations, and the operation of both federal agencies and Congress.
“I am excited to join Earth & Water Law,” said Bodine. “It is a wonderful platform for developing “win-win” partnerships to advance environmental protection, increasing understanding of and compliance with our environmental laws, and ensuring legislation and regulation will achieve bipartisan goals.”
During her career, she has served as staff for both the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. She also has served at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as the EPA Assistant Administrator for both the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (now the Office of Land and Emergency Management) and the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. Finally, she has worked in private practice at both Covington & Burling LLP and Barnes & Thornburg LLP.
John Irving
John Irving’s practice focuses on criminal and civil environmental enforcement matters, internal investigations, and ensuring effective corporate compliance programs, utilizing skills honed from his 24 years of experience at the Department of Justice, on Capitol Hill, in private practice, and at EPA.
Prior to joining Earth & Water Law, he served as Deputy Assistant Administrator in U.S. EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, which coordinates and oversees nationwide compliance efforts and administrative, civil, and criminal environmental investigations under the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and other environmental statutes.
“Earth & Water Law presents an opportunity to work with the highest caliber environmental attorneys while delivering substantial value to its clients,” said Irving. “I look forward to contributing to the firm’s investigations, compliance, and litigation practice, and to helping clients navigate the complex issues that those matters present.”
John’s broad Washington, D.C., experience also includes twelve years in the White Collar and Compliance Teams at the law firm of Holland & Knight LLP, a decade with the Department of Justice as an Assistant United States Attorney in Washington, D.C., as Counsel to two Deputies Attorney General, and as Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. Mr. Irving also served as Investigative Counsel to the Government Reform & Oversight Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, as Special Impeachment Counsel to the House Judiciary Committee, and in the Office of Independent Counsel.
John Sheehan
John Sheehan has represented clients for over thirty years in defense law, with a particular focus on the energy and natural resource sectors – environmental litigation, regulatory enforcement actions, and transactional counseling related to key environmental statutes.
“I am excited to be joining Earth & Water Law and leveraging my background and experience navigating the complex regulatory environment that makes up the state and federal water and wastewater landscape,” said Sheehan, who enjoys an extensive background in the energy and natural resources sectors. Sheehan has a proven track record of helping clients maneuver successfully through complex litigation and dense regulatory requirements, most notably representing the State of Florida in its lawsuit that arose out of the Deepwater Horizon disaster against BP, and against the tobacco industry for the effects of secondhand smoke.
Sheehan’s broad experience also includes service as a senior trial attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice in the Environment and Natural Resources Division. He was part of several precedent-setting cases underneath pieces of hallmark environmental legislation, including the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act.
For full bios and information on the firm, visit the Earth & Water Law, LCC website at www.earthandwatergroup.com.
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Earth & Water Law, LLC offers expertise that lies at the intersection of legal and strategic business counseling, helping its clients stay ahead of the ever-growing legal and regulatory challenges.
Contacts
Susan Bodine, Partner
Earth & Water Law, LLC
Phone: (202) 658-8340
Email: susan.bodine@earthandwatergroup.com
John Irving, Partner
Earth & Water Law, LLC
Phone: (301) 807-5670
Email: john.irving@earthandwatergroup.com
John Sheehan, Partner
Earth & Water Law, LLC
Phone: (301) 980-5032
Email: john.sheehan@earthandwatergroup.com
