This year marks the 10th anniversary of Earth & Water Law (E&W Law). Over the past decade, our firm has built a national environmental practice, advising clients on regulatory, transactional, infrastructure, and litigation matters. But our story isn’t just about growth. It’s about doing things differently and proving that a better model for practicing law is possible.
From the beginning, our approach has set us apart from traditional law firms. Operating through a mix of virtual and physical offices across the U.S., we built a streamlined structure that eliminates the layers and overhead common in larger firms. Clients work directly with senior attorneys, keeping matters moving efficiently and with greater cost discipline, while aligning legal support with their risk profiles, operations, and project timelines. For our attorneys, that structure means something equally important: the ability to do substantive work, stay close to clients, and practice with a level of autonomy that is rarely available elsewhere.
“Ten years ago, we set out to build a firm that reflects how environmental work actually gets done, recognizing that it doesn’t happen in silos and requires experienced lawyers who can stay directly engaged in that work, with a level of rigor and efficiency that isn’t always possible in more traditional settings,” said Brent Fewell, E&W Chairman & Founding Partner. “I’m proud of what we’ve built, the team behind it, and the way we’ve supported our clients through increasingly complex issues.”
At its core, our work sits at the intersection of legal requirements, technical considerations, and business objectives. We advise on regulatory strategy, permitting, and compliance, support transactions and environmental due diligence, and lead remediation and redevelopment matters. We also represent clients in enterprise risk management, enforcement actions, and litigation, and help manage ongoing compliance, operational, and risk management challenges. Those challenges increasingly involve complex and emerging issues like PFAS, critical minerals, and energy infrastructure, areas where our practice continues to grow.
Many of our attorneys have served in corporate executive roles, federal agencies, or as partners at large law firms. That experience directly informs how we approach strategy, agency engagement, and positioning matters to move forward. The work often extends beyond traditional legal services. Our attorneys collaborate closely with clients on regulatory engagements, help lead industry coalitions, and support advocacy efforts in ways that add real value beyond the courtroom or the conference table.
A Different Way to Practice
For experienced environmental attorneys, E&W Law offers something that is increasingly hard to find: the opportunity to do high-quality, complex work without the constraints of a traditional large-firm environment. There are no origination credit battles, no pressure to staff matters with associates to meet billing targets, and no disconnect between the attorneys who develop client relationships and those who actually do the work. Our attorneys are directly engaged in matters from start to finish.
We work with attorneys who are drawn to a more entrepreneurial, collaborative model, people who want to practice at a high level, build meaningful client relationships, and have a say in the firm’s growth. We are also actively building our practice group and seeking great lawyers in non-environmental roles who want to build something, too. If that describes you, we’d welcome a conversation.
Looking Ahead
After 10 years, our core approach remains unchanged. We continue to focus on areas where regulatory complexity is rising — including energy and infrastructure projects, site redevelopment, critical minerals, and emerging contaminants — and we are actively growing the team to meet that demand.
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Interested in learning more? We welcome the opportunity to connect. Please reach out to start a conversation about working with or joining the firm at (202) 280-6362 or info@earthandwatergroup.com.
