DALLAS, December 1, 2020: Stephen Fitzgerald, an environmental litigator with 15 years of experience, including as in-house counsel with a Fortune 500 oil and gas company, has joined Morgan Lewis as a partner focusing on energy regulatory, transactional, and financial matters. Stephen, who joins from Baker Botts, will reside in the firm’s Dallas and Houston offices.
“Stephen brings a strong technical background and valuable in-house insights to our clients in the oil and gas and chemical industries,” said Firm Chair Jami McKeon. “The comprehensive nature of his environmental practice will be particularly beneficial to clients with the anticipated shift in the energy regulatory and enforcement landscape in 2021.”
With experience in more than 30 US jurisdictions, Stephen regularly advises clients in state, federal, and private party suits under various environmental statutes, including the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Clean Water Act (CWA), and state analogs. He has represented clients at more than 175 environmentally impacted sites across all US Environmental Protection Agency regions as well as in Europe and South America. Prior to joining his previous law firm, Stephen spent six years managing legacy environmental matters for a large oil, gas, and chemical company.
“We know Stephen well and he is a strong fit—he provides clients with environmental boots on the ground in Texas as well as nationally and internationally, with deep experience helping clients navigate complex environmental regulatory frameworks,” said Gordon Cooney, leader of Morgan Lewis’s global litigation practice. “Given his practice, Stephen will work closely with our global energy and projects teams, in addition to bolstering our environmental litigation and counseling practice.”
Stephen’s arrival follows that of Dallas-based partner Janice Davis, a leading corporate lawyer with a focus on healthcare and technology, and partner Robert Sheeder, a veteran labor and employment litigator, who joined the firm last year.