Rick R. Rothman
Rick R. Rothman focuses on environmental and energy counseling and litigation. Rick’s practice encompasses a broad range of environmental and energy laws, including the laws and regulations concerning air quality (both stationary and mobile sources), water quality, power plant siting, hazardous substances, impacted properties, energy efficiency, climate change, and Proposition 65. He is recognized for his environmental work by Chambers USA, where clients describe Rick as an “expert in air quality matters” and “very smart and knowledgeable, and easy to work with.”
Rick has experience counseling clients in a number of different contexts, including threatened enforcement actions, variance requests, permitting and appeals, transactional diligence reviews, and meeting state and federal reporting requirements and warning requirements.
Rick’s litigation practice involves the representation of clients from large corporations to local agencies in matters before both federal and state courts. He has litigated cases addressing alleged violations of most of the major environmental statutes, as well as cases involving alleged common law violations and injuries arising from exposures to products and chemicals regulated by those statutes.
His recent case load has included Clean Air Act enforcement matters, climate change litigation, Superfund actions, enforcement of waste disposal requirements, Clean Water Act discharges, Proposition 65 enforcement actions, multimedia enforcement actions, and chemical exposure complaints. Rick has worked on greenhouse gas reporting, mitigation, and litigation matters, and is a member of the firm’s Climate Change and Sustainability Working Group.
Rick has also applied his environmental knowledge to the appellate context. He has represented clients in both state and federal courts of appeal, including Clean Air Act cases, before the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and a Proposition 65 case before the California Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District.
Prior to joining Morgan Lewis, Rick was a partner in the environmental practice of another international law firm, where he served as a practice group leader and office managing partner of the Los Angeles office.
- Represented a North American refining company concerning its response to the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) renewed efforts relating to its New Source Review (NSR) refinery initiative enforcement at one of its refineries
- Represented manufacturers and distributors of aftermarket parts in investigations and enforcement actions brought by EPA and the California Air Resources Board (CARB)
- Represented as part of the coordinating counsel team Sempra Energy and Southern California Gas Company in all litigation and regulatory matters involving the Aliso Canyon gas leak in Porter Ranch, California
- Represented a former owner and operator of a manufacturing facility in addressing historical soil and groundwater contamination with local and state agencies as well as disputes with subsequent owners and operators of the facility
- Represented a global leader in the paper and packaging industry in Superfund litigation, regulatory negotiations with EPA, and Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) efforts
- Represented Imperial County Air Pollution Control District with respect to the district’s efforts to defend its promulgation of new regulations
- Represented a group of cosmetics brands and retailers in defending a Proposition 65 lawsuit brought by private plaintiffs
- Georgetown University Law Center, 1989, J.D., cum laude; Editor-in-Chief, Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics
- University of Michigan, 1985, B.A., Economics
- California
- District of Columbia
- Supreme Court of California
- US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- US District Court for the Central District of California
- US District Court for the Eastern District of California
- US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- US District Court for the Northern District of California
- US District Court for the Southern District of California
- Supreme Court of the United States


Ranked, Environment, California, Chambers USA (2009–2025)
Recommended, Industry Focus: Environment: regulatory, The Legal 500 US (2020–2025)
Recommended, Industry Focus: Energy litigation: oil and gas, The Legal 500 US (2020–2024)
Recommended, Industry Focus, Environment: litigation, The Legal 500 US (2007, 2013, 2020)
Recommended, Industry Focus: Energy (Litigation), The Legal 500 US (2016)
Recognized, Leading Energy Lawyer - Environmental & Energy Law & Litigation, Lawdragon 500 (2025)
Recognized, Leaders in Environmental Law, Environmental and Energy Law and Litigation, Lawdragon Green 500 (2023–2025)
Recognized, Lawdragon 500 Leading Environmental & Energy Lawyers (2021)
Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, Environmental Law, Los Angeles (2010–2026)
Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, Litigation – Environmental, Los Angeles (2010–2026)
Lawyer of the Year, Litigation – Environmental, Los Angeles, The Best Lawyers in America (2015)
Member, Practice Group of the Year, Environmental, Law360 (2017, 2019)
Recognized, Acritas Star Lawyer (2017)
Recognized, Super Lawyers, Southern California (2004–2017)
Recognized, Who’s Who Legal: Environment (2014, 2016)
Member, American Bar Association
Member, State Bar of California
Member, Los Angeles County Bar Association
Member, District of Columbia Bar Association
Board Member, Public Counsel
