Biography: Environment

Humberto Celis, a cutting-edge expert in environmental law has been in the environmental and natural resources law practice for over 20 years. His work ranges from regulatory compliance, liability counseling, dispute resolution, enforcement and response, corporate, real estate transactions, climate change and renewables.

He is an expert in legislative matters. Various states in Mexico have turned to Mr Celis for the elaboration of environmental laws and regulation. Examples of Mr Celis's work are the Morelos and Tamaulipas' Codes can be quoted. The state of Tamaulipas Code represents the first law in Latin America whose objective is to transversely coordinate the environmental issues of a region.

He has a continued practice in rule-making activities and environmental litigation at both administrative and criminal forums.

Referring to other areas of expertise, one can quote air, environmental impact, hazardous waste, soil contamination, sites remediation, waste management, water supply and discharge management, natural protected areas, public consultation and disclosure issues. All kinds of environmental comprehensive plans for private and public entities have been studied and revised by him.

Mr Celis has offered counsel to mining companies throughout the years, regarding high risk operations in the mining business. Specifically, in the past two years, he has successfully obtained the revocation and annulment of site closures that haven't been legally justified, among other resolutions that have reflected an abuse of power of the authorities.

Mr Celis holds a law degree from UNAM (1989), an LLM degree from the University of Houston (1993) and a postgraduate degree from the National Center of Environmental Law at George Washington University (1994). He is a fellow of the 10th Generation of the Leadership for the Environment and Sustainable Development Program (LEAD, Colmex 2004).

Likewise, he has also been the environmental legal advisor and consultant of several governors and federal governmental entities relating matters of regulations, consultation and applicability of environmental international and national concepts to specific cases. Several of his clients include Fortune 500 companies, as well as the most prestigious local and foreign law firms, for which he directs all the environmental related work.

In that same direction, he is known as the 'lawyer of lawyers', his exclusive and highly specialised boutique is often referred to by other law firms for the resolution and leading of environmental cases. He offers consultation and strategy assessment to several well-renowned firms.

He has been a professor of environmental law and environmental contracts at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM); Universidad Anáhuac del Sur; Universidad Iberoamericana; Universidad Anáhuac, Cancún; Universidad Panamericana; and at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) (2006 to 2007).

In 1996, he joined Santamarina y Steta, SC, as an associate. Previously, Mr Celis worked in the legal representation office of Petroleos de México's International Environmental and Energy Council in Houston (PEMEX). During his years at PEMEX, he published two major works: The Legal-Environmental Regulation of the Oil Industry (1992) and Revision of the Environmental Legal Protection before and after the Proposed Free Trade Agreement: a Mexican Perspective (1993).

In 2005 UNAM named him honorary environmental counsel. He is also a member of the Mexican Academy of Environmental Law and former president of the Mexican Academy of Energy Law, (current Treasurer). Among his most recent articles are: Environmental Obligations for Energy Projects (2002), The North American Free Trade Agreement's Impact on the Development of Mexican Environmental Law (2005), Environmental Aspects for LNG projects in Mexico (2007), The Energy Reforms and Renewable Energies (2008) and Practical issues to achieve a successful CDM Project in Mexico (2009).

In 2008 and 2009 his firm was awarded by ACQ Finance as the environmental law firm of the year. Finally, Chambers and Partners for the Latin American region has ranked Humberto Celis as a Band 1 Lawyer in the 2010, 2011 and 2010 Client's Guide. Reference to him is made as 'one of the most experienced and successful lawyers on the environmental litigation and advisory work and practice areas.'

He practices a continuously updated implementation of innovative institutions and figures that has translated in his peers qualifying him as 'excellent', according to the Who's Who, February 2011 Publication on Environment in Mexico.