Profile: Carol E Dinkins

Environment

Biography: Environment

Carol E Dinkins chairs Vinson & Elkins's environmental and administrative law practice. Since 1973, she has built a practice counselling clients on business transactions and permit matters, and civil litigation, mediation, and criminal defence. Carol has represented businesses and public entities in proceedings under state and federal environmental and natural resources laws.

Carol has negotiated and resolved matters arising under TSCA, RCRA, CERCLA, CWA, CAA, EPCRA, including judicial and administrative actions and permits and other authorisations for new projects; federal and state civil and criminal enforcement actions; environmental claims; projects and cases involving remediation; and cases involving NEPA, wetlands, cultural resources, and endangered species.

From 1981 to 1983, Carol left Vinson & Elkins to serve as assistant attorney general in charge of the environment and natural resources division of the Department of Justice, and then served as the deputy attorney general of the United States, the second most senior official in the Department of Justice, in 1984 and 1985. Most recently, Carol was appointed by President George W Bush to chair the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. She held four Presidential and one gubernatorial appointments with senate conformation. She has chaired one presidential and three gubernatorial task forces.

She served on the ABA board of governors and is immediate past chair of the board of editors of the ABA Journal. In 1999, Carol was awarded the Margaret Brent Award for Women Lawyers of Achievement by the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession; and, in 2000, was inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame.

Carol received her BSEd in 1968 from the University of Texas at Austin, and her JD in 1971 from the University of Houston Law Center.