Profile: John W Watson

Environment

Biography: Environment

Mr Watson chairs Baker & McKenzie's North American environmental practice group and leads the firm's coordinated global environmental practice group. He advises US companies on the management of environmental risks and liabilities associated with their domestic and international industrial and manufacturing operations. This counsel includes assisting industrial companies in the development and implementation of environmental compliance programmes and environmental sustainability initiatives, devising strategies to maximise the value of corporate real estate portfolios through active assessment, remediation and disposition, and regular compliance counselling and enforcement defence with respect to recurring regulatory matters and SEC reporting and disclosure obligations. Mr Watson is a leading industry expert on Brownfields redevelopment matters and regularly advises national Brownfields trade associations and industrial developers on legislative and regulatory matters. Mr Watson's environmental counsel includes active representation of clients in wide ranging federal and state environmental litigation matters.

Mr Watson has been regularly recognised as a leading environmental practitioner by Chambers USA, Leading Lawyers and Super Lawyers networks, and the Legal 500.

Mr Watson received his Juris Doctorate from the ITT Chicago-Kent College of Law, where he was a Joyce Foundation environmental law scholar.