McGuireWoods partner Gregory Evans has been honored in The National Law Journal’s 2018 Energy & Environmental Trailblazers issue as a pioneer in environmental litigation.
Evans has represented elite brands in complex commercial litigation for more than 25 years. He represented copper mining giant Asarco LLC in trial and federal appellate courts across the country, clawing back millions of dollars from parties that contributed to environmental contamination at sites that Asarco paid to clean up under its settlement in the largest environmental bankruptcy in U.S. history.
In 2017, Evans won high-stakes environmental appeals for Asarco, twice in the 9th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals and once in the 10th Circuit. All of these cases related to contribution rights under CERCLA.
“CERCLA works best when companies settle claims and fund big cleanups,” Evans said. “Companies have an incentive to settle if they know that they can pursue contribution from others that also caused pollution. Yet contribution rights were very uncertain before these cases. CERCLA contribution rights have been clarified in each of these federal appeals.”
Evans’ work earned recognition in Financial Times’ prestigious North America Innovative Lawyers report and in Law360 where he was named an “Environmental MVP.” The American Lawyer has recognized Evans on its “45 Under 45” list and honored him as a “Star Lateral.” He also received the State Bar of California’s Wiley W. Manuel Certificate for Pro Bono Legal Services. The Los Angeles Business Journal recently named him one of the legal profession’s most influential minority attorneys.
Evans serves on the Board of Directors for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund Property Management Corporation, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the Constitutional Rights Foundation, the YMCA of San Francisco, the Advisory Council of the University of Notre Dame Institute for Latino Studies, and the Board of Trustees for Catholic Charities of Los Angeles.