He will be based in the firm's Los Angeles and Washington, DC offices
Global law firm Paul Hastings LLP has announced that litigator Brian Israel has joined the firm as a partner and co-head of its environmental litigation practice. Israel will be based in the firm's Los Angeles and Washington, DC offices.
Israel, who is highly regarded and Band 1-ranked by Chambers, has represented Fortune 500 companies in complex environmental cases in the United States. He served as lead counsel to BP in the environmental litigation following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He was a trial attorney in the Clean Water Act penalty trial related to the incident. His client roster includes major corporations such as Chemours, CSX, Dow Chemical, Honeywell, Monsanto, and Motorola.
Israel's practice spans crisis management, counselling on climate issues, and handling federal and state environmental enforcement matters. He is recognized for his expertise in Natural Resource Damages (NRD) claims. He co-authored a definitive treatise on the subject and edited an ABA publication on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues.
"Brian is one of the nation’s leading environmental lawyers, and we are thrilled to welcome a Band 1 litigator and team to combine forces with our Band 1 team,” said Frank Lopez, chair of Paul Hastings. “We believe his extraordinary record of accomplishments, together with the depth and breadth of his experience, further elevates our platform as the leader in an increasingly active practice area, enabling us to represent our premier clients on their most complex and important matters.”
Israel joins Paul Hastings from Arnold & Porter, where he chaired the environmental practice group and co-led the firm’s ESG working group. At Paul Hastings, he will co-chair the environmental litigation practice with Navi Dhillon, also Band 1-ranked by Chambers.
“I’m elated to be joining the top-ranked environmental practice at Paul Hastings and collaborating with this exceptional team,” Israel stated. “The firm’s unequalled interdisciplinary resources and global reach provide an outstanding platform for my practice, and I look forward to helping the firm’s clients navigate their most pressing environmental challenges.”
Before his career in private practice, Israel was an Honors Trial Attorney in the Environmental Enforcement Section of the US Department of Justice (DOJ).
According to the firm, Israel’s addition to Paul Hastings is part of a broader trend of high-profile hires over the past year. The firm has welcomed several notable litigators, including white-collar and trial lawyer Renato Mariotti in Chicago, data and cybersecurity litigator Michelle Reed in Dallas, a 12-lawyer white-collar and investigations team led by Antonin Lévy in Paris, and a six-partner IP litigation team in Palo Alto and Washington, DC. Other prominent hires include white-collar and investigations partner Stuart Alford KC and Oliver Browne in London, white-collar and investigations partner Adam Fee in Los Angeles/Century City, and complex commercial litigator Paul Genender in Dallas.
