John W. Watson chairs the Firm’s North American Environmental Practice Group and leads the coordinated Global Environmental Practice. Mr. Watson has been advising industrial enterprises on managing wide-ranging environmental risks and liabilities arising out of their domestic and international operations for over 20 years. He has been consistently recognized as a leading environmental lawyer in Chambers USA, The International Who’s Who of Environment Lawyers, and Leading Lawyers and Super Lawyers publications.

Practice Focus

Mr. Watson’s practice focuses on providing counsel to US and multinational companies to address the environmental challenges associated with their industrial and manufacturing operations. His work involves advice on strategic environmental management initiatives, including the development and implementation of domestic and global environmental sustainability policies and corporate environmental compliance and audit programs.

Mr. Watson regularly defends industrial concerns in multi-media federal and state environmental enforcement actions and counsels clients on recurring compliance issues implicated by their operations. He also advises companies in corporate transactional matters, the financial reporting and disclosure of environmental risks and liabilities, and the implementation of strategies for the remediation and disposition of industrial real estate assets and portfolios.

Representative Legal Matters

• Advised Fortune 100 specialty chemical company in development and implementation of global environmental compliance program involving facilities in the United States, China, India, Brazil and throughout Europe.
• Represented Fortune 250 US natural resources concern in US EPA Clean Water Act enforcement actions arising out of their mining operations.
• Counseled Fortune 50 manufacturing company with respect to the legal risks and liabilities associated with its global sustainability policies and initiatives.
• Represented Fortune 500 global transportation company in Agency negotiations and the development of US EPA regulations to resolve alleged industry-wide compliance issues under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
• Represented the leading US industrial real estate industry trade association on the US EPA Advisory Committee charged with drafting Agency regulations to implement the federal Brownfields Revitalization Act of 2002.
• Advised manufacturing and industrial development concerns in the cleanup and disposition of industrial real estate assets across the United States.

Professional Associations and Memberships

• American Bar Association - Section of Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental

Admission

Illinois~United States (1988)

Education

Chicago-Kent College of Law (IIT)  (J.D. Joyce Foundation Environmental Law Scholar) (1988)
St. Olaf College  (B.A.) (1985)