Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP is pleased to announce that Chuck Knauss has joined the firm as co-chair of its Environmental Practice and Shannon Broome has joined as chair of the Air Quality and Climate Change Practice. Mr. Knauss, based in Katten’s Washington office, joins the firm from the Washington office of Bingham McCutchen LLP. Ms. Broome has been in private practice for the last 10 years while serving as Executive Director of a trade coalition, the Air Permitting Forum, and was previously manager of General Electric’s domestic and international air quality programs. She will split her time between Washington and California’s Bay Area. Mr. Knauss and Ms. Broome are nationally recognized authorities on the Clean Air Act and a range of environmental and energy laws, and bring substantial legislative experience to the firm.
“Chuck and Shannon are, by any measure, two of the very best environmental attorneys anywhere,” said Steven Solow, co-chair of Katten’s Environmental Practice. “Their knowledge, experience and outstanding legal ability on Clean Air Act and related issues is second to none. We are honored to welcome them to the firm and pleased that they have selected Katten as the place where their practices can thrive.”
Vincent A.F. Sergi, Katten’s national managing partner added, “Environmental counsel is a growing area of need for our clients as environmental legislation continues to evolve. To that end we have made a concerted effort in recent years to strategically grow the depth and breadth of our environmental services. The additions of Chuck and Shannon and their expertise in the Clean Air Act and general legislative issues further reinforce Katten’s position as a go-to environmental firm.”
Mr. Knauss represents companies and trade associations in the manufacturing and energy sectors on rulemaking, litigation, legislation and commercial matters, and has 30 years of experience addressing all aspects of the Clean Air Act and climate change. He served for several years as counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, where he figured prominently in the development of the comprehensive 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments.
Mr. Knauss has been recognized by clients in Chambers USA as “the best air lawyer in D.C. today,” and “a leader in the field, with the breadth of experience to ensure that he will always be able to find a solution.” He earned his A.B. from Brown University and his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.
Ms. Broome counsels and represents clients in environmental matters before federal courts and administrative agencies. With more than 20 years of experience addressing all aspects of the Clean Air Act, she is a nationally recognized authority who represents clients in a wide range of manufacturing sectors, including automotive, aerospace, chemical, paper, alternative fuels, power generation and utilities. Recently, Ms. Broome has focused her work on the development of greenhouse gas requirements under all provisions of the Clean Air Act and greenhouse gas regulation under ancillary statutes such as the Endangered Species Act and common law.
Ms. Broome serves as Executive Director of the Air Permitting Forum and directs a sub-entity of the Forum, the Auto Industry Forum, which advocates on behalf of the automotive industry on all Clean Air Act stationary source issues. She earned her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles and her J.D. from University of California Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law, where she is a member of the Order of the Coif.
“We are excited to join Katten and to be moving to this strong and talented environmental team. This environmental practice is extremely attractive to clients, as evidenced by its remarkable growth,” Mr. Knauss said. “The appellate and litigation practice at Katten is also a huge benefit to our clients. With Steve Solow, former chief of the Department of Justice’s Environmental Crimes Section, an unheard-of 14 former Assistant U.S. Attorneys, plus a strong appellate bench, Katten has the resources to ensure that we are able to provide our clients the depth they need in every aspect of environmental litigation and enforcement representation.”
Ms. Broome added, “Having been an engineer at Chevron and in-house counsel at GE, I saw in Katten an approach that clients now demand – right-size staffing, an understanding of the client’s overall needs and challenges, clear and consistent communication, and a commitment to the highest level of work product.”
Katten’s Environmental Practice offers clients an interdisciplinary, strategic approach to managing environmental issues. A wide range of major U.S. and foreign corporations rely on the firm for guidance on domestic and international regulatory, transactional, litigation, and compliance matters. Katten represents clients in the manufacturing, chemical, energy, construction, transportation, shipping and technology industries in connection with their most pressing legal issues.
