Chuck Knauss and Shannon Broome Join Global Environmental Practice

Broome Appointed New San Francisco Office Managing Partner

Hunton & Williams LLP continues the expansion of its renowned environmental practice with the arrival of Charles H. Knauss and Shannon S. Broome as partners in Washington and San Francisco, respectively. Broome, additionally, was appointed the new managing partner of the firm’s San Francisco office and will be joined there by Julie A. Cress as senior attorney.

“We are delighted to welcome them to the firm,” said Walfrido (Wally) J. Martinez, firm managing partner. “Chuck and Shannon are known for their distinctive ability to craft and negotiate regulatory and legislative solutions to previously intractable problems, precisely what our clients seek in today’s global economy.”

Knauss and Broome, nationally recognized environmental and energy lawyers, focus their practices on air and energy policy issues and represent companies and trade associations in a range of industries, including petroleum refining, upstream oil and gas, aerospace, auto manufacturing, chemical manufacturing, locomotive production, medical waste management, and combustion and wind turbine production. They and Cress join the firm from an AmLaw100 firm.

“We have practiced with Chuck and Shannon for years and have close personal and professional ties with them,” said F. William Brownell, chair of the firm’s executive committee. “They have a deep and market-differentiating understanding of the Clean Air Act and a multifaceted knowledge of many other statutes and forums in environmental, energy, and administrative law.”

Knauss, who began his legal career in 1981 at Hunton & Williams, served as Minority Counsel to the US House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce (1987–1990). He was the lead negotiator for the landmark 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. Noted Knauss: “Hunton has a forward-looking strategic plan that aligns perfectly with the current and future needs of my clients. I’m happy to rejoin the firm and to be part of its future.” Knauss added, “Back in 1981, I had no idea that I’d be on a 35-year partnership track at this firm, but I am so glad to finally be a Hunton partner. It feels right.”

William L. Wehrum, who leads the global environmental law practice, adds: “Shannon and Chuck are recognized as two of the most knowledgeable environmental lawyers in the country, based on their track record of managing significant and complex representations for major corporate clients.”

Prior to joining Hunton, Broome was the managing partner of the AmLaw100 firm’s San Francisco Bay Area office and had built a national and California-based environmental practice, focused on air quality, climate change, renewable energy, and permitting and compliance in the petroleum sector. “Hunton & Williams not only has a rich legacy of melding first-rate lawyering with a strategic approach to the practice of law, but the firm is also committed to promoting women into important leadership positions. My clients and I look forward to collaborating with the terrific group of Hunton lawyers in California and throughout the firm,” said Broome, who will split her time between the firm’s Washington and San Francisco offices.

Broome assumes the San Francisco office managing partner role from Ann Marie Mortimer, who continues to serve on the executive committee of Hunton & Williams, as chair of its environmental and energy litigation practice, and as managing partner of the Los Angeles office.

Hunton & Williams has been on the leading edge of environmental issues since its founding, and has nearly 60 lawyers devoted to air, water, natural resources, waste and other related matters. The group advises clients at all stages of environmental issues, from initial legislative and policy development, through implementation, compliance and court challenges. The practice’s lawyers have represented clients in recent cases involving air toxins and new source greenhouse gas regulation that were argued before the US Supreme Court. The practice has been designated an Environmental Practice Group of the Year by Law360 for six consecutive years.

Knauss is an undergraduate of Brown University and received a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School. Broome received an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles and a law degree from UC Berkeley School of Law. Each has authored books and articles and speaks frequently on environmental law trends. Cress is an undergraduate of Illinois State University and received a law degree from Golden Gate University School of Law.