Paul T. Nyffeler, PhD

Paul counsels clients on the impact of environmental law and policy, applying his in-depth knowledge as a PhD chemist to legal issues. Paul is an environmental law practitioner with more than 15 years of experience providing clients with regulatory counseling, compliance advice, and first-chair environmental and tort litigation counsel at both the trial and appellate levels.

Paul maintains an interdisciplinary practice focused on chemical regulation and compliance, hazardous waste laws, and water quality, groundwater, and drinking water. He is knowledgeable of the underlying technical frameworks used by state and federal agencies in the development and implementation of environmental laws and regulations, including the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), Clean Air Act (CAA), Clean Water Act (CWA), and Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), among others.

As a PhD chemist, Paul has a deep scientific understanding of the chemicals subject to regulations and compliance programs, with robust experience in unregulated contaminants, new chemicals, existing chemicals (including Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)), hazardous air pollutants, and biotechnology. Working with the Office of Drinking Water in the Virginia Department of Health, Paul served on the Health & Toxicology and Policy & Regulations Subgroups of the Virginia PFAS Workgroup in a program to investigate state drinking water primary maximum contaminant levels for PFOA and PFOS. He has also actively researched and developed technology related to PFAS removal in wastewater and PFAS synthesis in the context of manufactured materials.

With additional experience in multiparty CERCLA litigation, Paul also advises clients in defense of liability related to site contamination by hazardous substances, including riparian PCB contamination. He provides counsel on evolving legal issues and potential liability exposure associated with the management and disposal of emerging contaminants that are the subject of increasing state and federal regulatory actions under cleanup laws.

Paul is a thought leader on chemical regulation, regularly speaking at industry conferences to provide insight on unregulated contaminants and chemical regulatory and legislative updates.