Robert D. Mowrey

Prior to becoming a founding partner of the firm, Bob spent twenty-one years practicing at Alston & Bird, LLP, a national Am Law 100 firm, where he was the long-time chair of that firm’s Environmental and Land Use practice group. During his tenure, the prominence of the group rose to a national level. He also formed and chaired Alston’s Energy and Sustainability practice, which saw national and international recognition for climate change and renewable energy expertise.

Bob earned his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Chicago Law School in 1988, and his B.A., summa cum laude, from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio in 1985. He has taught courses as an Adjunct Law Professor at Emory University School of Law.

Bob is a past chair of the Environmental Law Section for the State Bar of Georgia. He has frequently written and spoken on environmental legal issues.

Listed in Chambers USA, America’s Leading Lawyers for Business for nearly 20 consecutive years

Listed in Best Lawyers® for Environmental Law and Litigation for over consecutive 15 years

Named Best Lawyers® 2018 Lawyer of the Year – Litigation – Environmental – Atlanta

Named Best Lawyers® 2016 Lawyer of the Year – Environmental Law – Atlanta

American Bar Association

Past Chair, Environmental Section of the State Bar of Georgia

Who’s Who Legal

Superlawyers

Lawdragon

Defended major manufacturing operation against multi-media EPA enforcement actions, including under RCRA, superfund, and the Clean Air Act. Also successfully defended putative toxic tort class action against the plant.

Handled significant internal investigation at major company involving multi-year misreporting of NPDES data to an environmental agency.

Successfully arbitrated allocation claims at multi-party Vietnam-era weapons production site undergoing tens of millions in CERCLA remediation work.

Leads in town-wide PCE groundwater contamination matter in EPA Region 7, including leading negotiations with EPA and the two other PRPs.

Led negotiations with U.S. EPA and U.S. Department of Justice on residential lead investigation and cleanup action involving up to 12,000 yards valued at $50 million by EPA.

Led civil litigation on cleanup cost claims alleged at up to $500 million involving alleged disposal of PCB–contaminated foundry materials. Led class action defense relating to same circumstances, achieving dramatic narrowing of class claims.

Handled simultaneous state and federal enforcement investigations and residential class action brought against a California-based chemical company involving interstate transportation of wastewater alleged to have released gases containing neurotoxins. Investigative bodies included U.S. EPA, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry, the Alabama Department of Environmental Protection, the Georgia Environmental Protection Agency, and the Fulton County Health Department. Achieved favorable settlement on class action and favorable outcome on agency investigations.

Led defense of a municipal government on an effort to invalidate its waste handling contracts for over 500,000 residents and businesses. Prevailed in obtaining a denial of a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction and obtained a dismissal of all claims. Argued the ensuing appeal to the Georgia Supreme Court, resulting in successfully obtaining a Supreme Court ruling invalidating as unconstitutional a state statute limiting waste transportation across county lines.

Led internal investigation, multi-agency enforcement defense and third party litigation in connection with major international corporation’s discovery of a vendor’s illicit misappropriation and mishandling of significant quantities of hazardous waste, described by the company as the single most important legal issue it has faced.

Handle major groundwater investigation and remediation issues at site declared “Georgia’s number 1 superfund site” by EPD Director.

Advise Fortune 50 company on a number of carbon reduction projects being evaluated or pursued for their potential to generate Certified Emission Reductions or other types of carbon credits.

Advice to major trade associations on carbon capture and storage strategy, liability and policy issues.

Represented clients in structuring and drafting Erosion Reduction Purchase Agreements under the Kyoto Protocol as well as under domestic voluntary carbon credit regimes.