Presented by Women's Council on Energy and the Environment (WCEE)
Co-sponsored by ELI, the Energy Bar Association, Women in Government Relations, and the D.C. Bar Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Community
A WCEE Executive Series Event
Beveridge & Diamond P.C. Chairman Ben Wilson -- a recognized leader in environmental law and the broader legal community -- held an open and honest conversation on environmental law, his experience in managing a law firm, and his leadership style.
Under Ben’s leadership, Beveridge & Diamond has received numerous recognitions for its environmental practice, as has Ben for his leadership of the firm and leadership in the legal community. Known for more than his legal acumen, Ben is a tireless mentor to young attorneys, advocate for the advancement of attorneys of color, and the kind of manager that exhibits genuine concern and care for those who work with him.
A native of Jackson, Mississippi, Ben graduated from Harvard Law School and Dartmouth College. Ben has been lead counsel in numerous complex environmental litigation and regulatory matters for major consumer product corporations, retailers, oil and gas companies, municipalities, and developers. He served as the Court-Appointed Monitor for the Duke Energy coal ash spill remediation project and serves as Deputy Monitor for Emissions & Environmental in the Volkswagen AG emissions proceedings. Ben represents a number of municipal government agencies on Clean Water Act enforcement, litigation, and project development matters and has represented financial bodies on a wide variety of environmental issues pertaining to the sale and ownership of real property, wetlands and Endangered Species Act litigation, and several complex commercial litigation matters.
Ben also offers deep experience with environmental justice representations and is a recognized leader on diversity and inclusion issues in the legal profession. Known for his willingness to mentor and advise attorneys and law students, Ben serves as an Adjunct Professor of Environmental Law at the Howard University School of Law and co-founded the Howard Energy and Environmental Law Society. In 2018, Diverse: Issues In Higher Education featured Ben in the “Black Scholars Matter” series, celebrating Black academicians and their work. Ben established the African American General Counsel and Managing Partner Networks in 2012 and founded the Diverse Partners Network in 2008.
Ben is Chair of the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) and serves on the Board of Directors of Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, the Board of Trustees of Dartmouth College, and the Board of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) where he currently serves as Secretary. For the past 30 years, he has been the Chairman of the Environmental, Energy, and Public Utilities Law Section of the National Bar Association. He serves on numerous other boards for legal associations, civil rights and environmental justice organizations, and environmental non-profit organizations.
WCEE Board Vice President Hana Vizcarra served as host.