Co-sponsored by the DC Bar
Some of the largest environmental settlements in U.S. history have emerged through bankruptcy litigation. Joel Gross, Partner at Arnold and Porter's Washington, D.C. office, is one of the nation's leading experts in the increasingly important intersection between bankruptcy and environmental law. Before joining Arnold & Porter, Mr. Gross worked for 17 years in the Environmental Enforcement Section of the Department of Justice (DOJ), where he served for 5 years as Section Chief. Joel Gross was instrumental in some of the most significant environmental litigation of the 1980s and 1990s. In particular, Mr. Gross' early Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) cases addressed the issue of hazardous waste cleanup as an administrative expense - monies expended to preserve the bankruptcy estate. Now those principles are well-established in law, and environmental expenses for properties owned by debtors are routinely considered "administrative costs" and afforded the highest priority. Mr. Gross was instrumental in the development of many other critical environmental policies, including "Supplemental Environmental Projects." Mr. Gross has also lectured frequently and published several articles on bankruptcy related subjects, including the lead article in the 2003 Annual Survey of Bankruptcy Law. He is the author of the Bankruptcy chapter in the Environmental Law Practice Guide.
Speakers:
Joel Gross, Partner, Arnold & Porter LLP
Thomas Milch, Partner, Arnold & Porter LLP (moderator)