Alston & Bird has expanded its national environmental litigation capabilities with the addition of Greg Christianson as a new partner in the firm’s San Francisco office. He arrives from Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP.
“Greg brings outstanding experience representing clients across a broad spectrum of environmental law and toxic tort issues, including the defense of significant cost recovery and contribution actions related to one of the largest Superfund sites in the nation,” said Doug Arnold, Alston & Bird partner and co-chair of its Environment, Land Use & Natural Resources Group. “As national and state environmental enforcement and cleanup policies continue to evolve, our clients will benefit from Greg’s ability to deliver innovative solutions to complex and multiparty environmental disputes.”
An accomplished litigator with more than two decades of experience, Christianson focuses his practice on Superfund cost recovery and allocation matters, natural resource damage actions, federal and state citizen suits, multiparty toxic tort actions, and other complex environmental litigation matters, including class actions and mass joinder lawsuits. In addition to earning favorable judgments and settlements on behalf of clients, he is adept at avoiding litigation through counseling, consultation, and negotiation with regulators, property owners, and potentially responsible parties.
Devoting a significant part of his practice to defending private and public clients involved in Superfund cases, Christianson represents both individual clients and joint defense groups in matters spanning a wide range of facilities, including sediment sites, mixed-use landfills, and other industrial operations. He also has a track record of success in obtaining funds for clients’ environmental cleanup work through alternative dispute resolution, as well as litigation. In many of these cases, he has also negotiated multiparty federal and state consent decrees and other creative settlements and has successfully defended settlements against third-party challenges at the trial and appellate court levels, including the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
“With California as a hub for environmental litigation and a bellwether for other states, Greg has a deep understanding of the nuances of complex environmental matters and associated litigation that clients respect and admire,” said Nicki Carlsen, Alston & Bird partner and co-chair of its Environment, Land Use & Natural Resources Group. “He is keenly attuned to the litigation challenges facing clients and understanding what is most important to them and how to achieve their goals in a wide range of business and legal contexts.”
Christianson is the latest addition to Alston & Bird’s continued West Coast expansion. In 2017, the firm extended its California presence by opening a new office in San Francisco and expanding in Los Angeles. Since then, it has added 10 new California partners spanning several marquee practices, including environmental, construction and government contracts, class actions, corporate, and intellectual property litigation.
“Greg’s arrival marks another important step in our California growth,” said Teresa Bonder, partner in charge of the firm’s San Francisco office. “We are wholly committed to growing our San Francisco office and deepening high-performing practices where we see significant client demand.”
“Greg brings outstanding experience representing clients across a broad spectrum of environmental law and toxic tort issues, including the defense of significant cost recovery and contribution actions related to one of the largest Superfund sites in the nation,” said Doug Arnold, Alston & Bird partner and co-chair of its Environment, Land Use & Natural Resources Group. “As national and state environmental enforcement and cleanup policies continue to evolve, our clients will benefit from Greg’s ability to deliver innovative solutions to complex and multiparty environmental disputes.”
An accomplished litigator with more than two decades of experience, Christianson focuses his practice on Superfund cost recovery and allocation matters, natural resource damage actions, federal and state citizen suits, multiparty toxic tort actions, and other complex environmental litigation matters, including class actions and mass joinder lawsuits. In addition to earning favorable judgments and settlements on behalf of clients, he is adept at avoiding litigation through counseling, consultation, and negotiation with regulators, property owners, and potentially responsible parties.
Devoting a significant part of his practice to defending private and public clients involved in Superfund cases, Christianson represents both individual clients and joint defense groups in matters spanning a wide range of facilities, including sediment sites, mixed-use landfills, and other industrial operations. He also has a track record of success in obtaining funds for clients’ environmental cleanup work through alternative dispute resolution, as well as litigation. In many of these cases, he has also negotiated multiparty federal and state consent decrees and other creative settlements and has successfully defended settlements against third-party challenges at the trial and appellate court levels, including the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
“With California as a hub for environmental litigation and a bellwether for other states, Greg has a deep understanding of the nuances of complex environmental matters and associated litigation that clients respect and admire,” said Nicki Carlsen, Alston & Bird partner and co-chair of its Environment, Land Use & Natural Resources Group. “He is keenly attuned to the litigation challenges facing clients and understanding what is most important to them and how to achieve their goals in a wide range of business and legal contexts.”
Christianson is the latest addition to Alston & Bird’s continued West Coast expansion. In 2017, the firm extended its California presence by opening a new office in San Francisco and expanding in Los Angeles. Since then, it has added 10 new California partners spanning several marquee practices, including environmental, construction and government contracts, class actions, corporate, and intellectual property litigation.
“Greg’s arrival marks another important step in our California growth,” said Teresa Bonder, partner in charge of the firm’s San Francisco office. “We are wholly committed to growing our San Francisco office and deepening high-performing practices where we see significant client demand.”