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Larry has been practicing environmental law full-time since 1981 and has an exceptionally broad range of environmental law experience that makes him particularly well suited to advise clients with multi-faceted environmental problems, such as those frequently encountered in large business transactions. He has experience in counseling, permitting, and civil and criminal litigation, and has a proven track record in negotiating settlements and liability allocation agreements to resolve complex environmental problems. According to Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business 2008, Larry is viewed by clients as "a very effective and thorough attorney: he can handle anything."
Larry was recently recognized as the top environmental lawyer in the United States by U.S. Lawyer Rankings. He has also been recognized as one of the best environmental lawyers in the nation in the most recent edition of Best Lawyers in America®; one of the best environmental law attorneys in Texas on the "Texas Super Lawyers" list published in Texas Monthly, and by Chambers & Partners in its recent guidebook on America's Leading Lawyers for Business.
Larry currently serves as V&E's Energy Industry Group Leader, and is a member of V&E's Environmental and Climate Change practice groups.
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Transactions
- Provides advice on structuring transactions to allocate known environmental liabilities and to reduce the risk of unknown environmental liabilities
- Represents clients in negotiating agreements addressing environmental matters, including many non-traditional environmental risk management agreements
- Performs or coordinates environmental due diligence evaluations for acquisitions, divestitures, financings, equity and debt offerings, and development projects
- Represented a major U.S. energy company in evaluating the environmental condition of 4.5 million acres of coal reserves in one of the largest real estate transactions since the Louisiana Purchase
- Represented securities underwriting firms on environmental due diligence activities in connection with tens of billions of dollars of securities offerings
- Represented a private equity group on all environmental matters relating to their $45 billion acquisition of the largest electric power producer and mining company in Texas, in a transaction that involved many complex environmental issues and that was one of the largest private equity purchases of a public company in U.S. history
- Acted as the lead environmental lawyer for an investment consortium providing the equity and debt financing for a management-led buyout of one of the nation's largest pipeline and terminal companies in a transaction valued in excess of $23 billion
- Acted as environmental counsel for a major U.S. energy company in connection with the $8.5 billion acquisition of one of Canada's largest natural gas and pipeline companies
- Represented one of the world's largest energy companies in the negotiation of three complex and comprehensive safety, health, and environmental indemnification agreements that were necessary to facilitate the acquisition of interests in eight refineries, dozens of terminals, hundreds of miles of pipelines, and more than 9,000 gasoline service stations in a transaction valued in excess of $4 billion
- Represented a private equity group on all environmental matters relating to their $3.6 billion acquisition of 13 electric power plants located primarily in southeast Texas
- Represented a major U.S. natural gas and pipeline company on all environmental matters relating to its $3.3 billion acquisition of a major west coast electric utility company
- Representing Houston-based Continental Airlines in its agreed merger with UAL Corp's United Airlines, in a deal estimated to be worth more than $3 billion
- Represented a major U.S. energy company on environmental matters relating to the merger of its natural gas gathering and processing businesses with similar assets from another company to create a new joint venture company valued at $2.4 billion
- Represented a Chinese oil company on environmental matters relating to its $1.4 billion acquisition of producing properties in Ecuador from an energy company headquartered in Canada
- Acted as environmental counsel for an international electric power producer in connection with the $1.4 billion acquisition of three cogeneration facilities in New Jersey
- Represented a major U.S. energy company on all environmental matters relating to the acquisition of interests in almost two dozen domestic and international cogeneration facilities in a transaction valued in excess of $1.3 billion
- Represented a joint venture company on environmental matters arising in connection with the sale of an 8,000-mile pipeline system for $1.2 billion
- Represented a major British electric utility on environmental matters arising in connection with its approximately $1 billion acquisition of a U.S.-based independent electric power producer
- Represented U.S.-based investment firm on environmental matters relating to its acquisition of interests in 25 electric power generating facilities in almost a dozen states in a transaction valued in excess of $900 million
- Acted as environmental counsel for an international oil field service company in connection with a $638 million acquisition of a public company providing environmental services to the oil industry
- Represented a private investment fund in the negotiation of agreements with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice that enabled the client to acquire $500 million in assets from a bankrupt steel company without becoming liable for environmental contamination associated with assets, including adjacent properties, retained by the bankrupt company
- Represented an interstate pipeline company on environmental matters relating to its approximately $400 million acquisition of a natural gas pipeline system in the Appalachian Mountains
- Acted as environmental counsel for an international chemical company in connection with its acquisition of a specialty chemicals business with more than a dozen manufacturing sites and chemical product sales in more than 80 countries
- Negotiated the terms of an environmental liability allocation agreement on behalf of an international chemical manufacturing company that was merging with a U.S.-based chemical company
- Represented a large European corporation in evaluating the potential environmental liabilities and probable environmental expenditures associated with a large interstate pipeline system the European client was considering acquiring
Enforcement Defense and Litigation
- Represents clients before state and federal agencies in defending and negotiating settlements of environmental enforcement proceedings
- Represents clients in arbitration and mediation proceedings to resolve disputes concerning environmental matters
- Provides strategic advice on structured settlements to resolve civil litigation and criminal proceedings relating to environmental matters
- Represented a major U.S. crude oil gathering, transportation, and pipeline company in the defense of a property contamination lawsuit where the plaintiff's alleged $40 million damage claims were settled for less than 1% of the amount initially claimed
- Settled, without a conviction or guilty plea, one of the largest criminal air pollution cases in Texas history on behalf of a catalyst processing company
- Represented three regional economic development organizations in their intervention in a lawsuit brought by environmental groups against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in an effort to halt virtually all new road and highway construction in the Houston/Galveston area, in a case before the Fifth Circuit that was ultimately settled without any suspension of road and highway construction work
- Settled, by a pre-trial diversion resulting in no criminal record, a multi-count criminal water pollution case on behalf of an international chemical manufacturing company
- Represented a large U.S. equipment manufacturing firm in the defense of civil and criminal air pollution charges that resulted in a unique settlement that did not require the payment of any fine or penalty
- Represented a major U.S. manufacturing company in the successful defense of civil air pollution charges filed by Harris County and the State of Texas
- Represented a major crude oil pipeline company in the negotiation of an efficient, structured settlement of civil air pollution charges filed by Harris County and the State of Texas
- Represented dozens of clients in the defense of administrative enforcement actions initiated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and other environmental agencies
Counseling and Permitting
- Represents clients before the state and federal agencies to secure agency approval of environmental permits and site remediation projects
- Provides advice on project design and implementation to reduce environmental risks and speed up the process for obtaining environmental approvals
- Provides advice on environmental impact assessment and mitigation strategies for new and brownfield development projects
- Represented a major independent electric power producer in successfully obtaining, on a timely basis, all water supply, waste water discharge, air emissions and other permits for an 850 MW merchant power plant in Grimes County, Texas that was subject to vigorous local opposition
- Assisted an international energy company in the preparation of all environmental documentation for a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal to be constructed in Baja California
- Advised an international energy company in securing approvals under the National Environmental Policy Act for a new LNG terminal to be constructed in the Gulf of Mexico
- Represented dozens of property owners in obtaining closure letters, certificates of completion, and other final action documents from governmental agencies in connection with the remediation of more than 100 contaminated sites
- Assisted project sponsors in securing controversial permits for a major highway construction project in the Houston area
- Represented dozens of interstate pipeline companies in obtaining environmental approvals from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and other environmental agencies for new pipeline construction and expansion projects
- Negotiated a series of interrelated environmental remediation and liability allocation agreements that facilitated a $300 million redevelopment of a high profile contaminated site in downtown Houston
- Represented dozens of clients in securing pollution legal liability and remediation cost cap environmental insurance policies for a wide variety of contaminated properties located throughout Texas
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
- The University of Texas School of Law, J.D. with honors, 1981 (Order of the Coif)
- Rice University, B.S. Civil Engineering, 1978
- Admitted to practice: Texas, 1981; U.S. District Courts of the Northern, Southern, and Eastern Districts of Texas; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- Named the number one lawyer in Environmental Law, U.S. Lawyer Rankings, 2008 - 2010
- "Top 10 Lawyers in Environmental Law," U.S. Lawyer Rankings, 2006 - 2009
- Chambers USA: America's Leading Business Lawyers in environmental law, 2004 - 2010
- The Best Lawyers in America® in environmental law, 2006 - 2011; land use and zoning law, 2011
- Recognized in energy, Legal 500 U.S., 2010
- "Texas Super Lawyers," Texas Monthly, 2004 - 2009
- Who's Who Legal: International in environmental law, 2008
- Who's Who Legal: Texas in environmental law, 2007
- Founder: Environmental Law Section, Houston Bar Association
- Chair and Past President: The Park People, Inc.
- Business Community Representative: Houston-Galveston Area Regional Safety Council
- Fellow: Houston Bar Foundation; Texas Bar Foundation
- Board of Directors: Trees for Houston
- Member: Greater Houston Partnership Transportation & Infrastructure Committee
- Former Chair: Sports and Recreation Committee, Houston Chamber of Commerce
- Graduate: Leadership Houston, Class IX
- "SEC Issues Guidance on Disclosure Related to Climate Change," V&E Climate Change E-Comm, February 5, 2010 (co-author)
- "Abbreviated Guide to the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009," Texas Transnational Law Quarterly, June 2009
- "V&E's Guide to the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACESA)," V&E Climate Change E-Comm, July 14, 2009 (co-author)
- "Oil Regulation," Global Competition Review/Getting The Deal Through, July 2009
- "Carbon Dioxide Sequestration: Transportation, Storage, and Other Infrastructure Issues," Texas Journal of Oil, Gas, and Energy Law, October 2008
- "Conservation and Land Use Statutes," Texas Environmental Law Handbook-West, 1997
- "Impact of Environmental Regulation on the Oil & Gas Industry," Petroleum Landman Magazine, May/June 1994
- Written more than 50 articles on environmental law topics for a variety of seminars and continuing legal education programs
- Speaker on various environmental law topics before professional and industry groups
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