Vinson & Elkins announced Monday that Jon Niermann, the former chairman of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, has joined the firm as an Austin-based partner working within its environmental practice, the firm said in a news release.
Niermann joins the firm after serving as the chairman of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality from 2018 to 2024, having been appointed initially in 2015. Before that, he served as the chief of the environmental protection division in the Texas Attorney General’s Office for more than six years.
“Jon’s stature and credibility among environmental regulators nationally, along with his knowledge of permitting regimes in key states for project development, will prove invaluable to our clients,” Ron Tenpas, partner and chair of V&E’s environmental practice, said in the release.
At V&E, the firm expects Niermann to work on diverse matters, including counseling project developers on permitting issues and timelines, helping companies manage their water rights and defending enforcement actions.
Additionally, the firm plans for Niermann to help guide compliance with air, water and emerging contaminant regulations, as well as other environmental regulations he will support at V&E.
Niermann said in the release that he chose V&E as the ideal place for him to return to private practice because of its “perfect combination of sophisticated work, a premier client base, and a culture that values the sort of civility and collaboration I have been fortunate to enjoy throughout my career.”
Niermann graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara and received his MBA as well as his law degree from the University of Oregon in 2001. Additionally, during law school, he served as the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation for a year.
Before joining the TCEQ and the Texas Attorney General’s Office, Niermann began his career as an attorney at Baker Botts for over seven years.