© 2015 The Texas Lawbook.
By Brooks Igo
(May 11) – K&L Gates announced recently it scooped up the three eponymous partners of the Austin-based law firm Moltz Morton & Glenn LLP.
Bill Moltz, Steve Morton and Janessa Glenn bring environmental and administrative law expertise to K&L Gates’ Austin office. Morton described the move as a “win/win” for both firms’ clients.
“K&L Gates has a global presence and was looking to add environmental and administrative law capabilities in the central part of the United States,” he said. “We wanted to expand our bench and our reach so we could service our clients better.”
The trio regularly represents clients before state and federal regulatory agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the Texas Railroad Commission, Texas Department of Transportation and Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
Over the last couple of years, Moltz says their team has been involved with the sale and acquisition of very large tracts of land and energy producing properties where the groundwater and surface water development aspects as well as the air quality aspects of the deals were very interesting and complex.
In one recent matter, they represented two companies on the industrial side that had been involved in an EPA enforcement initiative accusing hundreds of companies of improperly managing wastes. The EPA ultimately dropped the case against both of the lawyers’ clients.
Morton, who also serves as general counsel to the trade association Industry Council on the Environment, says surface and groundwater development issues are a hot topic in their team’s practice. Additionally, he says upstream oil and gas companies are seeing significant air quality and waste disposal regulatory pressures.
Morton joins K&L Gates as a partner, while Moltz and Glenn will serve in an of counsel role.
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