Overview
Lisa’s environmental practice focuses on advancing clients’ business objectives in a variety of industries. Lisa serves as practice group leader of the Environmental, Water and Real Estate practice group and has extensive experience in all areas of environmental law, including compliance, permitting, enforcement, litigation, acquisitions, auditing, and rulemaking matters. Lisa represents clients in obtaining permit authorization through Texas’ contested case hearing process.
Early in her career, Lisa served as a senior enforcement attorney in the Litigation Division of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. There, she was recognized for her outstanding leadership as lead counsel for some of the agency’s most complex and high-profile air quality and multimedia enforcement cases, and for drafting statewide consolidated environmental enforcement legislation, now codified in Chapter 7 of the Texas Water Code.
Experience
Lisa has served clients on a wide range of environmental issues, including:
REGULATORY
- Counseling clients regarding air, water, and waste regulatory requirements, guidance, and interpretations
- Managing and supporting environmental compliance audits
- Advising clients on Title V compliance matters
- Preparing comments to proposed rulemaking, legislation, and advocacy initiatives
PERMITTING
- Representing clients before the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency in applications for air, water, and waste permit applications for major projects
- Leading and supporting clients in contested case hearings before the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH)
- Providing legal representation to obtain air and water permits for construction of world scale petrochemical complex
- Developing and advocating air quality permitting strategies for chemical companies
- Representing a global client in Class I underground injection control well issues
- Collaborating with engineering, geology, modeling and toxicology experts related to air and waste issues
ENFORCEMENT
- Representing industrial clients and businesses in environmental enforcement cases before TCEQ, the Office of the Attorney General of Texas, and EPA
- Strategic counseling and assistance related to regulatory and internal investigations
- Representing major energy client in Clean Air Act federal citizen suit
- Extensive experience related to episodic air emissions events
- Negotiating administrative and civil enforcement settlement agreements
ACQUISITIONS
- Advising clients in all phases of business transitions related to environmental issues
PUBLIC INFORMATION
- Evaluating and protecting confidential business information, including trade secrets, under state and federal public information statutes
News & Publications
News
Publications
Honors & Recognition
- Chambers & Partners USA, Environment, Band 2, 2023
- Chambers & Partners USA, Environment, Band 3, 2022
- Chambers & Partners USA, Environment, Band 3, 2021
- Chambers & Partners USA, Environment, Band 4, 2020
- Listed in Chambers and Partners USA Guide to America, 2019
- Outstanding Leadership Award, Outstanding Women in Texas Government, 1998
- Alpha Phi Omega Active Service Award, Alpha Rho Chapter, 1988
Community & Professional
- Vice Chair, State Bar of Texas, Environmental and Natural Resources Section
- Member, Austin Bar Association, Environment, Natural Resources and Water Law Section
- Volunteer, Special Olympics of Texas
- Fellow, American Bar Foundation
- Member, Ginsberg Circle, Center for Women in Law
Practice Areas
Education
University of Texas School of Law, J.D., 1993
University of Texas at Austin, B.A., 1990
Bar admissions
- Texas, 1993