K&L Gates Deepens Environment, Land, and Natural Resources Practice With Seattle Partner Addition

Seattle – Global law firm K&L Gates LLP welcomes Christine Jochim as a partner in its Environment, Land, and Natural Resources practice. An associate with K&L Gates from 2011-2015, Jochim rejoins the firm in its Seattle office from Suncor Energy (U.S.A.) Inc., where she served as senior legal counsel.

With two decades of legal and public policy experience, Jochim focuses her practice primarily on the defense of complex enforcement actions involving alleged violations of state and federal environmental, health, and safety regulations. While serving in both in-house and private practice roles, Jochim has resolved environmental and other enforcement actions taken by the US Environmental Protection Agency, the US Department of Interior, and the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, among other regulatory agencies at both the state and federal levels. Throughout her career, she has represented clients in a range of legal forums, including state and federal courts, administrative tribunals, regulatory hearings, and alternative dispute resolution proceedings.
 
In addition to her enforcement defense work, Jochim has also played a strategic business role with clients and former employers. She advises clients in environmental compliance, public policy, transactional due diligence, and permitting actions involving the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and the Occupational Safety and Health Act, as well as other federal and state environmental statutes and regulations. During her time as an attorney with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Jochim developed a rich understanding of the Atomic Energy Act, which she later brought to her private practice and in-house counsel roles.

Pallavi Mehta Wahi, managing partner of the Seattle office and co-managing partner of the United States for K&L Gates, commented: “We’re pleased to welcome Christine back to the firm with a presence in our Seattle and Washington, D.C., offices. She brings a breadth of knowledge and experience that will be an asset to our clients in the energy industry and beyond.”

Michael Scanlon, a leader of K&L Gates’ global Policy & Regulatory practice area, stated: “Christine’s extensive background in enforcement defense will benefit clients in a number of industries that are subject to environmental and safety regulations. We are excited to have Christine reengage with our Washington, D.C., office, where she previously held a position with the firm.”

Jochim’s arrival follows the recent addition of US Department of Justice lawyer Varu Chilakamarri to the firm’s Environment, Land, and Natural Resources practice in Washington, D.C. 

K&L Gates’ Environment, Land, and Natural Resources practice helps clients to successfully navigate the maze of regulatory requirements and maintain good relations with regulatory agencies and other publics, anticipate and avoid problems, and, when necessary, litigate matters that cannot otherwise be resolved. The practice assists clients from around the world and from nearly every major industry, ranging in size from small, single-location manufacturers or small local governments to global Fortune 50 companies and major metropolitan service districts.