speaker-photo

Tom Lee

Partner, Latham & Watkins

Tom Lee provides environmental counseling on a broad spectrum of transactions and regulatory matters.

Tom brings a commercial approach to complex environmental issues across a range of industries, including:

  • Aerospace, defense, and government services
  • Energy and infrastructure
  • Financial institutions
  • Real estate investment trusts (REITs)
  • Retail and consumer products
  • Food and agriculture
  • Chemicals

Tom represents clients in all aspects of chemical regulation, with a recent focus on state and federal regulation of PFAS, and defends clients in enforcement actions under the Clean Air Act, California Air District rules, California Air Resource Board regulations, California’s Proposition 65, California’s Green Chemistry Initiative, and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

He also advises clients on the chemical regulatory aspects of complex corporate transactions, helping clients understand the current and anticipated regulatory impacts to consumer product sales and supply chains.

Tom regularly helps real estate buyers and sellers navigate environmental conditions and related liabilities, with a particular focus on brownfield acquisition and redevelopment. He guides clients through every stage of their highest-stakes transactions, from initial due diligence to contract drafting, closing, and post-closing remediation and regulatory closure, all with an eye toward balancing costs and environmental risks.

He draws on an up-to-the-minute understanding of evolving regulatory frameworks to advise clients on compliance issues, working with companies to conduct facility audits, prepare and submit permit applications, and correct non-compliant conditions.

A recognized thought leader, Tom frequently writes and speaks on a range of environmental regulatory issues.

Before joining Latham, he served as an office managing partner at another leading law firm.

9:30 - 11:00 am

Thursday May 14

Scientific Affairs Council

From Proposition 65 (Prop 65) listings to an increasingly fragmented patchwork of state PFAS regulations, the compliance landscape facing manufacturers has never been more complex – or more consequential. This session will address both realities head-on:

    • California’s Prop 65 remains a persistent strategic challenge. This presentation will examine the current landscape, including chemical listings, safe harbor level development, strategies for minimizing the impact of new listings, customer communication, due diligence considerations for corporate transactions, and approaches to defending against citizen suits and government enforcement.
    • State-level PFAS regulation continues to evolve into a complex patchwork of labeling, reporting, and product prohibition requirements, with staggered effective dates across multiple jurisdictions. This presentation will provide a strategic framework for navigating this environment – from integrating PFAS restrictions into corporate phase-out strategies, to managing litigation risks associated with legacy products on retail shelves, to building cohesive, multi-state compliance programs that balance regulatory obligations with business continuity.

 

Speakers: 

Hunter Kendrick, Counsel, Latham & Watkins

Tom Lee, Partner, Latham & Watkins

 

Speaker: 

Navigating the PFAS Regulatory Maze: State-by-State Compliance Strategies and Litigation Risk Management

Seth Goldberg, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig LLP