Leslie C. Brown
Chair
210.925.8234

The Environmental Law section was formed in 1988 by a group of attorneys whose practices included water law and other areas of environmental law. Mary Q. Kelly was the founding chair, and early members included attorneys from large and small firms, as well as several employed by governmental entities. Other long-time section chairs include Steve Kosub, now the Water Resources Counsel for the San Antonio Water System, and Michael Gershon, now practicing environmental law with an Austin firm. The section regularly meets for breakfast at 7:30 on the third Friday of each month. Currently the breakfast meetings are held in a back room at Joseph’s Bakery on St. Mary’s Street. Attendees need not make advance reservations, since they pay directly to the restaurant.

The Environmental Law section is dedicated to helping members in all areas of environmental law through networking and mentorship. Meeting topics typically alternate between water law issues and other environmental law matters relevant to the San Antonio legal community. Topics are often controversial and discussion is lively. Invited speakers have presented talks on groundwater allocation issues, environmental enforcement problems encountered by in-house corporate counsel, and a “legislative wrap-up” at the end of the regular legislative session. In addition, the Environmental Law section hosted a series of “updates” on local environmental matters to include the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s enforcement initiatives, City Public Service’s power line initiatives, the South Central Texas (Region L) Water Planning Group’s water supply initiatives, and San Antonio air compliance initiatives.

The Environmental Law section plans to continue its effort to keep the environmental legal community updated and informed. On the agenda are a series of “table topic discussion” meetings on recent environmental opinions and local issues, along with presentations by state and local regulators on storm water pollution prevention rules and requirements. The Environmental Law section also plans to extend an invitation to present to key legislators and attorneys involved in noteworthy environmental litigation.