BYRON F. TAYLOR is a partner and a member of the firm’s Environmental Practice Group. He joined the firm as an associate in 1990 and became a partner in 1998. Mr. Taylor’s practice includes civil litigation, compliance counseling and training, internal investigations, regulatory advocacy, alternative dispute resolution and environmental aspects of transactions. Mr. Taylor frequently is called upon to defend clients against alleged violations of a variety of federal and state environmental laws, and over the past several years, has handled a number of complex Clean Air Act related matters. He also regularly presents on clean air and climate change issues for clients, bar associations and other groups. Within the firm, Mr. Taylor serves as one of the Chicago office Co-Chairs of the Training and Development Committee.
Selected Recent Representations:
- Assisting a petroleum company in obtaining the air emission construction permit for a major expansion and negotiating an innovative agreement with an environmental citizen’s group concerning the project;
- Defending a Midwestern electric utility company in an New Source Review enforcement action;
- Assisting another Midwestern electric utility company that has received a Notive of Violation alleging PSD violations;
- Assisted a steel company in obtaining all of the environmental permits and authorizations necessary to construct a new mini-mill;
- Defended the seller of a manufacturing operation in an arbitration proceeding in which the purchaser sought indemnity from the seller for alleged pre-closing violations;
- Defending a former manufacturing company against claims by the government that it violated the Clean Air Act and against similar claims in a related indemnity arbitration proceeding with the purchaser of the client’s assets;
- Defending a company against contribution claims in a contaminated groundwater case;
- Defending an electric generating station against claims that it violated a bordering state’s environmental laws due to emissions that crossed state lines; and
- On a pro bono basis, advised the Chicago 2016 Olympic Committee regarding environmental matters.
Mr. Taylor has been named the Best Lawyers' 2013 Chicago, Litigatation - Environmental law "Lawyer of the Year." Best Lawyers designates "Lawyers of the Year" in high-profile legal practice areas in large legal communities. Only a single lawyer in each practice area community is honored.