on the railroad company to address the contamination . Efforts included contesting permitting matters at the site , demanding more intense investigations and filing a citizen suit against Union Pacific , he said .
Earlier this year , the EPA ordered the rail company to move faster and more aggressively on its investigation and remediation efforts . While Wilkins continues to push for more remedies , the order was a significant win for neighborhoods long plagued by pollution , he said .
" We had to thread a lot of needles to figure out a strategy to get the federal microscope on this site and EPA active on this site while also not throwing it into a bureaucratic slowdown ," Wilkins said .
What motivates him : Helping clients solve thorny issues keeps him engaged in his work , Wilkins said . He loves to be the one brought in when smart people at client companies have hit a wall trying to figure out a way around a particularly difficult problem .
When he ' s called in to unpick a complicated issue , Wilkins can bring fresh experiences and insight to bear , he said . While his clients might do two or three deals a year , for example , their outside counsel might be involved in dozens — that gives him unique perspectives on how to address challenges his clients might otherwise not have thought of , Wilkins said .
" Being that problem solver , that innovator , is what keeps me excited about the practice ," Wilkins said .
His advice for younger attorneys : In Wilkins ' eyes , specialization is the best route forward for early career lawyers . People want someone who knows the issue inside and out and can repeat successes they ' ve achieved for other clients , he said .
Wilkins ' pioneering work in environmental self-audits for the new owners of industrial facilities is a case in point . At Harvard Law School , he helped develop a process for operators to take stock of environmental compliance liabilities at their properties , diagnose the problems and voluntarily take care of the issues , he said . In exchange , facility owners can receive leniency from federal and state regulators .
In the decades since the process began , Wilkins has overseen audits concerning more than 2,000 locations and dealt with hundreds of audit disclosures . Just last year , he helped two Texas manufacturers complete audits and get favorable treatment from state regulators after failing to obtain required emissions permits for expansions . Wilkins also shepherded Par Pacific , Hexion and Chesapeake Energy through the EPA ' s new owner audit process , helping them avoid compliance penalties , too .
" Figure out what you like to do and get really good at it ," Wilkins said , as direction to early career attorneys . " The advice to be well-rounded , that only goes so far . When clients are paying the types of fees big law firms charge , they want to know they are talking to an expert ."
--As told to Peter McGuire
Law360 ' s MVPs of the Year are attorneys who have distinguished themselves from their peers over the past year through high-stakes litigation , record-breaking deals , and complex global matters . A team of Law360 editors selected the 2023 MVP winners after reviewing more than 900 submissions .
All Content © 2003-2023 , Portfolio Media , Inc .