BakerHostetler announced today that Geraldine E. Edens and Christopher H. Marraro have joined the firm’s Litigation Group as Partners in its Washington, D.C., office. Both come to BakerHostetler from McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP.
Edens and Marraro bring decades of experience representing corporate clients in cutting edge environmental issues in biotechnology, energy, and trial law. Their clients include chemical, energy, agricultural, and consumer products companies. They have deep experience in environmental issues related to biotechnology and have been at the forefront of cases that may set the precedent for future rulemakings and litigation defense of genetically modified crops and organisms. Some of their recent representations include securing the first ever non-regulated determination from USDA for a glyphosate resistant GMO grass; serving as trial counsel on four litigations over GMO sugarbeets; and pre-launch legal risk assessments of new biotech agricultural products.
“Geri and Chris have been actively involved in complex environmental litigation that makes headlines from biotechnology to energy,” said BakerHostetler Litigation Group chair W. Ray Whitman. “Their working relationships with EPA, USDA and FDA regulators, as well as their experience in the courtroom, will greatly benefit clients navigating complex federal and state environmental laws.”
Edens and Marraro serve as counsel to energy companies in the regulatory approval, siting and related litigation of some of the most exciting and challenging domestic energy projects. They serve as trial counsel for Cape Wind Associates in numerous legal challenges to the first US offshore wind energy project; counsel to a major oil company concerning the exploration and production of oil in the Alaska North Slope; and siting of major co-generation energy production facilities and related litigation on the East Coast.
“This team’s experience handling major administrative, enforcement and litigation matters is a great addition to our strong practice in DC and across the country,” said Jeffrey H. Paravano, managing partner of BakerHostetler’s Washington D.C. office. “Geri and Chris enhance our national strength in the energy and biotech sectors and will help us to continue to provide outstanding service to clients.”
Edens focuses her practice on regulatory matters and litigation. She counsels clients on environmental compliance, the law and science of chemical regulation, natural resource law, as well as on a wide variety of clean air and water issues, food additive approvals under the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act, and deregulation of genetically modified organisms. She has defended the adequacy of environmental analyses for major economic development projects, large-scale energy projects, interstate pipeline right-of-way approvals and GMO product approvals. Edens holds a J.D., M.S. and B.S. from the University of Miami and a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Florida.
Marraro rejoins his former Howrey colleagues at BakerHostetler, who together have tried some of the nation’s largest environmental disputes including one of the largest multi-media environmental enforcement cases ever tried to a federal jury; environmental litigation that included a trial in a RCRA citizen suit case and a resulting extraordinary injunction; a trial victory against the California Air Resources Board regarding diesel engines under the Clean Air Act; and serving as nationwide trial counsel managing a national environmental litigation docket involving 100+ active sites.
Joining Edens and Marraro is Associate Peter Whitfield* who was formerly with the Natural Resources Section of the US Department of Justice’s Environmental and Natural Resource Division. Peter first-chaired numerous trials at DOJ involving NEPA and the Endangered Species Act including a victory in a biotechnology case involving genetically engineered Eucalyptus.