Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP announced today that prominent environmental attorney Danny Worrell will join the firm as a partner in Austin, Texas, where he currently is based, focusing on environmental siting and permitting, especially in contested case hearings before the Texas State Office of Administrative Hearings.

“Danny’s unique skillset and ‘first chair’ contested case hearing experience will further augment Katten’s solid reputation in the area of environmental permitting,” said Vincent A. F. Sergi, Katten Chairman. “Katten’s Environmental and Safety practice is strong and comprehensive and continues to grow, which enables us to provide counsel on a multitude of environmental and safety issues.”

Over a 20-plus year legal career, Worrell has developed significant expertise as lead counsel in Texas contested case hearings, representing applicants in challenges to environmental permits. His practice also focuses on the areas of environmental permitting and enforcement; Superfund litigation; litigation and transactions involving environmental matters; and on regulatory compliance involving hazardous and municipal solid waste, injection wells, air quality, water quality, in situ uranium mining, underground and above ground storage tanks, asbestos, PCBs, water and wastewater utilities, pesticides and pipelines.

Worrell joins Katten’s reputable Environmental and Safety practice, which is led by nationally renowned environmental attorneys Mark Farley, Chuck Knauss and Steve Solow, and includes attorneys based in Austin, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area and Washington, DC.

“Danny has an incredible range of experience and is very well respected by his peers, both in Texas and nationally,” said Farley. “His work in facility siting and permitting, especially in the contested hearing area, is a great addition to our expanding environmental practice.”

Worrell commented, “I’m thrilled to be joining the 40-plus experienced attorneys in Katten’s national Environmental and Safety Practice. I am looking forward to the unique collaboration this type of integrated practice will provide which will be extremely beneficial for my clients.”

In Austin, Worrell will join Matt Paulson, who opened Katten’s Austin office in December 2012 and heads the firm’s Environmental Aspects of Energy Production practice, as well as Sara Burgin, Whit Swift and Kevin Collins, who joined in April 2013.

Also joining the Austin office is Jim Rizk, who comes to Katten from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, where he served as Assistant General Counsel. In that role, he provided legal advice to the three commissioners presiding over the agency on a wide range of complex contested matters, including air, solid-waste and water-supply permit applications, as well as numerous rulemaking actions and use determination appeals.

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