Former DEP commissioner joins Greenberg Traurig environmental practice

The law firm Greenberg Traurig hired former New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette to join its environmental practice, the firm announced Thursday.

Greenberg Traurig announced LaTourette would join its New Jersey office as a shareholder. He had led the DEP under former Gov. Phil Murphy from 2021 to 2026.

“Shawn’s arrival marks a defining moment for our New Jersey office and reflects our continued commitment to building a practice that matches the depth and ambition of what our clients require,” said Philip R. Sellinger, co-chair of the firm’s global Litigation Practice and the founding chair of the firm’s New Jersey office.

The announcement states that New Jersey’s environmental practice will help clients develop strategies “designed to mitigate risk and deliver major projects” in the energy, logistics, IT, and artificial intelligence sectors.

“Greenberg Traurig’s national platform and the depth of its existing environmental capabilities make it the right home from which to build a practice with genuine local roots and national reach; one that can service clients facing very complex and consequential environmental challenges across growth industries and legacy liabilities alike,” LaTourette said.

LaTourette’s former boss celebrated the new gig as well.

“Shawn was an indispensable member of our cabinet who deftly navigated the toughest environmental, energy, and infrastructure issues for the benefit of millions of New Jerseyans,” Murphy said. “His legal acumen was key to our regulatory modernization initiatives and a driving force behind our resolution of major environmental enforcement matters, while his expertise in project delivery enabled us to deploy a historic $6.7 billion investment in environmental infrastructure.”