backWASHINGTON, January 26, 2015—Granta Y. Nakayama and Ilana Saltzbart have joined King & Spalding’s tort and environmental litigation practice as partners in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. Nakayama is a nationally recognized environmental lawyer and former Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Ilana Saltzbart had nearly a decade of experience as a senior enforcement attorney at the EPA before leaving public service, and now has over 14 years as an experienced practitioner of environmental enforcement matters. The two lawyers join King & Spalding from Kirkland & Ellis, where each was a partner.
“Grant and Ilana extend the critical mass of experienced environmental regulatory lawyers in the firm’s Washington office,” said Carol M. Wood, leader of King & Spalding’s tort and environmental litigation practice. “Grant and Ilana possess the rare combination of professional excellence, government experience and national reputation. With environmental regulatory experience in all media and extensive EPA enforcement experience, their expertise will benefit clients throughout the firm, particularly those in energy, pharma and automotive, as well as any clients facing California environmental issues. We welcome Grant and Ilana to King & Spalding.”
Nakayama has handled a wide variety of enforcement defense, regulatory litigation and other environmental litigation. He focuses primarily on air regulatory work and defense of enforcement matters and has significant experience before the California Air Resources Board, representing auto manufacturing clients with potential recall issues related to fuel economy and other air quality issues. He also has litigated consumer product safety issues. Appointed to the EPA by President George W. Bush, he managed 3,400 employees and a budget of $560 million during his tenure from 2005 to 2009. Prior to his legal career, Nakayama served for more than a decade as an engineer and manager of quality control operations in the U.S. Navy’s nuclear service. He is member of the American College of Environmental Lawyers and the board of directors of the Environmental Law Institute. Nakayama received an S.B degree and an S.M degree in nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his J.D. degree from George Mason University School of Law.
Saltzbart represents clients in connection with enforcement activities initiated by the EPA, the U.S. Department of Justice, and state agencies. In her position as a senior enforcement attorney at the EPA, she enforced many of the nation's environmental statutes including the Clean Air Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Saltzbart was a decorated attorney at EPA, earning gold and silver medals for her distinguished service. At Kirkland, Saltzbart continued to hone and broaden her substantive areas of expertise. She earned a B.A. degree from Emory University and her J.D. degree from Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College, with a Certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources law.
Nakayama said: “King & Spalding’s extensive energy practice and the potential international environmental opportunities its platform provides were strong attractions to the team. We have been impressed with the firm’s culture of collegiality and the strong commitment among practices to work together. Ilana and I look forward to helping expand the environmental practice.”
About King & Spalding
Celebrating more than 125 years of service, King & Spalding is an international law firm that represents a broad array of clients, including half of the Fortune Global 100, with 800 lawyers in 17 offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The firm has handled matters in over 160 countries on six continents and is consistently recognized for the results it obtains, uncompromising commitment to quality and dedication to understanding the business and culture of its clients. More information is available at www.kslaw.com.