Former U.S. Department of Justice Environmental Enforcement Attorney Nicholas McDaniel Joins Law Firm Babst Calland’s Washington, D.C. Office
Babst Calland announced that Nicholas McDaniel has joined the firm as a shareholder in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. With more than a decade of combined government and private practice experience, most recently as a senior enforcement attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, Environmental Enforcement Section, McDaniel will be a member of the firm’s Litigation, Environmental, and Energy and Natural Resources groups. He will counsel companies on environmental compliance, enforcement, and litigation challenges.
At Babst Calland, McDaniel will focus his practice on complex environmental and commercial litigation for clients in the energy, natural resources, and manufacturing sectors. His work will include enforcement defense, citizen suits, and disputes involving environmental contamination. He also brings significant experience navigating bankruptcy proceedings involving environmental claims and negotiating settlements with regulators and citizen groups.
During his tenure at DOJ, McDaniel led major federal enforcement actions and complex negotiations that resulted in landmark environmental settlements. Notably, he secured the largest-ever civil penalty under the Clean Air Act, and is a three-time recipient of the prestigious Assistant Attorney General’s Award for Excellence – first for litigating and settling a cost recovery action under the Oil Pollution Act related to the longest-running oil spill in U.S. history, then for securing CERCLA cost recovery and natural resource damages on behalf of the United States, and later for his record Clean Air Act settlement. He also received numerous other honors, including the 2024 Arthur S. Flemming Award for legal achievement and recognition from the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for exceptional service.
Earlier in his career, he litigated energy and rate-making cases before the Public Utilities Commission and in state courts with the Environmental Law & Policy Center.
“Nick is a highly skilled litigator with significant first-chair trial experience who has handled some of the toughest environmental enforcement cases in the country,” said Mark K. Dausch, shareholder in Babst Calland’s Litigation practice. “His government experience and proven ability to lead in the courtroom and deliver results in complex, high-stakes matters will be invaluable to our clients and a tremendous asset to our litigation team.”
“I am excited to join Babst Calland and to continue my practice alongside such a strong team of environmental and litigation attorneys,” said Nick McDaniel. “This firm has a well-earned reputation for excellence in environmental law and energy matters, and I look forward to helping clients address their most pressing challenges.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Nick to Babst Calland,” said Managing Shareholder Donald C. Bluedorn II. “His leadership role at DOJ in some of the most significant environmental enforcement cases in recent years, combined with his strong litigation background, brings exceptional perspective and capability to our clients as they navigate complex environmental challenges.”
McDaniel earned his J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2011 and his B.A. summa cum laude from Eastern Kentucky University in 2008. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Massachusetts.