James Chen, Pioneer in Electric Transportation and Sustainable Energy, Joins Law Firm Babst Calland’s Washington, D.C. Office
Former transportation executive and veteran regulatory and environmental attorney, James C. Chen, has joined Babst Calland as a Shareholder in the Emerging Technologies practice in the law firm’s growing Washington, D.C. office.
Mr. Chen brings his deep experience in strategic planning and managing legal, policy and regulatory affairs for public and private companies with a focus on emerging technologies in the transportation sector, particularly electrification and sustainable energy.
“A revolution is occurring in the transportation and energy industries – from how we generate and store energy to power various modes of transportation to how those modes are operated with autonomous and artificial intelligence systems to the way we source, process and recycle the minerals needed to enable those modes,” said Mr. Chen. “Moreover, the challenge facing this revolution is not just figuring out how to best power new transportation technology, it’s also about how to best operate the factories that manufacture them.”
For the past decade, in his executive leadership roles for several new transportation technology companies, Mr. Chen was instrumental in the commercialization of modern electric vehicles and the way they are distributed and sold. Most recently, he was Vice President of Public Policy & Chief Regulatory Counsel for Rivian Automotive, LLC and previously, was Vice President of Regulatory Affairs & Deputy General Counsel at Tesla, Inc.
“We are delighted that Jim Chen is now a part of our firm and our Washington, D.C. office,” said Babst Calland Managing Shareholder Donald C. Bluedorn II. “Jim is a great person, and he has an outstanding reputation and track record as a leader in the electric transportation and sustainable energy space. His industry experience and focused approach to providing strategic and creative solutions utilizing new technologies will be a tremendous resource for our clients.”
In addition to managing his own private practice, Mr. Chen previously held other corporate executive positions and was a prominent Washington D.C. attorney in environmental and natural resources law for two different law firms. During his private firm sector tenure of nearly 15 years, he represented a number of established automobile and truck manufacturers, as well as various industry suppliers on environmental and safety regulatory and policy issues affecting the transportation sector. He started his career as an attorney-advisor in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Regulatory Enforcement.
James Chen is admitted to practice in New York and the District of Columbia. He earned his Juris Doctorate from Case Western University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo.