About Ron
Ron’s practice concentrates in the areas of Environmental and Administrative law. He counsels and represents clients on a wide variety of environmental permitting, compliance and regulatory enforcement matters and on environmental due diligence aspects of real estate and brownfield transactions.
Prior to joining the firm in 1997, Ron practiced twelve years with the Office of General Counsel of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, where he held the positions of Associate General Counsel and Assistant Attorney General. His duties included representing the Department in a variety of legal matters, particularly those involving hazardous and solid waste management and wastewater regulation.
Ron is a frequent speaker on environmental topics and has worked for the past several years with both Lorman Education Services and the National Business Institute speaking about a variety of environmental issues and regulatory programs.
He is the current Chair of the Southern Section (Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee) of the Air & Waste Management Association. He is also a member of the Environmental Committee of Manufacture Alabama where he chairs the subcommittee on waste issues. Ron is also a member of the Environment and Energy Committee of the Business Council of Alabama.
Ron has served as an advisor to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management on various rulemaking initiatives. He has also served as a Consultant to the Environmental Management Commission’s Advisory Committee on Improving Procedures and Participation by the Public and the Regulated Community, and was Co-Chair of an Advisory Committee to the Commission that recommended improvements to the Department of Environmental Management’s enforcement and administrative penalty policies and procedures.
Ron is a member of the American Bar Association (Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Section), the Alabama State Bar and the State Bar of Georgia (Section on the Environment). For the Alabama State Bar, Ron is the immediate past-Chair of the Environmental Law Section, and is also a member of the Section’s Executive Committee. He is also a member and past Officer of the Administrative Law Section. Ron has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Environmental Law since 2006, and was also selected for inclusion in Alabama Super Lawyers for the years 2008, 2009 and 2010.
While in law school, Ron was on Mercer’s Championship Moot Court Team and was selected to the National Order of the Barristers. Prior to entering law school, Ron served as a legislative aide to the Honorable Elliott H. Levitas, a Member of Congress from Georgia’s Fourth District.
What is your favorite thing about the law?
That the law evolves and can reward well-reasoned thought.
What community projects are you involved in? I serve on the Board of Directors of the Downtown YMCA in Birmingham. I have been involved as a volunteer advisor to the Alabama Environmental Management Commission in the Commission’s efforts to revise policies and procedures of the State’s Department of Environmental Management.
What was your first job? Short order cook.
What are your hobbies? Hunting and fishing.
What advice would you give to a young student in law school?
Recognize and appreciate the importance of a basic course like civil procedure and take a trial advocacy class. The former introduces and helps develop an appreciation of the significant role of procedural process in almost all aspects of the law, and the latter helps with organization and thinking skills.