Jacob Hollinger practices commercial and environmental litigation as part of McDermott’s Energy Practice Group. He also provides counseling on carbon finance, climate change, environmental compliance and environmental risk management. Prior to joining McDermott, Jacob was a commercial litigator at another highly regarded AmLaw 100 firm, an Assistant Attorney General for the State of New York and a high-ranking Clean Air Act enforcement attorney for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Jacob’s matters have involved engines, fuels, power plants, refineries, chemical plants, landfills, solar installations, waste-to-energy operations, wind farms, renewable fuel identification numbers and tradeable emission credits. He has worked with all major federal environmental statutes, handled over 200 Clean Air Act matters and litigated a diverse range of topics from Superfund liability to housing discrimination to breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty.

Litigation

• Lead defense counsel for a publicly traded manufacturing company in favorably resolved Superfund litigation—every claim against McDermott’s client was dismissed
• Lead defense counsel in a major Renewable Fuel Standard enforcement action, resolved for a fraction of the defendant’s alleged economic benefit
• Lead counsel for an energy importer in a favorably resolved commercial contract dispute, settled prior to the commencement of litigation
• Lead litigation counsel for a major international fuel supply company in a favorably resolved commercial contract dispute
• Lead discovery counsel for a financial services firm in a major employment dispute, resolved with a favorable arbitration ruling
• Lead discovery counsel in a favorably resolved bankruptcy-related investigation on behalf of an official committee of unsecured creditors
• Represented energy company in bankruptcy-related corporate governance dispute
• First chaired a federal Clean Air Act trial on behalf of five states (New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut and Maryland) while serving as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of New York*
• Lead attorney for the seventeen governmental plaintiffs in New York, et al. v. Bodman, et al., No. 05cv7807 (S.D.N.Y.), a successful regulatory deadline suit against the US Department of Energy*
• Counsel for the State of New York in three successful challenges to EPA rulemakings, including a multi-plaintiff matter in which New York was the only plaintiff to prevail on any of its claims*
• Counsel for EPA in GenOn REMA LLC v. EPA, 722 F.3d 513 (3rd Cir. 2013), a precedent-setting victory for the agency involving Clean Air Act Section 126*
• Part of the trial team that successfully defended a major automobile manufacturer in a multibillion dollar securities fraud action*

Transactional Matters and Environmental Counseling

• Clean Air Act counsel for a renewable fuel trading company
• Clean Air Act counsel for an engine manufacturer
• Clean Air Act counsel for a specialty vehicle manufacturer
• Environmental counsel for several renewable energy developers
• Environmental counsel for electric utility regarding several renewable energy projects
• Environmental counsel for renewable energy tax equity investor
• Environmental counsel for private equity fund in acquisition of a paper company
• Environmental counsel for publicly traded manufacturing company in acquisition of another manufacturing entity
• Environmental counsel for energy investment fund in the potential acquisition of biomass facility
• Environmental counsel for European mining company in potential cross-border mine acquisition

* Matter handled prior to joining McDermott.

• Legal 500 US 2017
• While at EPA, received a Hurricane Sandy Response & Recovery Award for “outstanding and exceptional response and recovery efforts in the face of one of the most devastating storms in Region 2’s history”

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Education
New York University School of Law, JD, 1997
New York University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, MA, 1997
Swarthmore College, BA, with high honors, 1991

Admissions
District of Columbia
New York

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