Gardere’s Richard Faulk and John Gray Featured at California Climate Change Conference

Feb. 17, 2011 - PRLog -- HOUSTON – Richard O. Faulk and John S. Gray, co-chairs of Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP’s Climate Change Task Force, will speak at a Feb. 28 climate change symposium at the University of California Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco.

The symposium, “A Public Nuisance: Tort Law's Response to Global Warming,” will feature experts in climate change litigation from academia, government, advocacy groups and private practice. It will examine the recent trend of private and public nuisance cases against large-scale greenhouse gas emitters, focusing on their merits and potential role in curbing greenhouse gasses.

Mr. Faulk will speak on the panel titled “Constitutional Conflict: The Doctrines of Standing and the Political Question, and Their Application to the Global Warming Nuisance Suits.” That panel will examine whether the courts or the executive/legislative branches are the best venue to address climate change issues and whether such lawsuits should be fully adjudicated.

He will be joined on the panel by Brian Gray, Professor of Law, UC Hastings College of the Law, and Brent Newell, General Counsel, The Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment.

John Gray will speak on the panel titled “Solution or Roadblock: Addressing the Potential Effectiveness of the Global Warming Nuisance Suits.” That panel will discuss the U.S. Supreme Court’s impending review of AEP v. Connecticut and whether it will have a lasting impact on future attempts to bring Global Warming Nuisance suits.

He will be joined on the panel by Ken Alex, Senior Advisor to the Governor of California, Paul Cort, Attorney at Earthjustice and Adjunct Professor, UC Hastings College of the Law, and Sarah Peterman, Attorney at Farella Braun + Martel LLP.

“John and Rick have definitely carved out a niche as two of the nation’s most highly regarded lawyers on public nuisance and climate change issues,” says Steve Good, Gardere’s Managing Partner. “Their high profile in this area benefits their clients as well as their colleagues here at Gardere, and we appreciate their commitment to improving the level of debate and discussion on these important areas of the law.”

Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP, an AmLaw 200 firm founded in 1909 and one of the Southwest's largest full-service law firms, has offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston and Mexico City. Gardere provides legal services to private and public companies and individuals in areas of government affairs, energy, litigation, corporate, tax, environmental, labor and employment, intellectual property and financial services.