William Sloan serves on the firm’s Clean Technology + Alternative Energy Steering Committee, and chairs the Environment + Energy Group’s carbon team. Mr. Sloan represents domestic and international clients on matters involving natural-resource and emission management, regulation and litigation, with a particular focus on climate change, energy and water resources. He has advised clients on carbon-offset generation projects and emission-reduction purchase agreements, both under the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol and in the voluntary-offset marketplace. With respect to water, he has counseled clients on water rights and water supply assessments, and has handled contested cases involving groundwater basin adjudications and water quality compliance. His work has spanned North America, Europe, Asia and Africa.
Before entering private practice, Mr. Sloan served in externships with the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Attorney General’s Office. During his career, he has had extensive compliance, permitting and litigation experience involving the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act, the California Environmental Quality Act, the California Coastal Act, the Endangered Species Act, the California Forest Practice Act and other environmental statutes.
For nearly a decade, Mr. Sloan has worked on matters before regulatory agencies, as well as in state, federal and international courts, successfully litigating cases for both the public and private sector that have been resolved in the California and United States Supreme Courts. His matters have also included representation of sovereign entities such as the Government of Guam and the Republic of Ethiopia. A list of clients is available upon request.
Mr. Sloan has been recommended for environmental law by Best Lawyers in America (2013 – 2015) and Super Lawyers (2012 – 2014). He was also recognized as a “notable practitioner” by Chambers USA (2011 – 2014) for his expertise in climate change law, and was recently named to the “Cleantech 100” list in the inaugural edition of LMG Cleantech & Renewable Energy (2013).
Currently, Mr. Sloan sits on the Climate Change Advisory Committee for the California Manufacturers and Technology Association, and participates in its environmental and government affairs committees. Mr. Sloan is also a member of the Energy Bar Association’s emission trading committee, the Environmental Law Institute and the Environment, Energy and Resources Section of the American Bar Association.
Mr. Sloan received his B.A. from Princeton University in 1994, and his J.D. from Hastings College of the Law, University of California, in 1999. In 2006, he was awarded a diploma as a Rhodes Ocean Scholar from the Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy in Greece. He is a frequent speaker and author on climate change and carbon markets.
