With more than a decade of practice focused on environmental, mass tort, and product liability matters, Jeremy Esterkin counsels clients facing complex environmental litigation and regulatory compliance challenges involving contaminant migration, hazardous substance exposure, and property damage claims. He has been at the forefront of some of the most high-profile environmental litigation in the country, including the Aliso Canyon gas leak, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the Anadarko-Tronox spinoff. Jeremy leverages his experience with environmental modeling, contaminant fingerprinting, and analysis of historical records to deliver tangible and cost-effective results for clients.
Jeremy advises utilities, energy companies, manufacturers, and other clients in substantive areas of federal and state environmental law involving the protection and remediation of environmental media, including the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and the California Hazardous Substance Account Act (HSAA). He also helps clients navigate federal and state environmental regulations pertaining to the management of hazardous material, wastewater, and natural resources; represents clients in cost allocation proceedings involving cleanup of contaminated sites; develops comprehensive responses to investigation and enforcement actions from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state-level environmental regulators; and provides holistic guidance on external communications to minimize litigation exposure and reputational injury. Jeremy has experience in matters involving per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS); benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX); volatile organic compounds (VOCs); perchlorate; lead; and radionuclides.
Jeremy is well versed in each stage of litigation, from pre-lawsuit fact-gathering through discovery, taking and defending fact and expert depositions, dispositive motion practice, and trial or mediation. He works collaboratively with clients, technical consultants and co-defendants to develop and execute comprehensive strategies to both resolve immediate issues and protect clients’ long-term business interests.
Jeremy maintains an active and varied pro bono practice helping veterans seeking discharge status upgrades; assisting pro se litigants in navigating federal court procedures; and defending animal welfare legislation. He is currently working alongside the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), NAACP, and Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in litigation challenging discriminatory legislative district maps enacted by the State of Mississippi.
While in law school, Jeremy was an extern for Judge Victor Marrero in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York; earned a Certificate in Environmental Policy through the U. Penn Institute for Environmental Studies; was a Senior Editor of the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Business Law; and provided low-income Philadelphia residents with pro bono tax preparation services.
Recognized, Leaders in Environmental Law, Environmental Litigation, Lawdragon Green 500 (2023)
American Bar Association
State Bar of California, Environmental Law Section
Executive Committee, Environmental Law Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association
Ranked, Super Lawyers, Rising Star in Environmental Litigation (Southern California) (2015–2019)