Jeff Civins

Now in his fiftieth year of practice, Jeff Civins continues to enjoy helping clients find pragmatic solutions to tough problems involving all aspects of environmental law, including counseling them on regulatory issues, helping them manage environmental risks in business transactions, and advocating on their behalf before agencies and courts.

Having begun his professional career as a scientist and teacher, Jeff loves the challenge of making difficult things easy to understand, from groundwater hydrology to air dispersion modeling to toxicology. He’s also passionate about understanding the ins and outs of his clients’ businesses—from oil and gas exploration and development, power plants, refineries, chemical plants, and other manufacturing facilities, to real estate sales, leasing, development, and financing.

Jeff’s experience includes many diverse and high-profile matters, including representing:

• A major multinational energy company in connection with regulatory issues associated with its proposed development of a multi-billion-dollar gas-to-liquids project on the Gulf Coast
• American Airlines in its settlement with United Airlines in a bankruptcy proceeding regarding contamination at JFK Airport
• A consortium of underwriters in counseling on environmental risks associated with the TXU buyout
• The U.S. Department of Treasury in conducting environmental due diligence of new General Motors
• Penn Central Corporation in its settlement of a Superfund case involving a former battery manufacturing facility on the banks of the Hudson River
• The State of Texas, working with the Department of Justice and EPA, in Clean Water Act enforcement litigation against an independent oil company involving numerous oil spills in six different states
• Crystal Lagoons in plotting a regulatory path for, and in obtaining, authorizations for the construction and operation of man-made lagoons powered by their technology in Texas

Following a summer as an analytical chemist for a predecessor agency of EPA, Jeff began his teaching career as a graduate assistant at Penn State, teaching organic chemistry lab to undergraduates. He then taught science, chemistry, and earth science in New York City public and private schools before attending the University of Texas School of Law. Jeff resumed his teaching career as an adjunct professor at UT Law School in 1987, teaching a seminar on Environmental Law Concerns to Business, and then, each spring since 1992, has taught a seminar on Environmental Litigation.

Jeff’s love of learning and teaching is reflected in his many speaking engagements and articles and in his being frequently called on by media for his views on developing topics. Jeff is particularly well known for his roles as standing chair and organizer of the Texas Environmental Superconference, the premier environmental program in Texas, now in its 36th year, and as organizer and co-editor of the Thomson Reuters Texas Practice two-volume treatise on Texas Environmental Law. In recognition of these and other contributions to the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Section of the State Bar of Texas, including having been a former chair, the Section recognized Jeff in 2023 with the creation of the “Jeff Civins Volunteer of the Year Award. ” Jeff is also a fellow of the select American College of Environmental Lawyers, a member of the Advisory Council of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Center for Energy, Law & Business, a member of the practicalESG.com Advisory Board, and chair of the EarthxLaw Advisory Council.

In the community, Jeff’s passion for education has carried over to his commitment to the Central Texas Chapter of Communities In Schools, a non-profit that helps keep at-risk kids in school.