Overview
(October 11, 2023, Washington, DC) — Steptoe & Johnson LLP has announced the continued growth of its Chemical and Life Sciences practice with the addition of Michael Boucher. Michael joins the firm as a partner in Washington, DC, and will focus on environmental regulation, federal and state chemical regulation, compliance, and enforcement, and federal and state pesticide regulation, compliance, and enforcement.
"Michael is well known and respected within the pesticide and chemical regulatory spaces, and his experience aligns closely with the existing industry strengths of our Chemical and Life Sciences practice," commented Gwen Renigar. "His addition helps us grow our environmental regulatory practice in Washington, DC, meet the needs expressed by our clients in a heightened regulatory environment."
Michael has represented companies in numerous EPA and state agency inspections and related enforcement actions. He has obtained civil and criminal penalty mitigation under EPA and state agency enforcement policies for intentional and unintentional violations and has helped companies respond to subpoenas, information requests, citizen suits, and citizen petitions. He also provides product regulatory due diligence in acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, leveraged buyouts, restructurings, and spin-offs involving chemical and pesticide companies.
Michael also counsels clients on federal and state regulation of chemical and pest control products, including household and commercial products, biological and microbial products, and products of biotechnology and nanotechnology. His practice encompasses all aspects of regulation, compliance, and enforcement under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA); the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA); and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act; as well as compliance with California’s Proposition 65.
Michael added: "Steptoe has one of the premier Chemical and Life Sciences practices in the country. The firm offers a strong platform to provide global strategic counseling and litigation depth on a wide variety of issues, providing broader service to our clients as the environmental practice continues to change."
Over the past two years, Steptoe has handled a number of significant matters including securing the dismissal of claims regarding hand sanitizers in California, successfully resolving TSCA and FIFRA enforcement matters and providing vital strategic guidance to clients struggling with the proliferation of federal and state PFAS programs in Washington, and appearing in high stakes cases before the EU General Court and ECHA Board of Appeal on Brussels.
About Steptoe
In more than 100 years of practice, Steptoe has earned an international reputation for vigorous representation of clients before governmental agencies, successful advocacy in litigation and arbitration, and creative and practical advice in structuring business transactions. Steptoe has more than 500 lawyers and other professional staff across offices in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.
The diversity of the firm is a critical factor in its success. The firm’s chair is a woman; the majority of the firm’s elected executive committee is female; the majority of Steptoe's nine offices are managed by women; and the majority of Steptoe’s practice groups have women as leaders. The firm's six-person professional business services leadership is equally diverse, with two women of color, and other leaders who openly identify as LGBTQ+.
