Griffin H. Williams

Griffin H. Williams is an associate at Barg Coffin Lewis & Trapp, LLP. His practice focuses on all major areas of environmental litigation and compliance, with particular focus on matters concerning hazardous waste mitigation, water contamination, endangered species protection, and land use.

Griffin earned his J.D. from Berkeley Law, where he earned a certificate of specialization in Energy & Clean Technology Law, was the Senior Publishing Editor of Ecology Law Quarterly, and served as a student clinician in the Environmental Law Clinic. Prior to law school, Griffin attended the University of Southern California (USC), graduating magna cum laude with degrees in History and Political Science.

Growing up as the son of former National Park Rangers in rural southwest Colorado, I have been fascinated by the inherent tension between conservation and development for as long as I can remember. This fascination drove me to pursue a career in environmental law, a field which I see as humanity’s best attempt to strike the right balance between competing interests based on science, history, and forward-thinking policy. Whether it is rectifying past mistakes or preparing for the future, I am honored to assist my clients with their most daunting environmental challenges.

RECENT MATTERS

WHERE THE LAW AND ENVIRONMENT INTERSECT

Griffin counsels clients in the following areas:

Litigation and counseling arising out of state and federal environmental and land use statutes and regulations, including CERCLA, RCRA, the Clean Water Act, CEQA, NEPA, and the federal and California Endangered Species Acts
Prosecution and defense of claims for recovery of environmental cleanup costs and related damages
Endangered species permitting and conservation

EDUCATION

University of California, Berkeley School of Law (Berkeley Law), J.D., 2023

Energy & Clean Technology Certificate
Prosser Prize: Environmental Law & Policy; Energy Project Development & Finance
Dean’s Fellowship
Senior Publishing Editor, Ecology Law Quarterly, 2021-2023

University of Southern California (USC), B.A., magna cum laude, History and Political Science, 2019

Trustee Scholar (full-tuition merit scholarship)
Phi Beta Kappa
Highest Honors in the History Major
Discovery Scholar Prize (for one of ten best undergraduate research papers)
Lois Banner Award for Best Undergraduate Honors Thesis
Lois Banner Award for Best Undergraduate History Paper
USC Libraries Research Award
Leonard D. Schaeffer Fellow
Shoah Foundation Fellow

COMMUNITY | OFF HOURS

Bar Association of San Francisco’s Barristers program for Environment, Land Use, and Real Estate (ELURE)

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

Bar Association of San Francisco
American Bar Association

BAR MEMBERSHIP