Brian Israel

Brian Israel is Co-Chair of the Environmental Litigation practice at Paul Hastings, and he is based in the firm’s Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles offices. Brian's practice focuses broadly on environmental litigation, crisis management, and counseling—including climate-related issues—and he is one of the nation's leading lawyers for Natural Resource Damages (NRD) claims.

Over the course of his career, Brian has successfully litigated and/or resolved over one hundred environmental matters. Among other areas, he specializes in cases brought under federal and state environmental laws related to contaminated sites, including toxic tort lawsuits. Brian represents multiple Fortune 500 companies in some of the largest and most complex environmental matters across the country.

Brian was an Honors Trial Attorney in the Environmental Enforcement Section of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). While at the DOJ, he handled several high-profile cases, including the largest NRD trial at the time. Additionally, Brian was awarded the Distinguished Service Award for his accomplishments in a Clean Air Act jury trial during his time at the DOJ. He also litigated claims on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency pursuant to the Clean Water Act; the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA); and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). Before joining the DOJ, Brian clerked for the Honorable Julia S. Gibbons of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.

Brian has spoken and written extensively about environmental law and policy issues.

University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, Certificate, Sustainable Capitalism and ESG

New York University, J.D. (cum laude)

University of South Florida, B.A.