Laura Smith Morton

Practice Areas

Infrastructure Development

Environment, Energy & Resources

Climate Law

Data Centers and Digital Infrastructure

Energy Infrastructure & Clean Technology

Career

Laura Morton advises clients on infrastructure development, leveraging her deep government and industry experience to navigate federal policy and ensure compliance with complex regulatory requirements.

Laura is a Chambers-ranked lawyer recognized nationwide for her work in offshore energy. She advises clients with onshore and offshore infrastructure projects at every stage of development, with a focus on environmental review, permitting, natural resources, and public engagement.

Laura counsels companies on strategies to secure permitting approvals and community support for data center projects, including those on federal lands. Clients value her regulatory knowledge and nuanced understanding of federal agency policies, informed by extensive service across multiple agencies.

Laura also represents utilities and energy technology and manufacturing companies, applying industry and government experience to respond to evolving agency priorities, ensure regulatory compliance, and secure multimillion-dollar federal funding and financing. Laura also has worked with clients to challenge DOE's grant terminations.

Laura previously served as senior director for offshore wind at American Clean Power, the leading U.S. renewable energy trade association, and before that as acting deputy chief of staff and senior advisor to the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. She has held senior positions at the U.S. Department of Energy, the White House Council for Environmental Quality, and the Office of Management and Budget, where she led interagency efforts to streamline federal permitting for large infrastructure projects.

Earlier in her career, Laura spent more than a decade in private practice representing conventional energy companies in complex litigation. She maintains a robust pro bono practice in immigration and civil rights, is active in renewable energy organizations, and frequently speaks at industry conferences.

Based on her breadth of knowledge of the oceans and energy development and her commitment to science and technology, Laura was appointed in 2024 to serve as a member of the National Academy of Sciences Ocean Studies Board.