Paul R. Esformes

Paul Esformes concentrates his practice on environmental regulatory matters, with a particular focus on the Clean Air Act and climate change. He also represents manufacturing companies in environmental litigation before courts and administrative agencies and counsels clients in a wide range of industries on environmental compliance programs.

Mr. Esformes graduated from Princeton University, cum laude, with a BA from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, specializing in urban planning and policy. He received an MPP from the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University and a JD from Duke University Law School. While in graduate school, Mr. Esformes was an articles editor for a public policy-focused law journal, conducted environmental litigation as part of the Environmental Law and Policy Clinic, and served as a teaching assistant and research assistant on nonprofit management and philanthropic issues. Prior to graduate school, Mr. Esformes worked as an economic consultant for antitrust and international trade litigation, and conducted policy analysis for FEMA. He has also interned in the White House Office of Management and Budget’s environmental regulatory division. He is admitted to practice in California.

Prior to joining Katten, Mr. Esformes was an associate at Morrison & Foerster LLP in San Francisco, where he counseled public and private entities on compliance with federal and state environmental laws and regulations. His work included analyzing the impacts of climate change and renewable energy regulations, processing land use entitlements, and conducting risk analysis associated with environmental hazards and wastes.

Articles

• Co-author (with Zane Gresham), “California’s Redevelopment Agencies: Dead But Not Buried,” CEB Real Property Law (March 2012)
• Co-author (with Dian Grueneich and Theresa Cho), “California’s 33% Renewable Portfolio Standard: Consequences for the Renewable Energy Market,” BNA World Climate Change Report (July 2011)
• Co-author (with Jacquelyn Monday, Kristen Y. Grill, Matthew Eng and Tina Kinney), “An Evaluation of Compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program Part A: Achieving Community Compliance,” American Institutes for Research (2006)