ABOUT
E. Lynn Grayson is Chair of the firm’s Environmental and Workplace Health & Safety Law Practice and recognized as one of the country’s leading lawyers in environmental law. She serves as lead environmental counsel in US and international transactions and counsels corporate leadership on the management of material environmental risks and liabilities. She advises clients on critical enforcement, regulatory and litigation matters, conducts environmental internal investigations and defends clients in criminal, whistlerblower and qui tam actions. Ms. Grayson has significant experience defending against natural resource damage claims and performing environmental due diligence including water scarcity concerns.
Ms. Grayson has been consistently recognized as a leading environmental lawyer by Chambers USA, The Best Lawyers in America, Illinois Super Lawyer and the Leading Lawyers Network. She is AV Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell’s highest peer recognition for ethical standards and legal ability. She has served as a special liaison from the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Environmental Law to the U.S. Department of Defense addressing regulatory reform. Ms. Grayson launched the firm’s first blog — Corporate Environmental Lawyer.
Ms. Grayson’s many contributions to the importance of diversity in the legal profession, including the advancement of women, led her to become the first recipient of the Chicago Bar Association’s Alta May Hulett Award, the 2009 Women’s Bar Association of Illinois’ Women with Vision Award, the 2012 Illinois State Bar Association’s (ISBA’s) Diversity Leadership Award and the 2017 Best Lawyers’ Women of Influence Award. She is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law Firms and a Past Chair of the ISBA’s Standing Committee on Women and the Law, as well as the Chicago Bar Association’s Alliance for Women.
Ms. Grayson serves on the Board of Directors of the DC – based Environmental Law Institute. She also teaches Natural Resources Law as Adjunct Faculty. In 2017, she was elected Secretary of the Chicago Bar Association.
Ms. Grayson serves as Chair of the firm’s Ombuds Program and Chair (Emeritus) of the Women’s Forum. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Grayson was the Chief Legal Counsel for the Illinois Emergency Services and Disaster Agency and the State Emergency Response Commission. She has prosecuted federal and state environmental cases as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Illinois.
