Los Angeles, CA (May 1, 2008) - Nossaman Guthner Knox & Elliott LLP announced today that Edward V. Kussy has joined the firm as a partner in the Washington D.C./ Virginia office. Kussy served as Deputy Chief Counsel – the top career attorney – at the Federal Highway Administration for nearly two decades. Attorneys Heather DeBlanc and Mitchell Purcell also recently joined the firm as associates, making the already robust group 30 attorneys strong.
"There may be no single lawyer in the country who knows more about federal highway law and policy than Ed," said Geoffrey Yarema, chair of Nossaman's Infrastructure Practice Group.
"Any law firm representing clients in transportation development and finance absolutely must have in-depth knowledge about federal highway law, policy and the inner workings of FHWA. Our firm has long taken pride in our expertise but Ed Kussy takes it to a whole new level. I have yet to meet anyone who knows more in this area than he does," said Yarema.
Kussy's highway experience is complemented by his formidable experience with environmental laws – including the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) – that relate to highway development. He has been involved in hundreds of NEPA cases and other litigation, including several that went to the Supreme Court.
"Ed Kussy has been working with NEPA almost since the law's inception," said Robert Thornton, chair of Nossaman's Environmental Practice. "His in depth knowledge of environmental issues and the public sector are invaluable new assets for our infrastructure clients."
Kussy said his decision to join Nossaman after recently retiring from an almost four-decade, highly decorated career in the public sector was not a difficult one.
"The future of transportation is going to be a mix of public and private efforts, and Nossaman is just dominant in representing the government side in the transactions that are making this a reality. I was also attracted by Nossaman's strong environmental practice which truly complements its ability to serve infrastructure clients." Kussy said.
Kussy referred to the history that Nossaman has had with the FHWA. "I have come to know more than a dozen Nossaman attorneys over the years and found them to be universally excellent. Joining Nossaman will allow me to stay in transportation and enable me to make an impact from a different perspective," he said.
Managing Partner Michael Heumann welcomed the three new infrastructure attorneys and said "The talent and experience they bring enhances our position as one of the leading firms in an increasingly vibrant and sophisticated practice area."
Heather DeBlanc joined the Los Angeles office from Bergman & Dacey, Inc. and specializes in project delivery and construction litigation. Mitchell Purcell, who has a wide range of international and domestic infrastructure development experience, recently left a position with a Federal agency, the United States African Development Foundation, to join the Los Angeles office.
About Nossaman:
Nossaman Guthner Knox & Elliott LLP is a California-based national law firm specializing in infrastructure, healthcare, complex civil litigation, land use, environmental, real property, water, corporate transactions and public policy law. The firm represents a wide variety of public and private sector clients, with interests ranging from transportation to real estate development and water. Founded in 1946, Nossaman has more than 130 attorneys and lobbyists in California offices located in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento and Orange County, as well as in Washington, D.C./Virginia, Austin and Seattle.
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Contact: Anne Marie Ruff at (213) 612-7867, aruff@nossaman.com or Melita Wenger Jampol at (415) 438-7228, mjampol@nossaman.com