Leonard A. Miller, Partner - Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP Attorney

Practice Areas

Pesticides Practice, Litigation, Environmental, Washington Office

Practice Description

Leonard Miller's law practice started in the Federal government, where he set up the basic structures of the modern-day regulation of air and water pollution and handled ground-breaking enforcement cases from Alaska to Idaho to the Caribbean. In private practice, he has represented some of the largest corporations in the world on challenging environmental, health and safety issues, and championed the cause of new companies entering the US agricultural chemical market. He has also represented successfully the nylon industry, the asphalt pavement industry and handled cases involving aldrin/dieldrin, PCBs, dioxins, lead and asbestos. He brought patent infringement actions for an inventor against some of the largest companies in the telecom industry. He has been an advisor to Fortune 500 companies, start-up companies, trade associations, international bankers and venture capital companies. Mr. Miller focuses on managing large cases, conflicts and contracts and has been successful in program management and settlement negotiations. Mr. Miller is head of the Carter Ledyard & Milburn Washington, DC Office and leads its Pesticides Regulation Practice.

Education

B.A., 1964 Brandeis University (cum laude)
J.D., 1967 Harvard Law School

Admissions

1967 Pennsylvania (inactive)
1967 U.S. District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania
1968 Massachusetts (inactive)
1970 District of Columbia
1971 Washington (inactive)
1984 U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia and Fifth Circuit
1991 U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit

Affiliations

President and Co-Founder of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Alumni Association
Member of the Council of Partners, Environmental Law Institute

Awards/Honors

For government service: US Public Health Service, Commendation Medal; US Environmental Protection Agency, two EPA Bronze Medals for Commendable Service, EPA Silver Medal for Superior Service and EPA Distinguished Career Award; certificate as one of the founding employees of the US Environmental Protection Agency.
In private practice: Included on the SuperLawyers Washington DC 2007, 2008 and 2009; The Best Lawyers in America, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 editions.

Publications

The Clean Water Handbook, Second Edition, Government Institutes, 1997 (co-author); NPDES Permit Handbook, Second Edition, Government Institutes, 1992 (co-author); Product Risk in the Chemical Industry, Executive Enterprises, 1985 (co-author); numerous articles.

Presentations

He has lectured widely at universities, companies, trade associations and professional courses throughout the US and abroad, giving over a hundred speeches on topics related to pollution control, government regulation, generic pesticide market entrants, and dispute resolution.

Prior Experience:

Partner, Bingham McCutchen LLP (Swidler Berlin LLP merged into Bingham in 2006).
Founding Partner, Swidler Berlin LLP 1982-2006.
Partner, Leva, Hawes, Symington, Martin & Oppenheimer 1981-1982.
Partner, Preston Gates, D.C. office of Seattle law firm 1980-1981.
One of the pioneers in the federal government's environmental program, starting out at the National Air Pollution Control Administration. One of the first employees of the newly formed US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where he worked until 1980. Opened the EPA Seattle Regional Office, returned to EPA Headquarters and headed up the national water enforcement and permits programs, and created the modern-day EPA water permits program (called NPDES). Selected by the EPA as one of the first group of federal civil servants to be promoted into the Senior Executive Service. Reached the highest levels of Civil Service -- GS-15 before age 30 and left government service as an SES-04.
Officer, US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, 1968 to 1972. Left the USPHS as Lieutenant Commander.
One of a small group of law students from Harvard and Yale who worked with Ralph Nader in an effort which later was called "Nader's Raiders".

Illustrative Matters

	Represents generic agricultural chemical companies entering the US market (including the first Indian and Korean companies to be awarded a technical registration by the US EPA), including data compensation negotiations and arbitrations, business strategy, and defense of products. Leads the Carter Ledyard & Milburn Pesticides Regulation Practice, which covers all aspects of FIFRA registration and regulation.
	Represents the trade association for the US asphalt pavement industry, on the on-going evaluation of the carcinogenicity of bitumen (asphalt) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Negotiated a landmark agreement to reduce worker exposure to fumes among the asphalt paving industry and construction labor unions, equipment manufacturers and the US government (OSHA and NIOSH).
	This effort was recognized as a finalist for the Ford Foundation's Innovations in American Government Award.
	Represented a major chemical company for over a dozen years on all of its water pollution and hazardous waste cases around the country and represented another of the largest manufacturing companies in the US on citizen suits, wastewater control and incineration of PCBs.
	On behalf of the phosphate fertilizer industry along the lower Mississippi River, obtained one of the few rulings from US EPA which withdrew a water pollution effluent guideline, thus allowing for a tailored solution to discharges of gypsum.
	Represented the nylon producers who use caprolactam as a feedstock, and was the first to convince the US EPA and the environmental community that a substance deserved to be taken off the congressionally mandated list of hazardous air pollutants.