E. Lynn Grayson
Ms. Grayson recently joined the environmental law firm of Nijman Franzetti as a Partner. She is immediate past Chair of Jenner & Block's Environmental and Workplace Health & Safety Law Practice and is 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 as well as conducts environmental audits at manufacturing operations. 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’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.
In 2018, Ms. Grayson was elected Secretary of the Chicago Bar Association. She also teaches Natural Resources Law as Adjunct Faculty. Prior to joining Jenner & Block, 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.