Eleni Kouimelis

Eleni Kouimelis is a partner and chair of the firm’s environmental law department which received national rankings in environmental law and environmental litigation by U.S. News & World Report in its 2014 “Best Law Firms” issue.

Ms. Kouimelis focuses her practice on environmental issues that arise in a variety of contexts, including transactions, compliance counseling, and litigation. She provides compliance counseling to diverse industrial and manufacturing clients in all the environmental media, including designing and implementing audit and sustainability programs, strategic planning, and permitting and siting approval. In addition, Ms. Kouimelis advises clients in the remediation and redevelopment of contaminated properties under both voluntary and government-mandated cleanups. She represents clients in environmental enforcement actions brought by federal, state, and local authorities in jurisdictions throughout the United States. Ms. Kouimelis also provides environmental counseling in corporate and real estate transactions, including acquisitions, divestitures, financings, and securities offerings.

Prior to joining Winston & Strawn in 1989, Ms. Kouimelis served as assistant regional counsel with USEPA Region 5, where she brought actions to enforce the air, water, and toxic statutes in judicial and administrative forums, and provided legal counseling and policy assistance to program clients in these areas.

Ms. Kouimelis received a B.A. from the University of Illinois in 1982, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She received a J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 1985, where she was a member of the Loyola Law Review.