John A. Rego
Partner
Cleveland
Tel: 1.216.586.7542
Fax: 1.216.579.0212
Email:
jrego@jonesday.com
Profile
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Experience
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John Rego has built upon training and experience as a chemical engineer to defend clients against governmental and private party environmental claims raising sophisticated issues of risk assessment, chemical fate and transport, and natural resource damage. A thorough understanding of environmental law, combined with the ability to appreciate and effectively use positions based on sound science, have allowed him to achieve creative, cost-effective solutions to environmental disputes. He has represented clients in the petroleum, chemical, primary metals, aerospace, and electronics industries along with manufacturers of metal and reinforced plastic products. Before law school, John worked in research and development for Procter & Gamble.
John's litigation experience encompasses Superfund cost recovery and natural resource damage claims, common law "toxic tort" claims, Clean Water Act claims, hazardous waste citizen suits, administrative appeals challenging final agency actions on hazardous waste closure requirements, air permitting and site remediation plans, and an appellate challenge to federal emission standards for ferroalloys production. Recently, he has devoted substantial attention to environmental claims in the bankruptcy process, representing debtors as well as creditors with substantial claims.
John also works with regulators to solve problems without litigation. For example, he has coordinated No Further Action demonstrations under the voluntary environmental cleanup programs in Ohio and Illinois and has negotiated traditional administrative cleanup decrees for a variety of active manufacturing facilities.
John represents clients in identifying and resolving environmental issues related to corporate transactions, such as mergers & acquisitions, public offerings, and financings. Because he spends most of his time "in the trenches," John brings to these transactions an appreciation of the practical significance (or insignificance) of the multitude of issues that often arise in such negotiations. He also routinely provides strategic environmental counseling to clients on topics as diverse as internal environmental audit programs; "brownfield" redevelopment or divestment strategies; compliance obligations under the myriad of state, federal, and occasionally international environmental regulations; and options for risk management via environmental insurance.
John oversees the environmental, health & safety practice in the Cleveland Office, but frequently joins with colleagues from Jones Day's other offices and practices to build the right team to meet a particular client's needs.
Admitted
Ohio
Education
Stanford University (B.S. in Chemical Engineering with honors 1982); University of Virginia (Law Review; Order of the Coif; J.D. 1986)
Government/Military Service
Chair, Public Advisory Group to Ohio Environmental Protection Agency's Comparative Risk Project (1994-1997)
Clerkship
Law Clerk to Judge Stanley S. Harris, United States District Court, District of Columbia (1986-1987)