WASHINGTON (October 7, 2025) – Former Trump Administration general counsel to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Matt Leopold has joined Holland & Knight as a partner and co-chair of its national Environmental Team in Washington, D.C. Prior to serving as the Senate-confirmed general counsel to the EPA from 2018-2020, Mr. Leopold was general counsel to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and a former environmental litigator at the U.S. Department of Justice. Most recently, Mr. Leopold was a partner with a major law firm in Washington, D.C.
"Matt's arrival marks a significant step forward for our environmental practice nationwide," said Rich Gold, leader of Holland & Knight's Public Policy & Regulation Group. "He is one of the country's top legal minds when it comes to environmental regulations that impact the oil and gas, chemical, agriculture and energy industries. His significant practice and insights into the Trump Administration environmental policy will allow us to offer clients strong representation in the federal regulatory processes occurring now and in the future."
As EPA general counsel during the first Trump Administration, Mr. Leopold advised on the development and defense of the most significant regulations proposed by the EPA. He helped draft the Affordable Clean Energy Rule (repeal and replacement of the Clean Power Plan), Navigable Waters Protection Rule (definition of Waters of the United States), Clean Water Act Section 401 Certification Rule, Safe Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule (regulating tailpipe emissions from passenger cars and light duty trucks), and had an instrumental role in other rulemakings and actions.
Mr. Leopold has significant experience as a litigator for the government and in the private sector. He has recently represented industry clients in challenges to a number of EPA rules, including the CERCLA hazardous substance listing of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), TSCA risk management rule for asbestos and Clean Air Act rules regulating greenhouse gases from power plants and oil and gas facilities. He also represents industry clients in federal enforcement actions brought under several environmental statutes. At the Justice Department, he was a member of the trial team following the 2010 Macondo oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the largest civil environmental enforcement case in U.S. history. In private practice, he previously represented the State of Florida in a water rights dispute with the State of Georgia before the U.S. Supreme Court, resulting in a month-long trial before a court-appointed special master.
At Holland & Knight, Mr. Leopold will help clients create pragmatic and strategic solutions to their complex environmental regulatory, litigation and enforcement challenges. He is among five current professionals at Holland & Knight with experience working at the highest levels of the EPA.
"Over the past few years, Holland & Knight has assembled an incredibly experienced environmental team that I'm proud to join," Mr. Leopold said. "The ability to contribute meaningfully to the Firm's government practice and be involved in significant environmental regulatory, litigation and transactional matters is a tremendous opportunity. In addition, Holland & Knight's deep influence and connections within Florida, my home state, is a great fit that allows me to add additional strength to the Firm's well-known practice. I look forward to a long and successful partnership."
Mr. Leopold earned a J.D. degree from Florida State University College of Law and a B.A. degree from the University of Florida.