Former Chief Legal Officer of Airbus Americas and Environmental Scholar Renée Martin-Nagle Joins Eckert Seamans

September 1, 2020

Eckert Seamans announced today that well-known and highly regarded aviation and environmental attorney, Renée Martin-Nagle, has joined the firm’s Pittsburgh office as Special Counsel. The former chief legal officer of Airbus Americas and a noted sustainability scholar, Martin-Nagle will divide her energies between the firm’s nationally-recognized aviation practice and the environmental law practice.

“Eckert Seamans is committed to the expansion of our aviation capabilities, and Renée’s addition to our already robust team demonstrates our growth by attracting the most respected and qualified practitioners into our aviation group,” said Evelyn D. Sahr, chair of Eckert Seamans’ aviation practice.

Noted David A. Rockman, chair of Eckert Seamans’ environmental law practice, “We are excited to welcome Renée to the firm, particularly at a time of change in environmental law at the federal and state levels, and increasing attention to the key issue of sustainability.”

Martin-Nagle joins Eckert Seamans after serving as CEO and President of A Ripple Effect plc, a consultancy focused on international water law and integrated water resources management services. Her work at A Ripple Effect included designing a sustainability program for a major U.S. airline, producing an analysis of sustainability initiatives at smaller U.S. airports for the U.S. Airport Cooperative Research Program, drafting the official synopses of international water conferences in Bonn and Abu Dhabi for OOSKAnews, and developing summaries of water laws in Nigeria, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Somalia, Zambia, and Ghana for the Center for Water Security and Cooperation. Martin-Nagle has taught international environmental law and policy at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, and is currently teaching international environmental policy as an adjunct professor at St. Francis University. She is also a visiting scholar at the Environmental Law Institute.

Martin-Nagle served for more than 20 years at Airbus Americas, retiring in 2011 as Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, Head of Environmental Affairs, Corporate Secretary, and a member of the board of directors. While at Airbus, she designed and implemented policies, programs, and training concerning corporate compliance, lobbying, document management, export-import regulations, business ethics, environmental issues, and social media. She acted as sole Airbus lawyer in numerous, highly complex sales contracts, led a team that developed and implemented an ISO 14001 program in North America, and established formal and informal environmental programs at all U.S. facilities. Among her many aviation sector activities, she served as chair of the American Bar Association Forum on Air and Space Law. She was honored with the 2014 Aviation Industry Woman of Excellence Award by the International Aviation Women’s Association.

Martin-Nagle focuses her environmental work on freshwater, with a particular emphasis on the governance and hydrogeology of groundwater aquifers, ecosystem protection, and interspecies equity. She has published books and articles on these topics, and reviewers have called her 2020 book, Governance of Offshore Freshwater Resources, “ground-breaking”, “important”, and “creative”. She has given presentations on water-related topics at the IWRA World Water Congress, Stockholm World Water Week, International Association of Hydrogeologists Congress, Dundee International Law and Transboundary Freshwaters Workshop, American Water Resources Association Groundwater Conference, World Bank Law, Justice and Development Week, International Law Students Association Jessup Moot Court competition, and London Water Research Group Hydro-Hegemony Conference.

Martin-Nagle earned her Ph.D. in law from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow UK (thesis title: Governance of offshore freshwater resources), an LL.M. in environmental law with highest honors from George Washington University Law School, a J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, and undergraduate degrees from Saint Francis University and Mount Aloysius College.

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