Shannon S. Broome

Shannon is a trusted advisor to her clients, who describe her as an “outstanding lawyer—very practical, effective, extremely smart and incredibly knowledgeable,” in Chambers USA, 2016.

Shannon is the managing partner of the firm’s San Francisco office and leads the firm’s California environmental practice. Her prior experience as a chemical engineer in the oil and gas industry affords her unparalleled insights into the development of regulations and counsel on environmental, health and safety issues. Shannon also maintains an office in Washington, DC. Splitting her time between these offices allows her to help her clients wherever they may be. Her work focuses on permitting, enforcement, environmental incident response, and regulatory advocacy and litigation.

Shannon is a nationally recognized authority on Clean Air Act and climate change matters, with more than 25 years of experience addressing all aspects of the Clean Air Act, Shannon represents clients in a variety of manufacturing and energy sectors, including oil and gas, chemical, paper, automotive, power generation and utilities. Related to her climate practice and environmental matters generally, Shannon is credentialed by the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board in the Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting, which supports her practice advising companies on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues and disclosures. Shannon also advises companies in preparation for and responding to environmental incidents and under federal and state process safety management and risk management plan regulations.

Highly regarded for her litigation practice challenging and defending EPA and California regulations and permits before federal and state appellate courts, in 2018, she was named to The National Law Journal’s list of “Energy & Environmental Trailblazers.” She has been repeatedly named to the California Daily Journal’s list of Top 100 Women Lawyers and Top 100 Lawyers. She is one of four lawyers nationally ranked by Chambers USA in Band 1 for Nationwide Climate Change and is also ranked by Chambers in California Environment and Global Climate Change law. In 2019, Broome was appointed for a three-year term by the Administrator of the US EPA to the Clean Air Act Advisory Committee, which advises the EPA on appropriate implementation of the statute. She is also lauded for her deep knowledge on environmental enforcement matters, and is respected by her Fortune 100 clients for her practical approach to regulatory compliance, in which she relies on her previous career as an engineer for Chevron, USA.

Shannon is admitted in the United States Supreme Court, US Courts of Appeals for the District of Columbia, First, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, and Tenth Circuits, several US District Courts, and all California state courts.

Outside of her client work, Shannon devotes herself to improving diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. She is the current and founding Co-President of the California chapter of the Women’s Energy Network. As an accomplished female lawyer and previous engineer, Shannon is a frequent speaker on issues related to how women can succeed in the workplace, particularly in the legal profession. She was appointed to and is currently serving as a leader on the American Bar Association’s Special Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion of the Section of Environmental, Energy, and Resources Law, which addresses among other things, racial and gender inclusion and equity issues in the legal field, and serves on the Section’s governing council. Shannon also volunteers her time as a Berkeley Law School Alumni Guide, a role in which she mentors young female law students.