Matthew Leopold
Matthew Z. Leopold | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2018 | |
| General Counsel of the United States Environmental Protection Agency | |
| In office January 8, 2018 – October 5, 2020 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Avi Garbow |
| Succeeded by | Jeffrey Prieto |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Matthew Zane Leopold[1][2] |
| Education | University of Florida (BA) Florida State University (JD) |
Matthew Zane Leopold is an American attorney[3] at Holland & Knight[4] and former government official who served as the Assistant Administrator for General Counsel of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Before joining Holland & Knight, he was an attorney at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP. Earlier in his career, Leopold practiced law at Carlton Fields.
Professional background
[edit]Leopold previously served as general counsel of the Florida Department of Environment Protection. He was also an attorney at the United States Department of Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division. Leopold's legal practice focuses on environmental law, policy, and litigation. He has represented the state and federal governments on complex environmental litigation, including Florida v. Georgia and United States v. BP Exploration and Production, Inc., which addressed the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Leopold also represented Florida in litigation related to the Everglades.[5] He previously served as an environmental policy advisor for former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.[6] He is a graduate of the University of Florida and Florida State University School of Law.
Leopold announced his intention to leave the Environmental Protection Agency in September 2020,[7] and joined Hunton Andrews Kurth as a partner in October 2020.[8] In October 2025, Leopold joined Holland & Knight as a partner and co-chair of its national Environmental Team in Washington D.C.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ "Lawyer Directory – The Florida Bar". Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ^ "Mr. Matthew Zane Leopold Profile | Tallahassee, FL Lawyer | Martindale.com". www.martindale.com. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ^ "Find a Florida Bar Lawyer". The Florida Bar. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
- ^ "Matthew Z. Leopold | Professionals | Holland & Knight". www.hklaw.com. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
- ^ "Personnel note: Carlton Fields Jorden Burt adds former DEP general counsel Matthew Leopold". SaintPetersBlog. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
- ^ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Personnel to Key Administration Posts". whitehouse.gov. September 2, 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2017 – via National Archives.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Gullen, Alex (10 September 2020). "EPA's top lawyer to depart". Politico. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- ^ "Hunton Andrews Kurth Expands National Environmental Practice with EPA General Counsel Matthew Z. Leopold". Business Wire. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- ^ Fincken, Ella (2025-10-09). "Holland & Knight names ex-EPA GC as environment co-chair". GLI. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
