WilmerHale is pleased to announce that Peggy Otum, a highly respected and accomplished environmental lawyer, has joined the firm as a partner in our San Francisco office.
Ms. Otum brings nearly 20 years of experience representing corporate clients in a wide range of regulatory compliance, litigation and transactional matters to the firm’s Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Group.
She has advised major corporate, university and trade-association clients on matters including investigations, contaminated site cleanups, Superfund cost recovery actions, industrial site remediation, toxic tort litigation, land purchase and divestitures, worker safety, and corporate successor liability.
Ms. Otum has also worked directly with officials at federal and state agencies to resolve enforcement and compliance matters, and regularly advises clients on the environmental aspects of corporate transactions. Additionally, she has significant experience advising clients on the public relations considerations that frequently accompany environmental issues. She adds to the firm’s already significant capabilities in assisting clients with complex energy and environmental issues.
“Peggy is a first-rate talent who is exceptionally skilled at helping sophisticated clients solve high-stakes and difficult challenges,” said Susan Murley, co-managing partner of WilmerHale. “We couldn’t be more pleased about her joining our team.”
“WilmerHale is an exceptional firm whose lawyers working on energy, environmental and natural resources issues are among the best in the legal industry,” Ms. Otum said. “I am thrilled to become part of that group and the firm, particularly as it expands into the dynamic San Francisco market.”
The firm opened its San Francisco office earlier this year to serve clients ranging from the world’s most innovative technology and life sciences companies to financial institutions and industrial and consumer companies.
Ms. Otum is an active member of the national and San Francisco legal communities, currently serving on the Bar Association of San Francisco’s board of directors. She is also a board member for the Environmental Law Institute and chairs the organization’s San Francisco Women in Environmental Law and Leadership group. She also serves on the National Women’s Law Center’s Leadership Advisory Committee.
She has been recognized by numerous publications, including The Legal 500 US, Chambers USA, Who’s Who Legal, Super Lawyers and Working Mother.
Ms. Otum earned a BS in neuropsychology from the University of Toronto and a JD from Howard University School of Law, where she was Managing Editor for the Howard Law Journal. Before joining WilmerHale, she worked for another large law firm in San Francisco and Washington, DC.