Thomas Pearce is an associate in the New York office of Latham & Watkins.

Mr. Pearce is a member of the Environment, Land & Resources Practice and Litigation & Trial Department. He represents clients in environmental, commercial, products liability, and toxic tort litigations. He also advises clients on environmental regulatory and transactional issues relating to federal environmental laws, including the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Clean Air Act (CAA) and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), as well as their state equivalents. He has represented clients across a variety of sectors, including manufacturing, chemicals, paint and coatings, and oil and gas.

Mr. Pearce is also an active member of the firm’s pro bono program and was a recipient of the firm’s 2020 Robert M. Dell Prize for Extraordinary Pro Bono Service as part of a team that successfully litigated Voting Rights Act claims in the East Ramapo Central School District in New York.

Mr. Pearce is admitted to practice in the State of New York, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Mr. Pearce’s experience includes representing:

  • Multiple clients in connection with litigation and regulatory issues pertaining to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
  • Several clients in the investigation and remediation of contaminated sites under CERCLA, including the Lower Passaic River Study Area Superfund site
  • A utility in connection with the mitigation of the methane leak from the Aliso Canyon underground storage field in Porter Ranch, Los Angeles 
  • A multinational energy corporation in connection with multiple state-wide MTBE litigations
  • A property owner regarding the remediation and sale of a contaminated site subject to the New Jersey Industrial Site Recovery Act (ISRA)
  • The purchaser of a 50% equity interest in a cogeneration facility located within a complex undergoing remediation pursuant to ISRA
  • A leading US pharmaceutical company in a contractual dispute against a Swiss company relating to Medicaid reimbursement

Bar Qualification

  • New York

Education

  • JD, New York University School of Law, 2015
  • BA, University of North Carolina, 2011