WASHINGTON, D.C., Aug. 12, 2013 — The American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy and Resources has announced that William L. Penny will serve as chair for a one-year term starting Aug. 12.

Penny, who practices in the area of environmental law and litigation, is a member of Stites Harbison’s Environmental, Natural Resources and Energy Services Group.

“It is an honor to be chosen as the leader of such a well-respected organization,” Penny said. “The section leaders, including our council, officers, committee chairs and vice chairs, are the top lawyers in the nation. I look forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead for the section and the profession.”

A longtime member of the ABA, Penny previously served as the section’s vice chair, chair-elect and budget officer.

Among his other leadership roles, Penny has been an active member in all levels of bar associations. He served as the first chair for the Tennessee Bar Association’s Environmental Law Section and the first chair for the Nashville Bar Association’s Environmental Law Committee.  Internationally, he recently addressed the Canadian Bar Association’s National Environmental, Energy and Resources Law Section in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, on environmental energy and resources legal issues in the United States.

Penny also served as general counsel for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. He teaches environmental law and administrative law at the Nashville School of Law.

Among other accomplishments, Penny has been repeatedly featured in The Best Lawyers in America, Chambers, Mid-South Super Lawyers and other national and international rating services. He will be tweeting about Section activities and related substantive content under @tnenvlawyer.

“The practice of environmental, energy and resources law continues to evolve as we encounter new environmental and political challenges,” Penny said. “Lawyers are now practicing in the areas of climate change and sustainability, which were only conceptual areas of law a few years ago. While the mainstream environmental practice will continue, our ABA section will review, evaluate and position ourselves to meet the needs of an ever-changing legal environment, locally, nationally and internationally.”

The ABA Section of Environment, Energy and Resources is the premier forum for strategies and information for environmental, energy and resource lawyers. Representing nearly 11,000 members with a wide range of professional interests, the section keeps its members abreast of development trends, current court decisions, legislative initiatives and statutes concerning environmental, natural resources and energy law.

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