Bio

Matthew Morreale is Head of the Environmental Practice. He advises Cravath’s clients on environmental matters relating to mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, financings and other business transactions, as well as on environmental‑related proceedings and investigations. Mr. Morreale also regularly counsels companies and their boards of directors on matters relating to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) concerns, including with respect to shareholder engagement and proposals, disclosure and proxy requirements, sustainability reporting, acquisition and investment diligence and integration matters. Clients describe Mr. Morreale as “an excellent lawyer who understands the complex regulatory impacts on companies, including emerging climate change issues.” Mr. Morreale has worked on hundreds of transactions across all industries in the U.S. and internationally, including deals in heavy manufacturing; oil and gas (exploration and production, transport, refining and services); chemical refining; shipping; power generation; cement and aggregates production; automobile assembly; pulp and paper; iron and steel; mining; electronics; telecommunications; food services; publishing; and retail chains. Mr. Morreale also provides counseling on environmental compliance matters; environmental and toxic tort litigation; environmental indemnification disputes; and environmental aspects of periodic reporting obligations under securities laws. Mr. Morreale regularly lectures and writes on environmental topics, such as disclosure obligations under SEC requirements, including those relating to climate change and other ESG matters. He has been a member of the adjunct faculty of Columbia Law School since 2008, as well as Cardozo School of Law from 2003 to 2013, and has taught courses on environmental concerns in business transactions and on the law of climate change. In addition, Mr. Morreale serves on the Board of Directors of the Columbia Journal of Environmental Law (since 1997) and Environmental Advocates of New York (since 2014). Mr. Morreale has been repeatedly cited as one of the country’s leading environmental practitioners by, among others, Chambers USA, The Legal 500 US, The Best Lawyers in America, Who’s Who Legal: Environment and Lawdragon. Mr. Morreale was born in Garden City, New York. He received a B.A.S. (focus in mechanical and systems engineering) and a B.A. in 1990 and an M.S. in Geology in 1994, all from the University of Pennsylvania, and a J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1997, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and a Senior Editor for Articles and Notes of the Journal of Environmental Law. Mr. Morreale joined Cravath in 1998 and was elected a partner in 2011. Prior to joining Cravath, he practiced environmental law, including regulatory and litigation matters, at a law firm in New York.