Bio

Annemargaret Connolly heads the Firm’s Environmental practice, is a leader of Weil’s Climate Change Practice Group, and a member of the Firm’s hydraulic fracturing task force. Annemargaret is a well-respected transactional environmental lawyer, advising clients on a wide range of global environmental compliance and liability issues, most notably in the context of mergers & acquisitions, real estate transfers, financing transactions and infrastructure projects. Annemargaret also works closely with the Firm’s European and Asian offices on cross border transactions, assisting in identifying and allocating environmental risks as well as educating foreign clients on potential issues raised by global environmental movements. In doing so, she undertakes and oversees due diligence assessments, retains and works with consultants, engineers and other environmental professionals to quantify potential liabilities, and drafts and negotiates contract language to effectively allocate the risk of environmental liabilities between the parties. Annemargaret’s transactional work requires not only an understanding of the current laws and requirements, but attention to pending and future legislative and regulatory developments that may have significant business implications. Annemargaret also advises on disclosure issues in the preparation of financial statement and public securities filings and negotiates transaction specific environmental insurance transactions. Besides transactional experience, Annemargaret counsels clients on a variety of environmental and health and safety topics, including climate change, renewable energy projects and concerns, compliance with hazardous waste and hazardous material, wastewater and air emission requirements, occupational safety issues, asbestos, mold and other building concerns, as well as shareholder, successor and lender liability. Annemargaret is ranked Band 1 for Environment: Mainly Transactional in D.C. by Chambers USA, where clients note that she is “an icon in the field” and “the best environmental attorney in the country for protecting a company while keeping commercial priorities in mind." She is listed in the “Hall of Fame” for Environment: Transactional by Legal 500 US. Annemargaret is recognized as an expert in Environment by Expert Guides’ “Women in Business Law.” She was named “Best in Environment” by Euromoney Legal Media Group’s Americas Women in Business Law Awards in 2017 and was shortlisted for the same award for 2020. Annemargaret was shortlisted as “Environment Lawyer of the Year” for Euromoney Legal Media Group’s Americas Women in Business Law Awards for 2022. In 2016, she was recognized as an Energy & Environmental “Trailblazer” by The National Law Journal and highlighted for pioneering a practice focused on identifying and allocating environmental risks in transactions, as well as for her roles in numerous landmark deals stretching back more than 25 years. Annemargaret was also named a 2016 Environmental “MVP” by Law360. She is consistently recognized as a “Best Lawyer” for Environmental Law in Washington, D.C. by Best Lawyers in America and as a leading environmental attorney for corporate transactions by Super Lawyers. Annemargaret has published numerous articles, and has been interviewed by several industry publications and legal journals, on such diverse topics as climate change, nanotechnology, lender and successor liability, due diligence and the need for environmental audits in international business transactions. Annemargaret is active in the DC Community serving as Chair of the Board of Directors of DC Appleseed Foundation, and is a member of the George Washington University Athletes Board of Advisors.